Iris kolpakowskiana, or Kolpakowski's iris,[1] is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is classified in the subgenus Hermodactyloides and section Monolepsis. It is a bulbous perennial from Asia.
It has a bulb covered with a densely reticulate fibrous tunics.[2]
It has 3–4 leaves,[2] which are similar to many irises of the genus Scorpiris, although it has only a few leaves at flowering time.[3]
They are 3.5cm-11cmcm (01.4inches-04inchescm) long,[2] and can increase up to 30cm (10inches) later after flowering.[3] They are 0.2 cm wide and ribbed on the underside.[2]
It has a very short stem, green spathes (leaves of the flower bud) and perianth tube 5cm-9cmcm (02inches-04inchescm) long.[2]
It blooms in late winter, between March,[4] and April.[2]
The flowers are bi-tone (2 coloured),[5] they come in purple shades, from reddish-violet,[5] lilac-violet,[2] [6] pale lilac to pale purple.
Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals (outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals (or tepals), known as the 'standards'.[7] The falls are lanceolate shaped, 3.5cm-4cmcm (01.4inches-02inchescm) long.[2] They are dark violet, purple,[2] or dark reddish purple, with a yellow,[2] or yellow orange ridge.[5] The standards are obovate or oblanceolate shaped and 3.5cm-5cmcm (01.4inches-02inchescm) long.[2]
It has stamens with filaments that are 0.5–0.9 cm long.[2]
After the iris has flowered, it produces a cylindrical with a short beak seed capsule.[2]
As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.[7] It was counted as 2n=20.[5] [2]
It is pronounced as (Iris) EYE-ris (kolpakowskiana) kol-pa-kow-skee-AY-nuh.[1] It is sometimes known as 'Kolpakowski's Iris'.[1]
It is sometimes mis-spelt as Iris kolpakowskyana. It was named after the first Russian military Governor of Semirechye Oblast in modern Kazakhstan .[8] [9] [10] See also Sun Tulip or Kolpakowski Tulip.[11]
The iris was first described by Eduard August von Regel in the Botanical Magazine No.6489 in 1880.[12] [13]
Iris kolpakowskiana is now an accepted name by the RHS,[14] and was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 2 October 2014.
It is native to temperate Asia.
It is found in the Tien Shan Mountains, Turkestan.[2] [4] [5] It is also found in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.[15]
It grows on the hillsides,[16] and open grassy slopes,[2] in wet sticky clay that dries out in summer.[17]
It is normally found at 800– above sea level,[16] near the melting snowline.[2]
It was on the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants.[18]