Iris lortetii

Iris lortetii is thought to resemble various other irises such as Iris sari, Iris gatesii, and Iris susiana,[3] and has been called perhaps the most beautiful Iris in the world.[4]

It has a short, stout rhizome,[5] that is brown and fibrous.[6] They grow just under the surface of the soil and form little complex networks.[6]

It has grey-green leaves that are straight[7] and sword-shaped.[8] It can grow to between 18–23 cm (7–9 in) long,[8] and 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) wide.[5] The leaves are larger than those of Iris susiana,[9] (an iris in the same region) and they hide the flower stem.[8] It is deciduous and disappears completely during the dormancy period in winter.[6]

It has a flowering stem that is between 30–50 cm (12–19.5 in) tall.[10]

It has spathes that are 5 and 6 in (12.5 and 15 cm) long with lanceolate and pale green valves.[9]

It carries a solitary flower[8] that blooms in late spring[7] or mid-summer,[11] between April[12] and May.[5]

The large flowers are 7–9 cm (3–3.5 in) in diameter.[13] The very large showy flowers are variable in colour.[3] They can come in shades of pink,[14] from white,[15] to lilac,[5] pale lavender,[13] and grey-purple.[8]

Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals (outer petals) known as the 'falls', and 3 inner, smaller petals (or tepals, known as the 'standards'.[16] The falls are oblong-obovate shaped and recurved (bent backwards),[4] with maroon,[7] brown,[6] or crimson,[3] lilac to pink dots and veins on a pale blue, lavender,[3] pale cream or yellowish ground.[9] It has a small deep maroon coloured signal patch,[15] and in the middle of the falls, is a row of short hairs called the 'beard', which is sparse and brown,[11] purple-brown or reddish in colour.[5] The paler standards are orbicular shaped, with pale lilac veins on a nearly white ground.[5]

It has a purplish-brown style with reddish brown lobes,[13] and a 1.5 in (4 cm) long perianth tube.[9]

After the iris has flowered, it produces a seed capsule, which is pollinated by ants, who also disperse the seeds.[8]

Iris lortetii

It is written in Hebrew: אִירוּס הָדוּר‎,[12] and in Arabic: أللّغة آلعربيّة سوسن جميل‎.[18]

It is commonly known as 'Lortet's Iris',[19] and it also called 'Samarian Iris', although mainly in Israel.[20]

The Latin specific epithet 'lortetii' is derived from Louis Charles Émile Lortet (1836–1909) who was a French physician, botanist, zoologist and Egyptologist, he had collected the iris from the Lebanese area of the Upper Galilee, during his travels to Syria in 1880.[21]

William Barbey already described Iris lortetii but the name was validly published by Pierre Edmond Boissier in July 1882.[22]

It is sometimes incorrectly spelled as Iris lorteti, missing an i at the end of the word.[23]

I. lortetii is an tentatively accepted name by the RHS,[24] and it is listed in the Encyclopedia of Life.[25] It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003, then updated on 1 December 2004.[26]

Iris lortetii var. samariae (Dinsm.) Feinbrun is a known and accepted variant.[27]

Iris lortetii is native to temperate Asia.[26]

Range

It is endemic to Israel,[19] Palestine[4] and southern Lebanon,[1] (south of the Litani River[8]) and in Syria.[28]

In Israel, it is found in the regions of Upper Galilee,[15] Mount Gilboa,[5] Samarian mountains and Samarian desert.[18]

Within Israel, Iris lortetii was considered in 2002 as Endangered.[15]

The overall population size of the iris is estimated to be less than 10,000 mature individuals and the count is declining. Only four small populations are known at present.[30] The Galilee populations, however, have been growing and expanding since the 1960s.[31]

Of the endangered populations, the variety 'samaria' from the northern West Bank is particularly threatened by collection from the wild with the uprooting of its rhizomes for commercial use;[30] at one time it had primarily been a cut flower, sold to customers from the roadside.[19] Large quantities of this plant were collected in the course of the 19th century and then exported to Europe, but the cultivated specimens would die after two seasons of flowering.[32] These short life spans mean that freshly collected rhizomes and plants have regularly been needed to supply the flower industry.[8] The number of individual plants have therefore declined by approximately 10% over the last ten years, and sub-populations are likely to have been lost or become extinct.[1]

Other population threats include rapid habitat destruction by afforestation.[31] The rhizomes do not like being crowded or shaded and are difficult to grow with other plants, including those that block their sunlight.[19] Iris populations can be threatened by Quercus calliprinos Webb (the Palestine oak) and Pinus halepensis Miller (the Aleppo pine).[8] In some areas, grazing by herbivorous mammals has aided survival of the iris by reducing other nearby plants.[19]

As the iris is protected by the nature conservation laws in Israel, several conservation measures have been proposed to ensure the survival of the remaining populations; these include establishment of an iris reserve and active pollination and reseeding.[8]

As the Oncocyclus Irises are difficult to maintain in cultivation, much research has been carried out, especially at the Van Tubergen Nurseries in Haarlem, Netherlands.[8] Keren Kayemet LeIsrael (KKL-JNF) carried out a study in 2012, about growing the iris from seed. Over 3,000 seeds were gathered from all the known indigenous populations, and then scientists sprouted them in greenhouse conditions with the goal of planting them in the wild later on, in the Tel Aviv University Botanical Garden. The mature plants will be planted at selected sites on KKL-JNF lands over the next three years of the study. Various thinning treatments will be carried out, in order to ensure sufficient quantities of light for healthy plants.[29]

In the southern hills of Lebanon, the status of the populations of Iris westii and I. lortetii are not known; it has been too dangerous to investigate them due to the extensive placement of explosive mines during the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon between 1985 and 2000.[33]

I. lortetii is deemed one to be one of the most difficult irises to cultivate in its class.[4] It is hardy to European Zone H4,[7] and USDA Zones 2 to 9.[11]

It prefers positions in part shade to full sun, in slightly acidic soils (with a pH level between 5 and 7.5) that are a mix of sand and clay. Like many other irises, it should be kept moist while in growth but completely dry during dormancy (winter time), and high-nitrogen fertilizer should not be given to it.[11]

In places where it is not hardy, the plant can be stored in the late summer and fall at 23 °C, which mimics the hot and dry climate of their natural Mediterranean habitat; however, the rhizomes will lose between 30 and 60% of their weight during storage.[8]

Aphid Dysaphis tulipae can be found on the plant.[34]

Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Also handling the plant may cause a skin irritation or an allergic reaction.[42]

Soon after it was discovered in 1882, a lot of rhizomes were taken for commercial cultivation in Israel.[8] They were exported to Europe for the ornamental plant trade.[30] Unfortunately, the cultivated specimens rarely survived more than 2 seasons, causing a continuous demand for fresh plants and rhizomes.[19] It was also collected extensively for the cut flower industry and was sold in bunches on the side of the road, plants were also moved to decorate the cemeteries in the area.[19] It is still available locally, in Upper Galilee, Israel for sale as garden plants.[1]

Iris lortetii samariae in Esh Kodesh

An illustration of Iris lortetii has been used in 1978, as an Israeli postage stamp, part of 'Protect Wild Flowers' series.[43]

• Danin, Avinoam (2004). Distribution atlas of plants in the Flora Palaestina area. Flora Palaestina. The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. ISBN 978-9652081674.
• Mathew, B (1981). The Iris. London: BT Batford.
• Sapir, Yuval; Shmida, Avi (2002). "Species concepts and ecogeographical divergence of Oncocyclus irises". Israel Journal of Plant Sciences. 50: 119–127. doi:10.1560/DJXH-QX0M-5P0H-DLMW.
• Zohary, M; Feinbrun-Dothan, N. (1968). Feinbrun-Dothan Flora palaestina. F Palest. 67. Wiley, New Phytologist Trust. pp. 447–449. JSTOR 2430432.

• "Images of Iris lortetii in flower". North American Rock Garden Society.
• Video of the iris in flower and habitat on YouTube

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Data related to Iris lortetii at Wikispecies