Iris hookeriana from Kashmir

[Gurcharan Singh]

Iris hookeriana Foster from Kashmir, one of the most common but under reported species of Western Himalayas in subalpine and alpine zone. Specimens are often found identified under I. kemaonensis. I had studied more than two hundred specimens of I. kumaonensis (spellings used earlier) in Calcutta, Dehradun, Lucknow and other Herbaria and found more than  95 per cent specimens actually belonging to I. hookeriana back in 1972-73.

The two species are distinguished as Under:

I. hookeriana: Flowers on distinct 5-15 (30) cm long peduncle; peduncle 2-fld; bracts almost covering corolla tube; corolla tube (hypanthium) 2-3 cm long; Beard white

I. kemaonensis: Flowers sessile, peduncle absent or very short; 1-fld, flowers appearing almost from ground. bracts covering only base of corolla tube; corolla tube 5-7.5 cm long; beard yellow-orange tipped.

 
Incidently there is another species named after Hooker,  I. hookeri Penny ex G. Don. Although code does not ban  such names, it is recommended to the authors not to name a species within a genus after the same person/place. 

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Dr. Gurcharan Singh
Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/

[tanay bose]

Nice to learn about the difference between the two species !!

thanks for bringing this to your knowledge tanay

Tanay

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Tanay Bose
Research Assistant & Teaching Assistant
Department of Botany
University of British Columbia
3529-6270 University Blvd.
Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z4 (Canada)
Phone: 778-323-4036

[Dr. G. S. Rawat]

Dear Dr. Gurcharan Singh,

Thanks a lot for the clarifications. Do you think, I hookeriana and I. kemaonensis may occur in the same locality? If yes, where. What exactly is the distribution range of I. hookeriana?

Thanks and regards,

Dr. G.S. Rawat
Chief Scientist, Ecosystem Services
International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
Katmandu
Nepal
(Formerly, Professor of Habitat Ecology, WII Dehra Dun; Also, formerly member of eflora - google group).

[Gurcharan Singh]

Rawat ji

Although both species have been reported from Kashmir  and other parts of Himalayas, but most herbaria (incl. DD, LUCK, CAL) have most specimens labelled as I. kemoanensis. I had checked more than 500 hundred sprecimens in 1972-73 in these herbaria and found that more than 90 per cent specimens were wrongly identified. I could confirm only a few specimens around Kumaon to be really belonging to I. kemoanensis. I wish the members who take photographs of these two species focus on stem legth and length of perianth tube, which are very different in two species.

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Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ 
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ 

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[D.S Rawat]

In my nest visit I will try to find out!

DSRawat Pantnagar 

[Gurcharan Singh]

Recirculating this for comparison with I. kemaonensis which I photographed this year from Uttarakhand.

Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ 
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/