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Preserving the biodiversity of Iridaceae family
representatives in the Subtropical Scientific Centre
of RAS
To cite this article: A V Ryndin
et al
2023
IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.
1212 012026
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ESDCA-III-2023
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1212 (2023) 012026
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1212/1/012026
1
Preserving the biodiversity of Iridaceae family representatives
in the Subtropical Scientific Centre of RAS
A V Ryndin, K V Slepchenko, N A Slepchenko and O I Pashchenko
Federal Research Centre the Subtropical Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of
Sciences (FRC SSC of RAS), 2/28, Yana Fabritsiusa str., Sochi, 354002, Russia
E-mail: slkkot1977@gmail.com
Abstract. This paper considers the issue of preserving biological diversity of Iridaceae family
representatives in the FRC SSC of RAS. The research was carried out in the humid subtropical
climate on the Black Sea coast of Krasnodar Territory. The objects of research were the
following Iridaceae family representatives: Iris L., Crocus L., Gladiolus L., Freesia Eckl. ex
Klatt, including cultivar samples from Russian and foreign breeding, as well as species of
natural flora. Collectible samples are preserved and maintained in a living form, used both in
scientific research, including introduction, breeding, technology, physiology and biochemistry,
and for solving import substitution issues in such fields as floriculture and ornamental
gardening. The paper presents data on grouping 358 Iris cultivar samples, including 35
cultivars bred by FRC SSC of RAS, as well as 139 promising hybrid forms, selected by the
type of modified shoots (corms, bulbs, rhizomes). Iridaceae family representatives bloom from
February to November in natural conditions and during the year when forced, they vary in
plant height (from miniature to giant), can be used in landscaping (306 cultivar samples), as
potted plants (74) and cut (259). In the course of the work carried out, it has been found that
the climatic conditions of the research area are well suited for cultivation and scientific
research on bulbotuberiferous, rhizomatous and bulbous plants from Iridaceae family,
regardless of their origin and distribution area.
1. Introduction
Iridaceae Juss. – a large family, which includes ornamental plants with various modified underground
shoots (rhizomes, bulbs, corms, tubers). It includes species with different habitus, various flower
shapes and colours, terms and duration of flowering. The most popular and relevant representatives of
the family are: Iris L., Crocus L., Gladiolus L., Freesia Eckl ex Klatt. They are widely used as cut and
pot crops, for forcing and landscaping. In our country and abroad, these crops are widely used in
breeding research [1-10].
Purposeful formation of genetic collections of ornamental crops, including Iridaceae family, began
at the Federal Research Centre the Subtropical Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences
(FRC SSC of RAS), Sochi, in 1970s. A large number of cultivars were introduced and studied, many
of which are for the first time in our country, and a number of agrotechnical issues were resolved. New
domestic cultivars were bred. Currently, research, including breeding, is ongoing. The gene pool of the
Iridaceae family includes cultivars of Russian and foreign breeding from the following genera: Iris,
Crocus, Gladiolus, Freesia, as well as species of natural flora and rare and endemic ones. It is used in
various research programs, including breeding.
ESDCA-III-2023
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1212 (2023) 012026
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1212/1/012026
2
The purpose of the research is to preserve, study and replenish the biological diversity of Iridaceae
family, including cultivars of own selection.
2. Materials and methods
The studies were conducted in a humid subtropical climate on the Black Sea coast of Krasnodar
Territory. The region is unique, it belongs to a Mediterranean type climate with a relatively warm
winter (January and February temperatures are +6.0 ...6.1oC), cool spring, often long, hot and humid
summer, warm and dry autumn. The average annual air temperature is +14.1 °C, the average absolute
minimum is -7 °C. A characteristic feature of the research area is precipitation, mainly of a stormwater
nature, which falls on average 1 635 mm. These climatic conditions contributed to attracting various
species and cultivars of flower plants to the Centre’s collection, conducting introduction, breeding and
other studies. The objects of research were representatives of Iridaceae family. The work was carried
out according to the methods generally accepted in the introduction, as well as finalized by the Centre.
3. Results
The collection of genetic resources of Iridaceae family is kept alive (in open and protected ground)
and has 358 cultivar samples (table 1). The composition includes plants with various modified shoots
and conditionally we have divided them into bulbotuberiferous, rhizomatous and bulbous. Since
representatives of the genus Iris belong to almost all groups, in this case we have divided them
according to this principle.
Table 1. Biological diversity of Iridaceae representatives at FRC SSC of RAS.
Crop / cultivated group
Modified
shoot
Number,
pcs.
Cultivars bred by
the Centre, pcs.
Promising
hybrids, pcs.
Freesia
corm
49
35
113
Gladiolus
corm
20
-
-
Crocus
corm
24
-
5
Bearded Irises
rhizome
207
-
2
Siberian Irises
rhizome
30
-
7
Japanese Irises
rhizome
8
-
4
Spuria Irises
rhizome
4
-
3
Spec
rhizome
10
-
-
Iridodictium
bulb
3
-
-
Xiphium
bulb
16
-
5
Hermodactylus
tuber
1
-
-
Total
358
35
139
Bulbotuberiferous plants from Iridaceae family are represented by cultivars and hybrid forms of
Freesia and by cultivar samples of Crocus and Gladiolus.
The genus Freesia is named after the German physician Friedrich Fries. The second name “Cape
Lily of the Valley” – from the place of origin in the Cape province in South Africa. It has become
widespread due to the high decorativeness of the flower, including its elegant shape, various colours
and delicate aroma. It is in high demand due to the possibility to obtain cut products in winter and
early spring, and to use it as a pot plant. The Centre's collection supports 49 cultivars, of which 35
belong to domestic breeding. Cultivar samples are diverse in shape and colour of the flower.
According to the flower type, there are: 4 – semi-double, 8 – double, 33 – simple. According to the
flower colour, the collection is grouped by the main tone: white – ‘Angel’, ‘Mechta’, ‘Kavkaz’; yellow
– ‘Tatiana’, ‘Prazdnichnaya’, ‘Zoloto Ampsalidy’; blue – ‘Breeze’, ‘Valentina’, ‘Ritsa’; red – ‘Vega’,
‘Mars’, ‘Kardinal’; pink-purple – ‘Romantika’, ‘Palmyra’, ‘Natalia’; other – ‘Melange’, ‘Chaika’ and
others.
The name of the genus Gladiolus is given by the shape of its leaves, from the Latin word gladus –
sword. The second name is a Skewer from the Hebrew seifan from saif – rapier, sword. It has spread
ESDCA-III-2023
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1212 (2023) 012026
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1212/1/012026
3
from the tropics and subtropics of Africa, the Mediterranean, as well as from Central Europe, Asia and
Western Siberia. However, the main centre of the species diversity of Gladiolus, as well as Freesia, is
the Cape Province, South Africa. The genus is characterized by a significant diversity not only in
shape, size, colour of flowers and inflorescences, but also by the diversity of the plants themselves.
There are miniature, medium-sized and tall, with one-, two-sided or spiral inflorescences, with
miniature, small, medium, large or giant flowers. The colour of the flower can be one-, two-colour or
mixed, from white to dark purple, with a different shape according to the degree the petal edges are
ruffled. The Centre's collection includes 19 cultivars of domestic and foreign breeding, medium and
tall, having various colours and shapes. Dark purple ‘Plumtart’ has a simple flower, ‘Wine and Roses’
is crimson with a dark cherry spot; slightly ruffled are: white ‘White Prosperity’, dark crimson
‘Fidelio’, brown ("cocoa with milk") ‘Shokoladnitsa’, strongly ruffled are: bicolour pink-yellow
‘Grafinya’, pink ‘Lyubi menya, lyubi!’, salmon-coloured ‘Olesya’ and others. As well as Gladiolus
imbricatus L. is a rare species that is included in 20 regional Red Books.
The genus name Crocus is given for the type of pistil stigmas, similar to a thread, from the Greek
word kroke. The second name Saffron is given for the yellow (orange) colour of the pistil, from the
Arabic sepheran. Representatives of the genus are distributed in the Mediterranean, Transcaucasia,
Crimea, as well as in Central and Near Asia. Crocus is widely distributed due to its very early and
abundant flowering, high decorativeness. It is also characterized by the species flowering in the
autumn period. The collection of FRC SSC of RAS includes 24 cultivars, various in shape, colour and
flowering terms, belonging to several species. Spring-flowering are: Crocus vernus (L.) Hill: ‘Flower
Record’, ‘Jaenne d`Arc’, ‘Pickwick’, ‘King of Striped’, ‘Remembrance’, ‘Vanguard’, ‘Grand Maitre’,
‘Queen of the Blues’; C. chrysanthus (Herb.) Herb.: ‘Blue Pearl’, ‘Cream Beauty’, ‘Fuscotinctus’,
‘Romance’; C. tommasinianus Herb.: ‘Roseus’, ‘Ruby Giant’, ‘Yalta’, ‘Barr's Purple’, C. flavus
Weston = C. flavus subsp. flavus ‘Golden Yellow’, C. minimus DC ‘Spring Beauty’, C. biflorus Mill.
‘Miss Vain’, C. sublimis Herb. = C. sieberi subsp. sublimis (Herb.) B. Mathew ‘Tricolor’, C. olivieri
subsp. balansae (J. Gay ex Maw) B. Mathew ‘Orange Monarch’. Autumn-flowering: C. speciosus M.
Bieb. ‘Albus’, ‘Conqueror’, as well as the natural species C. speciosus, which is rare and included in
the Red Book of the Russian Federation (2 a, b – a species declining in number), the Red Book of
Krasnodar Territory (3 – vulnerable species) and 5 more regional Red Books.
Rhizomatous Iridaceae are representatives of the genus Iris, the most numerous in both varietal
and species composition. The genus Iris was named for its multicoloured flower, from the Greek ίρις –
rainbow. The second name Blueflag is given for the shape of leaves resembling a scythe.
Representatives of the genus are distributed in temperate and subtropical regions of Eurasia, North
America and Africa. They are found on all continents, but the largest number of the species grows in
the Mediterranean, Central and South-West Asia. According to the Horticultural Classification
developed by the American Iris Society – the World's registrar for Iris, the Centre's collection includes
the following Iris groups: 4 classes of Bearded Irises: Tall Bearded (TB), Standard Dwarf Bearded
(SDB), Miniature Dwarf Bearded (MDB), Intermediate Bearded (IB), as well as beardless: Siberian
Irises (SIB), Japanese Irises (JI) Spuria (SPU) and Species Irises (SPEC). Species Iris is a garden
group that includes botanical species, or species of natural flora used in horticulture. In our collection,
almost all natural species are rare, thus I. colchica Kem.-Nath. (Caucasian endemic, included in the
Red Book of Krasnodar Territory (3 – vulnerable) and 1 regional Red Book), I. notha M. Bieb.
(Caucasian endemic, included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation (2 a – species declining in
number) and 6 regional Red Books), I. ensate Thunb. (included in the Red Book of the Russian
Federation (3 g – a rare species located in Russia on the northern border of distribution) and 6 regional
Red Books), I. pumila L. (included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation (3 b – a rare species), in
the Red Book of Krasnodar Territory (3 UV – vulnerable) and in 20 regional Red Books), I. spuria L.
(included in the Red Book of Krasnodar Territory (2 – vulnerable), I. monnieri DC. (= I. orientalis
Mill.) (included in 1 regional Red Book), I. pseudacorus L. (in 12 regional Red Books), I.
pseudonotha Galushro (in 2 regional Red Books), I. sibirica L. (in 36 regional Red Books and the Red
List of Threatened Species (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources),
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IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1212 (2023) 012026
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doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1212/1/012026
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NT (Near Threatened), I. pallida Lam. Cultivars of this group are diverse in colour (one-tone, two-
tone, plicate), shape, height and in flowering terms.
Bulbous plants of Iridaceae family are represented by cultivars and hybrid forms of Xiphium and
Iridodictyum. The American Iris Society divides them into the larger bulbous Irises and the smaller
bulbous Irises, respectively.
The name of the genus Xiphium is given for the shape of leaves, and is translated from Greek as
sword. At first it was an independent genus, and then it was allocated to the subgenus Xyphius (Miller)
Spah. as part of Iris xiphium L. Mediterranean countries are the birthplace for Xiphium species. Cultivars
in our collection belong to the group of Dutch irises created by Dutch breeders due to crosses of several
species, including Xiphium vulgare Mill. (syn. Iris xiphium L. = I. hispanica hort. = I. lusitanica Ker-
Gawl.), X. boissieri (Henriques) Rodion., X. tingitanum (Boiss.) Rodion. There are 16 cultivars in the
collection, including white: ‘White Bridge’, ‘White Cloud’, ‘White Excelsior’; medium blue: ‘Ideal’,
‘Professor Blaauw’; yellow: ‘Yellow Queen’; lilac: ‘Hildegarde’, ‘Carmen’; violet-purple: ‘Blue Magic’,
‘Purple Sensation’; bicolour: ‘Apollo’, ‘Wedgwood’, ‘Bronze Queen’, ‘Miss Saigon’.
Iridodictyum got its name from the Greek Iris and another Greek. δίκτυον – a network, because of
the fibroreticulate cover scales of bulbs. Currently, it is a Subgenus Hermodactyloides in the genus
Iris. According to the garden classification, they are distinguished in Reticulata Irises. The homeland
of iridodictiums is the Middle East. Representatives of the group are distributed in the mountains of
Transcaucasia, Central, Small and Near Asia. Iridodictyum are the smallest plants in Iridaceae family.
There are 3 cultivars of Iris reticulata M. Bieb. (= Iridodictyum reticulatum (M. Bieb.) Rodion.) in the
collection: blue ‘Wentworth’, purple ‘Pauline’, violet-purple ‘Purple Gem’.
Tuberous plants of Iridaceae family are represented in the collection Hermodactylus tuberosus (L.)
Mill. (= Iris tuberosa L.). The name Hermodactylus comes from the Greek Hermes and δάχτυλο –
finger resembling the wand of Hermes entwined with two snakes. It is also called Snake's Head Iris
because of the structure of the flower. Hermodactylus is native to the Mediterranean, from where it has
spread. An interesting fact is that Iris tuberosa and Iris reticulata belong to the same subgenus
Hermodactyloides.
Representatives of Iridaceae family collected by FRC SSC of RAS are used to preserve biological
diversity, as well as in scientific and breeding research. Many objects can be used within the import
substitution program both in production of planting material and cut flowers (table 2). A number of
cultivars are recommended to landscape designers as objects for landscaping, as well as to florists to
create various flower arrangements.
Table 2. The use of biological diversity of Iridaceae family representatives collected by FRC SSC of
RAS.
Crop
Cut
Pot plant
Forcing
Landscaping
Freesia
49
3
49
3
Gladiolus
20
20
10
Crocus
24
24
24
Siberian Irises
20
14
30
30
Japanese Irises
8
8
8
Spuria Irises
4
4
Bearded Irises
142
30
207
Iridodictium
3
3
3
Hermodactylus
1
Xiphium
16
16
16
Total
259
74
150
306
Almost all cultivar samples of the presented crops are used in landscaping and can be used for
forcing flowers out of hours. All crops can be used as cut, except for low-growing ones, which are
suitable for pot plants.
ESDCA-III-2023
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1212 (2023) 012026
IOP Publishing
doi:10.1088/1755-1315/1212/1/012026
5
4. Discussion
Biological diversity of Iridaceae family representatives collected by FRC SSC of RAS is preserved
and maintained in a living form, focused on use both for scientific purposes, including creation of new
adaptive cultivars, development of methods and techniques for plants reproduction and cultivation,
and for solving import substitution issues in such fields as floriculture and ornamental gardening. The
collection includes 358 cultivar samples of Irises with different types of renewal shoots, 35 cultivars
bred by FRC SSC of RAS and 139 promising hybrid forms. Different terms and duration of flowering
(from February to November in natural conditions and forcing throughout the year), plant height (from
miniature to giant), purpose (landscaping, pot crop, cut product), contribute to the widespread
distribution and demand for these crops. 259 cultivars can be used as cut products, 74 – as pot plants,
150 can be forced and 306 are suitable for landscaping.
5. Conclusion
Thus, in the course of the work carried out, it has been found that climatic conditions in the humid
subtropics of Russia make it possible to successfully implement introduction studies with
bulbotuberiferous, rhizomatous and bulbous plants from Iridaceae family, despite their geographical
origin and distribution area. Plants from these groups adapt well to local conditions, have abundant
flowering and are highly decorative. They are used in breeding process, as evidenced by the presence
of cultivars and promising hybrids bred by FRC SSC of RAS.
Acknowledgments
The study was funded by the state assignment research of FRC SSC RAS FGRW-2021-0008, project
No. 122032300347-3.
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