Some Lesser Known Irises
PART III
CRESTED IRISES OF EVANSIA SECTION
By Miss J. Burgess, Waikanae.
THE NEW ZEALAND SMALLHOLDER, April 16th, 1935.
Although one or two of the crested irises are
known to the New Zealand gardener, there are several species of
this interesting section which are rarely if ever seen in this
country. It is generally believed that the Iris genus is divided
into two divisions, the bearded and the beardless irises.
However, there is a group intermediate between these two
divisions, a group that is distinguished by possessing a crest
in place of a beard on the fall. All the members of this group
are rhizomatous rooted, though the different species vary greatly
in the shape and size of the flowers and the height to which the
plant grows.
The name Evansia was given to the section in 1812, in honour of
a Mr Thomas Evans, of the India House, who had introduced
Japonica into England a year or two previously. Japonica, which
has two synonyms, fimbriata and chinensis, is the best known
member of the crested section. It is a native of China and
Japan. In England, Japonica can only be grown and flowered
successfully in a greenhouse, but in many parts of New Zealand
it has proved almost hardy. It will stand quite a heavy frost as
far as the foliage is concerned, but I frost of six or more
degrees may catch the flower spike before it emerges from the
foliage, so that in most districts some slight protection is
advisable towards the end of winter when the buds are forming. A
lover of lime and a sunny aspect, this species is by no means
difficult of culture. The flowers are a delicate and delightful
shade of lavender blue, lightened by a light freckling of gold
at the throat. They are borne on gracefully branched stems about
two feet in height. Each stem carries a large number of buds,
which give a succession of bloom over several weeks. There is an
entirely hardy form called Ledger's variety which has slightly
larger flowers of nearly the same shade of lavender blue. Both Japonica and this hardy form flower in the early spring.
From the Himalayas comes Millesii, named after Mr Frank Miles,
who introduced it into cultivation about 1880. It is a
distinctly handsome Iris, and the tallest of this section.
Perfectly hardy and easily grown, it requires like Japonica,
lime and a sunny position. The flowers, which appear at the end
of October, are borne on 3ft. well branched stems, which
continue to develop flower after flower over a period of eight
or ten weeks, a surprising long period for a single species. The
flowers themselves are about 3 inches across, and are a delicate
lilac, spotted on the fall with a deeper shade of the same
colour. The foliage which is extremely ornamental, is a clear
light green which shows up as a distinct contrast among most
other plants.
Better known, perhaps, is tectorum, from China and Japan. The
Chinese grow this Iris on the roofs of their houses, whence the
name tectorum and the popular name of "roof garden Iris". It was
introduced in 1874 by Mr William Bull. The flowers which are
flattened, as in Iris Kaempferi, are from 3 to 5 inches across,
and are borne on 12 inch stems, each of which carries from two
to three flowers. The colour is a deep lavender blue, with a
conspicuous white crest on the fall.
There is also a really charming white form of tectorum whose
purity is enhanced by a soft yellow signal patch. This white
form sets seed readily and comes to colour. Both the blue and
white tectorum are perfectly hardy, and the culture is the same
as for japonica and milesii.
A dainty little Iris of less easy culture is gracilipes, from
Northern Japan, where it grows on wooded slopes with a cool
aspect, and in loose vegetable soil, in much the same conditions
in which primroses thrive. This and speculatrix, about which
later little is yet known, are the only grassy leaved species of
the section. They are delicately fringed flowers of gracilipes,
which are borne on 6 inch stems, are a pale lilac pink, lightly
touched with orange on the fall.
There are two American representatives of the Evansia section,
cristata and its Canadian form, lacustris. These are dainty
little miniatures, cristata being 4 inches, and lacustris two
inches in height. The flowers are lilac, and in cristata about
one and a half inches across, in lacustris one inch. Culture for
both is the same as for gracilipes. Cristata, comes from the
Southern States of North America.
(Update Notes; The only evasia that has no crest I.tenuis was transferred into the genus Evansia, Lenz, 1959, originally classed as a Pacific coast iris, its closely related to cristata and lacustris and also needs to be included in this American group. Also I. speculatrix has been removed from the evansia section. TJ.)
As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger,
higher resolution version.
Credit and copyright Iris Hunter.
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