Iris x violipurpurea ‘Black Gamecock’ on 4-20-10, #51-6.
Iris x violipurpurea ‘Black Gamecock’
Iris fulva x Iris brevicaulis x Iris giganticaerulea
Iris x violipurpurea Small is the accepted scientific name for this naturally occurring hybrid. It was first described as such by John Kunkel Small in Addisonia in 1929.
The genus, Iris Tourn ex L, was described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the first volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753. Mr. Linnaeus gave credit to Joseph Pitton de Tournefort for first naming and describing the genus.
As of 12-19-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 311 species in the Iris genus. It is a member of the plant family Iridaceae with 69 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.
Iris x violipurpurea ‘Black Gamecock’ was developed by Frank Chowning in 1978. It has won numerous awards: American Iris Society Honorable Mention 1982, Award of Merit 1986, Mary Swords Runner-up in 1988 and the winner in 1989.
There are five species considered to be Louisiana Iris, including Iris fulva, Iris hexagona, Iris brevicaulis, Iris giganticaerulea, and Iris x nelsonii (or I. nelsonii). Some sites may also list Iris savannarum but that species isn’t a Louisiana native although it may be found there in the wild. There are also several naturally occurring hybrids such as Iris x violipurpurea. All natives of the southern USA.
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Iris x violipurpurea ‘Black Gamecock’ on 4-20-19, #51-7
I bought my Iris x violipurpurea ‘Black Gamecock’ rhizomes from an Ebay seller in 2009. They flowered in 2010 and the flowers were AWESOME! I bought them with me when I moved from the mansion back to the family farm in mid-Missouri in February 2013.
Iris x violipurpurea ‘Black Gamecock’ on 4-15-12, #86-46.
I dug a spot between the basement steps and the back porch and amended the soil with composted cow manure. They didn’t do so well for a couple of years, then they started spreading quite well.
USEFUL INFORMATION:
FAMILY: Iridaceae.
ORIGIN: Hybrid of 3 species of Louisiana Iris.
ZONES: USDA Zones 6a-10b.
HEIGHT: 2-5’.
LIGHT: Full sun to part shade.
WATER: Prefers moist soil, even will grow in up to 4” of water. Also drought tolerant once established.
Iris x violipurpurea ‘Black Gamecock’ on 5-29-17, #337-1.
There are many sources of this beautiful Iris online if you can’t find it locally.
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The Belmont Rooster 