Barbary Nut

[Colin Key]

The Algarve abounds with the most beautiful wild flowers all year round. The one which, for me, signifies the transition from Winter into Spring is the abundant appearance of this tiny iris (about 10 cms tall) Iris sisyrinchium who's common name is "Barbary Nut". Its Portuguese name is Pé de burro or "Donkey's Foot". And some people think that birds' names are illogical!!

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o100/Passarinhos/0C0J4833.jpg


Colin

[AndyB]

beautiful - now we're heading in to spring looking forward to more of your observations from the Algarve.

[beltonbirder]

I would be interested in Botanising in the Algarve do you know the place well?

[Simon Wates]

Correct name of Barbary Nut is Gynandriris sisyrinchium - maybe of help when googling!

[Colin Key]

The correct name for the "Barbary Nut" is Iris sisyrinchium.

Unless of course you are a pedantic effing "notworthy".

Colin :notworthy:

[MichaelF]

According to Kew and USDA GIRN (both usually good, up-to-date taxonomic resources for plants), it is now Moraea sisyrinchium:
http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=323573
http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?429953
Also Flora of Pakistan: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=5&taxon_id=240010002

According to Flora Europaea (decidedly dated now), it is Gynandriris sisyrinchium:
http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Gynandriris&SPECIES_XREF=sisyrinchium&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK=

[Simon Wates]

Thanks Michael, I had no idea of this. I had been going by my own data lists I keep which draw from Flora ibérica in most cases. As vol XX of Flora iberica isn't published yet, Flora Europaea has been my main source for IRIDACEAE. I didn't mean to be pedantic - I just thought it would assist anyone looking it up on the net or in their field guides. On looking at my last post though I suppose I was a little brash. Thanks for the links also. I'm tempted to type an intentional typo like Barbaryc Nut but that would be unfair and I should behave myself.:)