Iris kuschakewiczii is a species in the genus Iris, subgenus Scorpiris. It is a bulbous perennial from the hills of Kazakhstan. It has dark green glaucous leaves, a short thick stem and purple spring flowers.
Iris kuschakewiczii has a 1.5 cm (in diameter) bulb,[1] with a paper tunic-coating. It has thickened storage roots, close to the base.[2]
It has 4-5 dark green glaucous leaves which gradually taper to the apex,[1] [2] (falcate), They are clustered together at the base, and are 1-1.5 cm wide (close to the base).[2] They also have a contrasting white edge or margin.
It grows up to a height of between 10-, including the flower.It has a thick stem, which is between 3–5 cm long, hidden by the leaves, unbranched with 1-4 flowers.[2] The blooms appear in April–May.[1] The non-scented flowers appear above a perianth tube of 3.5-4.5 cm long.[1] [2] The flowers come in various shades of purple, from greenish purple,[2] pale violet, violet-blue, to lilac blue. The (3.5–4 cm long), falls have very dark violet blotches and lines on either side of a prominent white crest, or white signal patch. The blades are oblong-obvate shaped (about 1.2 x 0.7 cm).[1] The standards are 1 – 1.5 cm long (often 3 lobed shaped).[1] [2] The flowers measure approx. 6.5–8 cm in diameter.
The bracts and bracteole are green with membranous tips and margins.
The fruits appear in late spring-early summer.[2]
It was originally published as Iris kuschakewiczi by Boris Fedtschenko in 'Bull. Jard. Bot. Petersb.' v. 158 (Bulletin of St. Petersburg Botanical Garden) in 1905.[3]
In 1958, Petr Petrovich Poljakov re-published it as Juno kuschakewiczii in Fl. Kazakhst. 2: 249.[4]
In 1939, it was suggested this was a form of Iris narynensis, but when Mathew published "The Iris" in 1981, he retained it as a separate species.[5]
Iris kuschakewiczii is now an accepted name by the RHS.[6]
It was named after a Russian botanist 'A. A. Kuschakewicz' who worked with N. J. Korolkov in 1872,[7] and Boris Fedtschenko in 1873.[8] A. A. Kuschakewicz collected many plants in Turkestan and Central Asia.[9]
It is mentioned in D.J. Mabberley portable plant books of 1997.[10] [11]
In 1905, Iris kuschakewiczii was found in Turkestan,[5] on the northern foothills of the Tien Shan Mountains of Central Asia.
It can be found on gravelly and rocky slopes, on the red-clay hills of Kazakhstan (on the north-western spurs of the Tien Shan).[1] [2]
It is also found in the Ala Archa National Park (25 km from the capital of Bishkek) of Kyrgyzstan.[12]
It is fairly easy to grow in cultivation, within an alpine house or bulb frame,[13] it does not need much moisture in summer.[14] It can be grown outside in a sheltered, sunny raised bed with well drained soils.[15] [16]