Violet root - with such an exquisite name some species of iris are awarded, or, as it is also called, kasatika - Germanic, Florentine or pale, whose rhizomes emit a surprisingly delicate violet smell.
About these plants - natives of the Mediterranean, their species, characteristics and preferences will be discussed in this publication.
Iris: a plant with a story
Cultivated from time immemorial, iris among many peoples is a symbol of trust, faithful friendship and a deep cordial disposition. It is also mentioned in ancient epics and medical treatises, since kasatik has long been known not only as a decorative flower, but also as a most valuable essential oil culture, as evidenced by its elegant name “violet root”.
There are about a hundred such species. Almost all of them are herbaceous rhizomatous perennials common in almost all parts of the world, except for the permafrost pole.
Description
Pale kasatik (violet root) is an ornamental and at the same time medicinal plant with a characteristic yellowish-brown, creeping, fleshy rhizome with a dense starchy structure. The unpretentiousness of the plant allows you to grow it in any region of our country, but in the wild-growing form it is almost never found. Violet root is cultivated in gardens, pursuing two goals - decorating the estate space and using it for medicinal purposes. The rhizome contains unique chemical compounds with healing properties. The iris root, growing, gradually dies from below, forming young branches that annually form leaves and peduncles.
Flowers and leaves of pale iris
The leaves of the iris are basal, they are very decorative: two-row, xiphoid with a slight waxy coating, thin and flat, collected in a beautiful bunch-fan. Flower stalk is a strong erect annual stem, reaching 0.3-0.6 m.
Flowers, depending on the type and variety of culture, from medium to large enough sizes. The palette of shades of flowers is surprisingly diverse. Apparently, therefore, the name of the plant is translated from Greek as "rainbow". The flowers are regular, with an excellent delicate aroma, located on strong peduncles and collected in a multi-flowered inflorescence. The color of the flowers of these species is diverse: from pale blue and lilac shades to deep purple with fringed edges of the petals. The fruit is a multi-seeded oblong capsule.
Culture features
Iris is a winter-hardy plant, resistant to short-term droughts and not demanding on the composition of the soil. However, luxurious flowering from it can be achieved if you create the most comfortable conditions. For example, it should be borne in mind that killer whales are very photophilous. Therefore, the areas for culture are chosen well-lit, and the soil is carefully dug up before planting, adding humus and mineral fertilizing.
Iris rhizomes are an excellent planting material necessary for vegetative propagation. For this, pieces of rhizomes or their processes with the formed growth buds-children are used.
Planting and growing iris
The optimal time for planting an iris is considered to be the period from the end of August to mid-September. For this, strong pieces of rhizomes with existing fibrous roots and 2-4 leaves are selected, which are shortened to 20-30 cm. They are planted, buried by 8-10 cm so that the growth buds are at the level of the soil. Care of the crop consists of weeding, cultivation and top dressing. In the spring, nitrogen compounds are introduced, during the preparation for flowering - phosphorus-potassium. It is important not to forget that it is impossible to feed plants during flowering.
Pale whale wakes up in early spring, as soon as the soil warms up to 8-10 ° C. Flowering occurs in May – June. Irises are periodically transplanted, because, growing, the rhizomes can be squeezed out to the surface, which noticeably harms the plant, reducing the area of nutrition and reducing decorativeness. Irises are transplanted depending on the characteristics of the species. For example, garden and leafless varieties - every 3-5 years, Siberian - 6-8 years, yellow - 8-10 years.
German irises: varieties with photos and names
In addition to the pale whale, Germanic and Florentine irises are also considered edible violet species.
German Iris - a culture with dense wide or narrow xiphoid leaves, which persist until the fall. The flowers of these species are large lilac-violet with a colorful bright yellow longitudinal beard, located on long branched peduncles up to 1 m high. Germanic violet root blooms in June.
Actually, most species of bearded irises grown today in gardens are derived from German iris. Pure culture can be seen in botanical gardens, breeding nurseries and on experimental sites. In nature, it is extremely rare, but on the mountain slopes of Transcarpathia and at the foot of the Himalayas, you can still see this plant. In the gardens, the varieties obtained on its basis are in the lead:
- Summer night is a tall variety with fragrant bright blue flowers and a bright yellow core.
- Guards - a particularly fragrant variety with cream-yellow large inflorescences.
- Baltic Sea - a variety of German iris, with spectacular corrugated blue petals and a beard of saturated ultramarine color.
German kasatik is excellent in cut. Seeds ripen by the end of summer.
Florentine iris
Florentine Iris is a bearded hybrid, which got a talking name because of the decorative hairs located on the bases of the outer petals that stand out with a bright color. These plants are characterized by very high branched peduncles (up to 0.7 m), giving up to 5-7 flowers - white with sky-blue transitions or yellow, unusually elegant and decorative. It has a Florentine iris and a pleasant aroma. The leaves of the culture are bluish, large, xiphoid. The plant has been cultivated in Mediterranean countries since the 15th century. In temperate Russian latitudes, Florentine killer whale requires shelters for the winter, since they are characterized by low frost resistance.
A feature of the culture is exclusively vegetative propagation, since it does not produce seeds. Flowering begins in late May and can last all June.
A striking representative of this species is diamond Elbrus - a tall variety with a bright aroma of large white flowers with an orange core.
The listed irises (varieties with photos and names), although they relate to medicinal species, are still more often used for decorative purposes. Despite the short flowering, these plants are distinguished by excellent decorative leaves and do not lose it until the colds.