False iris

The explanatory dictionary of V.I. Dahl gives for the iris of the false-alirov such Russian names as killer whale, tortilla, chikan, cockerels, wild tulip (with a question mark), as well as ir, calamus (marked: erroneously ) ^[3] . According to Dahl, the name chikan is typical for the Tambov province ^[4] .

The Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary states that in Little Russia, yellow water whales are sometimes called snakes ^[5] . Also known under the names of yellow whale and false algae ^[6] .

Perennial herb 75–160 cm high.

The rhizome is branched, thick (up to 2 cm in diameter), creeping.

The stalk is dense, branched in the upper part.

The leaves are green, xiphoid, broadly linear (lower to 20 mm wide, upper smaller) with a clearly visible middle vein.

The flowers are regular, collected in bundles of three to eight at the ends of a branched stem. Peduncles long and thick. Three outer perianth lobes are tilted down. Their ovate plate, at the base immediately narrowed into a short marigold, is light or bright yellow, in the middle with an orange spot and purple veins. The inner perianth lobes are small, linear, erect, shorter and narrower than the column . Threads of stamens are cream-colored. The column is short, with three petal-shaped bilobate, serrated lobes at the top. It blooms in June - August.

The fruit is a blunt-faced oblong-oval capsule with a short nose (3–7 mm long) at the apex. Seeds are compressed, shiny. The fruits ripen in August ^[7] .

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 34 ^[8] .

The main range includes Africa ( Algeria , Morocco , Madeira and the Canary Islands ), all of Europe (except the northern regions), Western Asia and Transcaucasia . By the beginning of the 21st century, it had naturalized almost everywhere ^[9] .

Distributed in the European part of Russia (with the exception of the northern taiga and arctic regions ^[7] ), Western Siberia , and the foothills of the Caucasus .

It grows in marshes, in shallow waters and on the moist banks of rivers and lakes, in irrigated swampy meadows , where sometimes it forms small overgrown thickets ^{[7] [10]} .

Rhizomes contain essential (iris) oil (0.1-0.3%) ^[11] , the most valuable part of which is iron ketone , which gives the oil the smell of violets . In addition to iron, traces of benzaldehyde , linalool , geraniol and others give the aroma to essential oil. The oil also contains acids: myristic , benzoic , undecyl , tridecyl , their methyl esters , benzoic , m-decyl , nonyl and acetic aldehydes , furfural , traces , ketone with a mint smell. In addition to essential oil, isoflavone glycoside iridine , starch (57%), fatty oil (9.6%), tannins , organic acids , mucus , and resinous substances were found in the rhizomes. The leaves contain ascorbic acid (0.23%), amino acids ^[12] .

The richest rhizomes of false alaira collected in the spring are richest in essential oil. During this period, the iron content in them reaches 42% ^[12] .

Freshly dug rhizomes have a grassy smell, and only when slowly drying does a pleasant violet aroma appear, therefore it is called the “violet root” (used in the confectionery industry, as well as aromatic raw materials for liquors , wines and other drinks) ^[12] .

Iris essential oil is widely used in perfumes ^[12] .

Kasatik has an expectorant effect , improves the taste of drugs. An alcohol-water extract of the rhizome at a dilution of 1: 300 inhibits the development of tubercle bacillus . Rhizomes are part of the breast collection , used inside as a decoction , externally - in the form of powders ; are part of tooth powders, plasters ^[12] .

In folk medicine, yellow whale was used for pneumonia , tonsillitis , edema , and also for the treatment of infected wounds , ulcers , fistulas, and for removing freckles ^[12] . Root juice was previously consumed externally for toothache, scrofulous tumors, and inward for water and epilepsy . The root was previously used for diarrhea ^[13] .

Attention: there are suspicions of the toxicity of rhizomes and fresh flowers ^[7] .

Cassatic is false-decorative; it has long been widely used in plantings bordering reservoirs; in culture, it can grow in places with very moderate moisture ^[7] .

Plants are suitable for tanning leather, which give a yellow color. Rhizomes and flowers, infused with vinegar , dye the coat yellow ^[10] .

The plant is interesting in that, like reed , it significantly reduces water pollution by organic substances ^[10] .

Yellow kasatik is a good honey plant ^[10] .

Seeds make up a substitute for coffee ^[13] .

The false-iris species is a member of the genus Iris ( Iris ) of the Iris family ( Iridaceae ) of the order Asparagales .

Synonyms

According to The Plant List for 2013, the synonymy of the species includes ^[14] :

• Gubanov I.A. et al. 374. Iris pseudacorus L. - Iris airaid, or aquatic // Illustrated identifier of plants in Central Russia. In 3 t . - M .: T-in scientific. ed. KMK, Institute of Technology. ISS., 2002. - T. 1. Ferns, horsetails, crowns, gymnosperms, angiosperms (monocotyledons). - S. 484. - ISBN 8-87317-091-6 .
• Dudchenko L.G., Koziakov A.S., Krivenko V.V. Spicy-aromatic and spicy-flavoring plants: Reference book / Otv. ed. K. M. Sytnik. - K .: Naukova Dumka , 1989 .-- 304 p. - 100,000 copies. - ISBN 5-12-000483-0 .

• Iris pseudacorus : information on the taxon in the Plantarium project (identifier of plants and an illustrated atlas of species). (Retrieved January 3, 2015)