Iris decora Wall.

Roots are considered as diuretic, aperient and deobstruent, used in bilious obstructions and externally applied to small sores and pimples (Kirtikar & Basu, Ind. Med. Plants (Vth. Rep. Ed.). 4: 2460. 1991.

White-flowered forms from Yunnan have been described as Iris decora var. leucantha X. D. Dong & Y. T. Zhao (Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 18: 150. 1998. Much further work needs to be undertaken on the I. decora group. According to one of us (Noltie), true I. decora is a large plant probably restricted to Bhutan, Nepal, and S Xizang. The plant commonly occurring in China is much smaller and grades into I. collettii.

Roots swollen tuber-like, white fleshy as well as fibrous roots attached to flat rhizome, densely covered by remains of old leaves. Leaves 10-45 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, strongly ribbed. Peduncle (stem) 10-30 cm tall, often branched. Bracts slender, acuminate, keeled, generally 2-flowered. Pedicel c. 2.5 cm long. Flower 4.0-5.0 cm long in diameter, pale bluish-lavender to deep reddish purple. Falls c. 5 cm long, c. 2.5 cm wide, blade broadly lanceolate; haft with deeper reddish purple veins and a central ridge which is brownish yellow at base, yellowish to pale mauvish-white on blade; standards narrowly lanceolate, bent outwards and downwards like falls; tube 2.5-6.0 cm long. Filaments white slightly violet tinged, anthers cream coloured, violet-tinged at the base. Ovary 3-sided, each side slightly concave. Styles broadly lobed, pale-violet, toothed at edges, crest triangular erect, exceeding falls and standard, whitish or yellowish orange at tips, stigma deeply bilobed. Capsule 2.5-3.5 cm long, trigonal, grooved at sides, tip pointed. Seeds dark brown small, round, aril as large or larger than seed.

Plants densely tufted, with small growing point. Roots swollen, fusiform, tuberous. Leaves linear, 10--35(--60) cm × 2--8 mm, veins 2 or 3, base surrounded by brown fibers. Flowering stems sometimes shortly 1-branched, 10--25 cm × 2--3 mm; spathes 3, green, lanceolate, 4.5--9.5 cm, 2-flowered. Flowers violet or pale blue, 2.5--6 cm in diam. Perianth tube 2.5--3 cm; outer segments spreading, obovate, 2.5--4 × 0.8--1.8 cm, crest central, yellow, low, undulate; inner segments erect, narrowly elliptic, 2.5--4 × 0.5--1.2 cm. Stamens 1.5--2.5 cm; anthers yellowish white. Style branches 2--3.5 cm. Capsule ellipsoid to ovoid, 2--3.5 × ca. 1 cm, apex shortly pointed. Fl. Jun, fr. Jul--Aug. 2 n = 24.

Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, N India, Nepal].

Distribution: Pakistan (Kaghan valley), Kashmir, India (Himachal Pradesh, Garhwal, Meghalaya), through Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan to China (Yunnan, Szechuan), 1000-4300 m.

Himalaya (Bashahr to NEFA), S. Tibet, Assam (Khasia), W. China.

1800-4000 m

Fl. Per.: May-July.Vern.: Chiluchi, Sosan, Shoti, Chalnundar

Grassy hillsides on plateaus, open stony pastures, cliffs; 2800--3100 m.

Iris nepalensis D. Don; I. yunnanensis H. Léveillé; Junopsis decora (Wallich) W. Schulze.

Iris nepalensis D. Don, Prodr. Fl. Nep.: 54. 1825; non Wallich ex Lindley (1824): Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 6: 273. 1892; Blatter, Beaut. Fl. Kashm. 2: 167. 1928.

Flowering in June; fruiting from July to August.

Iris decora is close relative of Iris collettii, but differs from the latter in its flowering stems sometimes branched (vs. always simple), more than 10 cm (vs. very short to 8 cm. or not emerging from ground), perianth tube 2.5-3 cm (vs. 3-5 cm).

Iris decora is occurring in Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan of China, Bhutan, N India, Nepal.

Phylogenetic analyses of Iris representing all subgenera and all sections except Regelia, Brevituba, and Monolepis, were inferred from matK gene and trnK intron sequence data (Wilson, 2004). Sequence data show that Iris is paraphyletic because Belamcanda chinensis is resolved within the genus. The two largest subgenera, Iris and Limniris, are both resolved as polyphyletic. With the removal of section Hexapogon, subgenus Iris is weakly supported as monophyletic. Relationships within subgenus Limniris are more complex with the subgenus as currently circumscribed representing eight independent origins. Several potential monophyletic groups are identified including subgenus Scorpiris, series Spuria (subgenus Limniris section Limniris), and a clade of section Limniris species from North America and Asia.

Plants densely tufted, with small growing point. Roots swollen, fusiform, tuberous. Leaves linear, 10-35 cm long, 2-8 mm wide, veins 2 or 3, base surrounded by brown fibers. Flowering stems sometimes shortly 1-branched, 10-25 cm long, 2-3 mm wide; spathes 3, green, lanceolate, 4.5-9.5 cm, 2-flowered. Flowers violet or pale blue, 2.5-6 cm in diameter. Perianth tube 2.5-3 cm; outer segments spreading, obovate, 2.5-4 cm long, 0.8-1.8 cm wide, crest central, yellow, low, undulate; inner segments erect, narrowly elliptic, 2.5-4 cm long, 0.5-1.2 cm wide. Stamens 1.5-2.5 cm; anthers yellowish white. Style branches 2-3.5 cm. Capsule ellipsoid to ovoid, 2-3.5 cm long, ca. 1 cm wide, apex shortly pointed.

The chromosomal number of Iris decora is 2n = 36 (Malla et al., 1981).

Growing in grassy hillsides on plateaus, open stony pastures, cliffs; 2800-3100 m.

Iris decora là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Diên vĩ. Loài này được Wall. miêu tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1830.

尼泊尔鸢尾（学名：Iris decora）为鸢尾科鸢尾属的植物。分布于印度、不丹、尼泊尔以及中国大陆的云南、四川、西藏等地，生长于海拔1,500米至3,000米的地区，多生于高山带的荒山坡、草地、岩石缝隙及疏林下，目前尚未由人工引种栽培。