Iris tuberosa (formerly Hermodactylus tuberosus) is a species of tuberous flowering plant of the genus Iris, with the common names snake's-head,Thomas Ignatius M. Forster (1828) snake's-head iris, widow iris, black iris, or velvet flower-de-luce.
Distribution A native of the Mediterranean region, it is found in the northern Mediterranean littoral and western Europe.
It can be found in Albania, France, Greece, and Italy.
Cultivation It is grown from tubers planted in the autumn. It grows best in full sun to partial shade, and requires well-drained soil. It can naturalise in grassy areas but grows well in rock gardens or containers. It is a common ornamental garden plant, flowering in early spring. It is rather tender in the UK.Caledonian Horticultural Society, Edinburgh
Taxonomic history
After being split off from the genus Iris in the nineteenth century into a separate genus,David Joyce: The Genus Iris Hermodactylus, it has most recently been returned to the genus Iris,Pacific Bulb Society following molecular studies at Kew.Tillie N, Chase MW, Hall T. 2002 Molecular studies in the genus Iris L.: a preliminary study. Ann. Bot. n.s. (Italy) 1. (2): 105–112 (2001) According to the proposed molecular classification of irises of Tillie, Chase and Hall, this species is now best seen as a member of the subgenus Hermodactyloides, the reticulate-bulbed bulbous irises.
References
Bibliography
Telegraph: How to grow Hermodactylus
Goldblatt, P., (1990) Phylogeny and classification of Iridaceae. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 77:607-627. Reeves, G., Chase, M.W., Goldblatt, P., Rudall, P., Fay, M.F., Cox, A.V., LeJeune, B., & Souza-Chies, T., (2001). Molecular systematics of Iridaceae: Evidence from four plastid DNA regions. Am. J. Bot. 88:2074-2087. Iridaceae: in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval