Violet root - some types of iris, or, as it is also called, iris - Germanic, Florentine or pale, whose rhizomes emit a surprisingly delicate violet smell, have been awarded such an exquisite name.
These plants - natives of the Mediterranean, their types, features and preferences will be discussed in this publication.
Iris: a plant with history
Cultivated since time immemorial, iris in many nations is a symbol of trust, devoted friendship and deep cordial disposition. It is also mentioned in ancient epics and medical treatises, since the iris has long been known not only as a decorative flower, but also as the most valuable essential oil culture, as evidenced by its elegant name "violet root".
There are about a hundred such species. Almost all of them are herbaceous rhizomatous perennials, common in almost all parts of the world, except perhaps for the pole.permafrost.
Description
Pale iris (violet root) is an ornamental and at the same time medicinal plant with a characteristic yellowish-brown, creeping, fleshy rhizome with a dense starchy structure. The unpretentiousness of the plant allows it to be grown in any region of our country, but it is almost never found in the wild. Violet root is cultivated in gardens, pursuing two goals - decorating the estate space and using it for medicinal purposes. The rhizome contains unique chemical compounds with healing properties. The root of the iris, growing, gradually dies off from below, forming young branches that annually form leaves and peduncles.
Flowers and leaves of iris pale
Iris leaves are basal, they are very decorative: two-row, xiphoid with a slight wax coating, thin and flat, collected in a beautiful bunch-fan. The peduncle is a strong erect annual stem reaching 0.3-0.6 m.
Flowers, depending on the type and variety of culture, from medium to fairly large sizes. The palette of shades of flowers is surprisingly diverse. Apparently, therefore, the name of the plant is translated from Greek as "rainbow". Iris flowers are regular, with an excellent delicate aroma, located on strong peduncles and collected in a multi-flowered inflorescence. The color of the flowers of these species is diverse: from pale blue and lilac shades to deep purple with bordered edges of the petals. The fruit is a multi-seeded oblong box.
Peculiarities of culture
Iris is a winter-hardy plant, resistant to short-term droughts and not demanding on the composition of the soil. However, luxurious flowering from it can be achieved if the most comfortable conditions are created. For example, it should be borne in mind that irises are very photophilous. Therefore, sites for culture are chosen well-lit, and the soil is carefully dug up before planting, adding humus and mineral supplements.
Iris rhizomes are an excellent planting material necessary for vegetative propagation. For this, pieces of rhizomes or their processes with the resulting growth buds-children are used.
Planting and growing iris
The optimal time for planting iris is the period from late August to mid-September. For this, strong pieces of rhizomes with existing fibrous roots and 2-4 leaves are selected, which are shortened to 20-30 cm. They are planted, deepening by 8-10 cm so that the growth buds are at soil level. Crop care consists of weeding, loosening and fertilizing. Nitrogen compounds are introduced in the spring, and phosphorus-potassium compounds are introduced in preparation for flowering. It is important not to forget that it is impossible to feed the plants during flowering.
The pale iris wakes up in early spring, as soon as the soil warms up to 8-10 ° C. Flowering occurs in May-June. Irises are periodically transplanted, because, growing, the rhizomes can be forced out to the surface, which significantly harms the plant, reducing the nutrition area andreducing the decorative effect. Transplantation of irises is carried out depending on the characteristics of the species. For example, garden and leafless varieties - every 3-5 years, Siberian - 6-8 years, yellow - 8-10 years.
German irises: varieties with photos and names
In addition to pale iris, edible violet species include German and Florentine irises.
Germanic iris - a culture with dense wide or narrow xiphoid leaves that persist until autumn. The flowers of these species are large lilac-violet with a colorful bright yellow longitudinal beard, located on long branched peduncles up to 1 m high. German orris root blooms in June.
In fact, most bearded irises grown in gardens today are derived from the Germanic iris. Pure culture can be seen in botanical gardens, breeding nurseries and experimental sites. In nature, it is extremely rare, but on the mountain slopes of Transcarpathia and at the foot of the Himalayas you can still see this plant. In gardens, varieties derived from it are in the lead:
- Summer Night is a tall variety with fragrant bright blue flowers and a bright yellow center.
- Guards is a particularly fragrant variety with creamy yellow large inflorescences.
- B altic Sea is a variety of Germanic iris, with spectacular ruffled blue petals and a rich ultramarine beard.
Germanic Iris is excellent in cutting. Seeds ripen by the end of summer.
Florentine iris
Florentine iris is a bearded hybrid, which received a telling name because of the brightly colored decorative hairs located on the bases of the outer petals. These plants are characterized by very high branched peduncles (up to 0.7 m), giving up to 5-7 flowers - white with sky-blue transitions or yellow, unusually refined and decorative. It has a Florentine iris and a pleasant aroma. The leaves of the culture are bluish, large, xiphoid. The plant has been cultivated in Mediterranean countries since the 15th century. In temperate Russian latitudes, the Florentine iris requires shelter for the winter, as it is notable for its low frost resistance.
A feature of the culture is exclusively vegetative reproduction, since it does not produce seeds. Flowering starts from the end of May and can continue throughout June.
A striking representative of this species is Diamond Elbrus - a tall variety with a bright aroma of large white flowers with an orange core.
The listed irises (varieties with photos and names), although they belong to medicinal species, are still more often used for decorative purposes. Despite the short flowering, these plants are distinguished by excellent decorative leaves and do not lose it until the very cold.
