Iris uniflora

Iris uniflora differs from Iris ruthenica by having thick resilient bracts (leaf on flower stem, where a flower emerges) that remain green (or yellow-green),[2] until the seeds mature.[3][4][5] On Iris ruthenica, the bracts usually dry out and die, after flowering.[2]

It has a thin creeping rhizome that is brown and branched.[6][7] The rhizome is covered with the remains of last years leaves.[2][3] It also has fibrous roots.[6]

It has slender flowering stems that grow up to 15 cm long.[3][7][2] They are occasionally branched.[7]

It has thin grass-like leaves (linear and lanceolate).[2][5] The 2–3 leaves are green and grow up from the base of the plant, measuring 10–40 cm long, 5-10mm wide.[6][3][7] The leaves later grow longer than the flowers stems after the blooming period.[6][7][2]

It blooms between May and June.[6][3] It normally has one flower but occasionally has two flowers,[6][2] which have a violet-like fragrance.[8] It has perianth tube (that measures about) 1.5 cm.[6][2]

The flowers come in shades of purple, from blue-purple to violet.[6][3][5] They are 4–4.5 cm in diameter.[6][2] They have a white veined or striped signal (at the base of the fall of the flower).[2][5]

It has 1.5 cm long stamens and 5 mm long ovary.[6]

Between July and August, it fruits (after the blooming period is over).[6][3]

It has oval/globose seed capsules (measuring 8–10 mm in diameter).[6] Which differ from other irises by being un-ribbed.[5] Inside the capsule, are round, black seeds, that have a small (fleshy-like) appendage.[3][7][5]

Dried specimen from Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris

It is written as 单花鸢尾 in Chinese script and 'dan hua yuan wei' in China.[6][11] It has the common name of 'Rock Iris' in Tibet and the Tibetan name of 'Yuki Ozawa'.[12]

It is also known as 'Single-flowered Iris' in Russia.[3][13]

It was first widely published by Peter Simon Pallas in 'Jahrbücher der Gewächskunde' (published in Berlin and Leipzig) in 1820.[11][14] But was first found and named by Link but he did not publish it widely.[1]

It was illustrated later in The Garden (magazine) page 187 on 5 September 1896.[8]

In 1892, it was thought to be a variety of Iris ruthenica (Iris ruthenica var. uniflora) by Baker (in his book, Handbook Irid. 4. 1892). which he noted was a form with narrow leaves (2—6 mm wide at anthesis, ca. 10 mm wide in fruit.[6][7] It was described as Iris uniflora var. caricina by Kitagawa in the Botanical Magazine (of Tokyo) in 1935.[6] Which is still considered a variant by the American Iris Society.[4] In 1981, Brian Mathew notes in his book 'The Iris' that "The Flora of the USSR separates this as a distinct species, distinguished from Iris ruthenica ".[4]

Iris uniflora is a tentatively accepted name by the RHS.[15]

Iris uniflora is native to temperate regions of Asia.[11][16]

It was rare in Russia and mentioned in an early version of the Russian Red Book of Endangered Species.[13] Currently not in the 2013 list.[19] One population of iris uniflora is now under the protection of Lazo Nature Reserve.[13]

It grows well in garden borders, but it only flowers in dry and sunny positions.[8] Stable in culture, winters without shelter. Can be used for rocky hills, curb and group plantings in the southern forest-steppe and steppe regions. Differ by more than I. ruthenica, confinement to dry soils. Tested: Moscow, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok.[3]

It is a specimen found in 7 Botanic Garden collections around the world.[19]

In east Siberia, Aphis neonewtoni (Pashtshenko) is found on the upper sides of the leaves of Iris uniflora.[20]

It is used within Tibetan herbal medicines, the seeds are an ingredient in a remedy used to treat de-toxification and as an insecticide. The flowers are used to treat eyesight problems and the root is used to cure freckles and ringworm.[12]

Iris uniflora has only one known variant, as others found were re-classed as synonyms.

• Iris uniflora var. latifolia Skripka – which has a flower spike, growing taller than the foliage.[3][4]

• Data related to Iris uniflora at Wikispecies