a non-flowering iris

totototo@telus.net totototo@telus.net
Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:26:28 PDT
On 27 Sep 2009, at 17:32, Kathleen Sayce wrote:

> Yes, this plant has leaves that are only 4 mm wide. Whatever it is,  
> it is also hardy--surviving sub 15F temps and snow last year. I don't  
> think Iris munzii would have lived through last winter in my yard.
> 
> Iain suggested replanting it, so I may divide it in half, and take a  
> very close look at the roots when I do so, to see what their  
> structure is like.

Could it be Iris uniflora or Iris minuto-aurea? The latter in particular is 
famous for not flowering. There are other small irises from the same general 
area (Korea, Manchuria, eastern Siberia, etc) that are notoriously difficult to 
flower, though in their native habitat they put on a respectable show. Or so I 
gather - why else would anyone bother collecting them, plus, you can't get 
seeds to collect if the plant doesn't flower.

Another possibility is that it's one of the very dwarf forms of Acorus 
gramineus. Some of these have been known to masquerade as irises, the game only 
being given away when a clever gardener persuades them to flower.


-- 
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate
on beautiful Vancouver Island

http://maps.google.ca/maps/…


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