Siberian iris

Family Cruciferae. From the point of view of garden classification, Siberian irises include both species of the series Sibiricae and cultivars obtained as a result of crossing different species of the series as well as through the use of chemical mutagens.

Meanwhile, it is precisely these that, with an adjusted set of agrotechnical measures, can be successfully cultivated in the south and, most importantly, in the north. Siberian irises are the most practical and reliable plants for the cold regions of Russia that are not especially favorable for floriculture. And that, incidentally, is almost 70% of the country’s territory.

The series of Siberian irises is divided into two subsections, Sibiricae and Chrysographes. The first includes three species of irises whose cell nuclei contain 28 chromosomes. The most widespread and long-used species in landscaping of this subsection is the Siberian iris (I. sibirica). Its range from west to east is extraordinarily vast: from the northern regions of Italy and eastern Switzerland as far as Lake Baikal. Its northernmost populations are found in the southern parts of Arkhangelsk Oblast and the Komi Republic, and the southernmost — in the Caucasus and in northern Turkey. The second 28-chromosome species of Siberian irises — the blood-red iris (I. sanguinea) — grows from the shores of Baikal to the coasts of the Okhotsk and Japanese Seas. Outside Russia, the blood-red iris is found in northeastern China, Mongolia, on the Korean Peninsula and in the Japanese archipelago. The third species of the subsection — the reed-leafed iris (I. typhifolia) — was recently discovered in the wild in northeast China and central Mongolia. It is the least studied species with exceptionally early flowering times, similar to dwarf bearded irises. The flower colors of the aforementioned species are generally light blue, blue, and violet shades, and in the first two there are populations with white and lilac flowers. The height of the flower stalks varies from 15–30 cm: in the Siberian iris 'Nana' (I. sibirica 'Nana'), 25 cm (Siberian iris 'Nana Alba') (I. sibirica 'Nana Alba'), 25 cm (blood-red iris 'Nana Alba') (I. sanguinea 'Nana Alba') up to 1.5 m.