Iris timofejewii is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from

Biochemistry

As most irises are diploid, (including Iris timofejewii,^[2]) having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.^[3]: 18 It has a chromosome count: 2n=24.^[4][5][6]

Taxonomy

It is often known as Timofeev's Iris.^[7][8][9]

It is not known who the Latin specific epithet timofejewii refers to.

It was first found in Dagestan.^[10][11] and then was first published and described by Yury Nikolaevich Voronov in 'Not. Syst. Herb. Hort. Petrop.' vol.62,^[10][12] and Bot. Mater. Gerb. Glavn. Bot. Sada R.S.F.S.R. Vol.5 on page62 in 1924.^[13]

It was then published in Fl. Kavk. in 1928,^[10] and FL. Cauc. Vol.1 on page 257 in 1928.^[11]

In 1939, it was thought to be a form of Iris scariosa, then in 198 Brian Mathew classed it as a species related to Iris suaveolens.^[11]

It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003, then updated on 18 January 2006.^[13]

It is listed in the Encyclopedia of Life.^[9]

Iris timofejewii is a tentatively accepted name by the RHS.^[14]

Distribution and habitat

It is native to temperate regions of Asia.^[15]

Range

It is found in the Eastern Caucasus,^[4][6][16] and is endemic to Dagestan,^[7][10][17] a republic of Russia.^[13] It is found in the Dagestan districts of Tsumadisnkiy, Akhvakhskiy, Botlikhskiy, Gumbetovskiy, Untsukulskiy, Shamilskiy, Levashinskiy, Karabudakhkentskiy, Akhtynskiy and Gunibskiy.^[8]

Habitat

It grows on the dry,^[16][15][10] rocky mountain,^[10] slopes,^[7] (normally made of limestone,^[5][18][8]) or scrubland steppes.^[15][17]

They can be found at an altitude of 500–1,500 m (1,600–4,900 ft) above sea level.^[8]

Conservation

It once had a large population range in the 70s, but by 1981, that had been severely cutback until only 2-3 dozen individuals were remaining.^[17] Then it became a protected plant species, also specimens were sent to various botanical gardens for species preservation.^[19] It was then included in the Red Data Books of the RSFSR in 1988 and it is now listed in the Red Data Books of the Russian Federation (of 2008) and Dagestan (of 1998).^[8] It was listed as (V) – Vulnerable.^[20][21] It currently has a restricted population range in Russia, with only five spread-out locations and up to 5,000 plants.^[8] It is currently listed as (E) – Endangered.^[8]

It was threatened by overgrazing, the plant was eaten by cattle, to such extent that a large population of the iris, around the village of Tsudakhar was almost totally devastated between 10-15 years. Now, only 20-30 individuals have survived.^[8]

In the Botanical Garden of Georgia, they have produced several self seedings of the iris and other rare irises (including Iris iberica, Iris graminea, Iris imbricata, and Siphonastilis lazica, to stop them becoming extinct.^[19]

Cultivation

It was tested for hardiness in the Russian botanical gardens of Alma-Ata, Baku, Bakuriani, Tallinn and Tbilisi.^[17] An attempt was tried to grow the iris in West Germany and the US (near New York), but they were unsuccessful, due to high humidity conditions.^[7]

It prefers to grow in scree-like soils, in full sun,^[15] with low humidity (or in dry soils).^[7][22]

It needs a dry and warm summer to rest and to re-flower the next season.^[18]

Like other irises, it can be damaged by slugs and snails.^[5]

It can normally only found for cultivation in specialised iris nurseries.^[5]

Propagation

Irises can generally be propagated by division,^[23] or by seed growing. Seeds can be distributed around by ants and birds, which take between 2-3 years to germinate.^[17]

Hybrids and Cultivars

Italic text==Toxicity== Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Also handling the plant may cause a skin irritation or an allergic reaction.^[24]