Iris setosa
| Iris setosa | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Iris setosa (common name: beachhead iris)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed should be sown as early in the year as possible in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first year. Plant out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Division, best done in September after flowering. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Cultivation: Prefers a well-drained moist soil[1] but succeeds in most soils[2]. Dislikes lime and dry soils[2][1]. The form from N. Hokkaido does not require an acid soil[3].
Cultivated for its edible root in Japan[4]. Many named forms have been selected for their ornamental value[3].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[5].
Range: N. America to E. Asia.
Habitat: Wet peaty meadows, riversides and open woods, sometimes also in brackish bogs[3].
Edibility: Root - yields an edible starch[4][6][7][8]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Roasted and ground seed is a coffee substitute[9][10][8][11].
Medicinal: A decoction of the root is used as a laxative[11].
Usage: A dye is obtained from the petals, but the colour is not specified[11].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Many plants in this genus are thought to be poisonous if ingested, so caution is advised[12]. The roots are especially likely to be toxic[13].
Plants can cause skin irritations and allergies in some people[13].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Innes, Clive. The World of Iridaceae. Holly Gate, 1985.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Grey, Charles. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate, 1938.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.