Kingdom Plantae Family Iridaceae Tribe Irideae Rank Species | Order Asparagales Subfamily Iridoideae Genus Iris | |
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Similar Iris macrosiphon, Iris kemaonensis, Iris boissieri, Iris grant‑duffii, Iris fosteriana | ||
Iris filifolia is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Xiphium. Its name means 'threadleaved iris'. Filifolia comes from the Greek words, 'fili' meaning thread-like and 'folia' meaning leaf.
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In Gibraltar, it is also known as the 'Narrow-leaved Purple Iris'.
It is often mistakenly called 'Spanish Iris'. The Spanish Iris is Iris xiphium.
In 1842, it was first described in 'Voyage botanique en Espagne' Vol 2, page602. Dykes notes that this description is incorrect. It was also described in Curtis's Botanical Magazine No.5929 as 'Xiphion filifolium'.
It was recorded in the Catalogue of Life in 2011.
Habit
It flowers between March and June. Normally more than 2 flowers per stem. When the flowering shoot comes out of the ground it is covered in a purple or white blotched sheath. These then open up to revel red-purple flowers with orange spots on the falls. It normally reaches a height of 10-16 inches (or 25–40 cm). But can reach up to 45 cm tall.
The 3mm wide leaves appear in the autumn.
It is known to be toxic like other bulbs in the genus.
It is best grown in a bulb frame in the UK.
Native
Found originally on Sierra de Mijas and Sierra Bermeja in Spain, at 3,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level. It has also be found in Southwestern Spain, Gibraltar and Tangier in Morocco.
Iris filifolia likes to grow in sandy areas.
Cultivars
Several known cultivars are;