Iris juncea
| Rush iris | |
|---|---|
| Illustration of the Iris juncea by Walter Hood Fitch (Curtis’s Botanical Magazine) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Genus: | Iris |
| Subgenus: | Iris subg. Xiphium |
| Section: | Iris sect. Xiphium |
| Species: | I. juncea |
| Binomial name | |
| Iris juncea | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Diaphane stylosa Salisb. | |
Iris juncea (commonly called the rush iris) is a smooth-bulbed bulbous iris species. The name is derived from 'juncea' from the Greek word meaning 'rush-like'.
It was first described by Jean Louis Marie Poiret in 1871. It was then illustrated in Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1898.
Its flowers are light yellow and fragrant. Normally 2 per stem in summer. It flowers between June and July.
It grows to a height of between 1 and 2 feet. The 3mm wide leaves appear in the autumn and then fade before flowering.
The bulb is reddish-brown in colour.
It can be found in (Algeria and Tunisia) in North Africa, Southern Spain and Sicily.
Other varieties known include;
- iris juncea var. merimieri (Lynch) Sulphur yellow flowers
- iris juncea var. numidica (Anon) lemon-yellow flowers (from Africa)
- iris juncea var. pallida (Lynch) large soft yellow flowers