Gurcharan ji Thanks for including one of the most beautiful Iris species as your picture of 2012. I have added this to Flora Picture2012<http://indiantreepix.blogspot.in/search?updated-min=2013-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2014-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=1> Dr Satish Phadke
On Mon, Dec 31, 2012 at 10:59 PM, Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]>wrote: > Presenting my flora picture of the Year 2012,* Iris japonica*, the > fringed iris or butterfly flower. > > I had known about several species of Iris being grown in Kashmir to > decorate graveyards and as ornamentals, and a few forming enormous meadows > both in the valley (Iris lactea, which for a long time was identified as > I.ensata) and alpine hills (I. hookeriana). These species were mostly > possesed by me in the form of dried speciments. I missed photograhing these > in previous years as they are early flowering plants, and I would miss > their flowering. This year I planned an early visit to Kashmir to catch > these and other similar flowers. Luckily I was able to catch almost all, > but my prized click was this species which I found in gardens for the first > time in Kashmir. > Despite its scientific name, the plant is neither a native of Japan > (rather being a native of China), nor bearing the common name Japanese iris > (which belongs to Iris ensata). > The plant is a rhizomatous perennial with sword-shaped leaves up to > 60 cm long, up to cm wide, without midvein; flowers pale blue to white, 4-6 > cm across, with fringed falls spotted with purple and orange crusts, up to > 1.5 cm long spathe, up to 2.5 cm long pedicel and perianth tube shorter > than 1.5 cm, flowers are arranged on much branched stems. > Photographed from Botanical Garden below Cheshma Shahi in Kashmir. > > The species has been widely cultivated in different parts of the world and > has been given 'Award of Garden Merit' by Royal Horticultural Society. > > > > -- > Dr. Gurcharan Singh > Retired Associate Professor > SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 > Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. > Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 > http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ > http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ > > -- > > > > --
