Iris caucasica (also known as Caucasian iris)[1] is a species of plant in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Scorpiris. Pronounced as 'kaw-KAS-ee-kuh'.[2]
It is a bulbous perennial.
It was described in 1808 by Georg Hoffman in Commentat. Soc. Phys.-Med. Univ. Litt. Caes. Mosq.[3]
It was once confused with Iris orchioides, but Iris caucasica is a smaller plant, with sessile flowers. Also it has leaves that have white margins.
Iris caucasica is an accepted name by the Royal Horticultural Society.[4]
It has a brown ovoid bulb with fleshy roots. It is similar in form to Iris persica.[1]
It has grey green leaves, which are ciliate and that start growing at flowering time. They reach up to 10–12 cm long and l-2 cm wide. The leaves have a faint white margin.[5]
It has between 1–4 flowers per stem, normally pale yellow or green and with winged falls.[6] The falls also have a yellow ridge.[7] The flowers are 5–15 cm (2–6 in) across.[6] It flowers in late spring.[8] It eventually reaches a height of 15 cm (flower and stem).[8] The flowers are not fragrant.[9]
Iris caucasica grows on limestone mountain slopes (at 1200-3500m above sea level)[8] in Turkey[7] and Armenia and Azerbaijan, in the Caucasus mountains.[7] Bieberstein notes seeing it near Tbilisi in the South Caucasus.[1] It has also been found in Israel and Iran.[5]
In 1892, Michael Foster introduced a hybrid version Iris Caucasica 'Kharput'.[2] which does not have winged falls.[6] It still has 4–5 flowers per stem, which are greenish-yellow. But they are generally larger than parent plant.[9]
A survey of plants used as folk medicine showed that Iris caucasica Hoffm. subsp. turcica (or Sarı nevroz, a local name used in Ovacık, Dersim) has been used as for folk medicine in Turkey. The flowers have been used in an infusion to treat colds.[10]