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Iris marsica

Iris marsica
Photo: Bouke ten Cate, CC BY 4.0

Iris marsica is a rare rhizomatous perennial iris from the Apennine Mountains of central Italy, first described in 1973 and once confused with Iris germanica. It is grown mainly by iris collectors and is grown much like other bearded irises in sunny, well-drained soil.

Family
Iridaceae (Iris family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water moderately during growth and let the soil dry out between waterings; avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Well-drained, gritty or loamy soil; scree-like conditions suit it well.
Temperature
Hardy in cold winters; protect from prolonged waterlogged cold.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: Rhizome and leaves are poisonous; ingestion can cause stomach pain and vomiting, and handling may cause skin irritation or allergy.
Native range
Italy (C. Appennini)
Climate
temperate

About

Iris marsica is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the Apennine Mountains, in Italy. It has glaucous, sickle-shaped or curved, light green leaves, slender stem with 2 branches, and 3 violet, light blue violet, dark violet, and dark purple flowers. It was only found and described since 1973, and is not yet in general cultivation. It was once thought to be a form of Iris germanica, but has different morphological characteristics and different chromosomal differences.

How to grow it

It is hardy.

It prefers situations in well-drained soils in full sun.

Safety

Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), and if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Handling the plant may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.

Other Iris plants

Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata · Iris acutiloba · Iris adriatica · Iris afghanica · Iris alberti · Iris albomarginata · Iris alexeenkoi · Single Bract Iris · Iris antilibanotica · Stool iris · Iris arenaria · Iris assadiana

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Iris marsica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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