Iris lortetii

Iris lortetii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Iridaceae
Subfamily:	Iridoideae
Tribe:	Irideae
Genus:	Iris
Species:	I. lortetii
Binomial name
Iris lortetii (Woron.) Takht.

Iris lortetii is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Iris and in the Oncocyclus section. It is

External links

• Has other images of the iris in flower

Data related to Iris lortetii at Wikispecies

lortetii

The plant is endemic to Israel, Palestine and southern Lebanon, with records from the Litani region requiring confirmation. The AOO is estimated at 215 km2 based on available data and is certainly less than 500 km2. There is an ongoing declines in population size, number of subpopulations, AOO, and in area and quality of habitat, and as a result the plant qualifies as Endangered (EN B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv)).

Ex situ conservation is in place in botanical gardens in Israel, and benign introduction has been attempted in the upper Galilee, Israel. West Bank protected areas should be expanded to include habitat for this species. The plant is endemic to Israel, Palestine and southern Lebanon. The species was described from the Naftali Ridge south of the Litani River in Lebanon. There are records of its existence on the Lebanese side of the upper Galilee up to the Litani bend, where it was first collected by Lortet (Kfar Kila – Dir Mimes), but these require confirmation. Grows in the eastern Upper Galilee, at the western edges of the Hula Valley and in the northern West Bank, Palestine. The overall population size is estimated to be less than 10,000 mature individuals and the population trend is declining. In particular, the variety samaria from the northern West Bank is impacted by collection from the wild and individuals have declined by c.10% over the last ten years, and sub-populations are likely to have been lost. Current Population Trend: Decreasing Found on stony limestone mountain slopes with open shrubland, sometimes in crevices on limestone cliffs. Use and Trade: There is commercial cultivation in the Upper Galilee for local sale. Collection of plants locally. In the 19th Century rhizomes were exported to Europe for the ornamental plant trade. Major Threat(s): The major threat to the species is picking and uprooting due to its extreme attractiveness and its reputation among nature lovers. The species suffered from massive uprooting for exportation of its rhizomes to Europe at the end of the 19th Century, almost to the point of extinction; populations reduced dramatically but no sites were lost and populations have recovered well.

Iris lortetii var. samaria, which is endemic to northern West Bank is threatened due to uncontrolled picking and uprooting of its rhizomes. As long as the political conflict continues, many populations are threatened by massive destruction and some already gone extinct.

The populations are patchy and extremely disjunct. The cause of this severe fragmentation is unknown, While the Galilee populations have been growing and expanding since the 1960s, the West Bank populations, particularly those near the city of Nablus, are declining and becoming extinct (NPA 2016). Sapir, Y. 2016. Iris lortetii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T13161743A18612235. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T13161743A18612235.en. Downloaded on 04 April 2018. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/13161743/0

Iris lortetii Family Iridaceae Name Status Tentatively accepted name

Plant range Lebanon https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/9305/Iris-lortetii/Details 4 April 2018.

Common name Lortet's Iris Hebrew name איריס הדור أللّغة آلعربيّة سوسن جميل Family Iridaceae Petals 6 Leaf form Simple Leaf margin Entire Habitat Heavy soils צורת הגבעול Round Life form Geophyte Distribution in Israel Gallilee, Upper Jordan valley, Gilboa, Samarian mountains, Samarian desert, http://www.wildflowers.co.il/english/plant.asp?ID=385 4 April 2018

Iris lortetii Barbey ex Boiss. is an accepted name original publication details: Fl. Orient. 5: 131 1882. Iris lortetii var. lortetii Synonym

Iris lortetii var. samariae (Dinsm.) Feinbrun Accepted http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-322067 4 April 2018 2012-03-23

http://www.ipni.org/ipni/idPlantNameSearch.do?id=438815-1 Iridaceae Iris lortetii Barbey ex Boiss. Fl. Orient. [Boissier] 5(1): 131. 1882 [Jul 1882] Notes: Syria 4 April 2018

18 Nov 2016, BobPries)Edit Attach (SPEC) Iris lortetii Barbey 1881, Botanical author Barbey Iris lortetii Barbey (William Barbey, 1881, Lebanon); Section Oncocyclus; Height 12-20" (30-50 cm); Color Code-S9L; Flowers 8-9 cm in diameter, somewhat pinkish-rose; standards orbicular, whitish or pale lavender veined reddish, falls reflexed, very pale lavender or whitish ground, with both sparsely and densely dotted areas of pinkish-maroon and a reddish signal patch, beard sparse brown; style purplish-brown with reddish brown lobes http://wiki.irises.org/Spec/SpecLortetii 4 April 2018

Iris lortetii var. samariae (Dinsm.) Feinbrun is an accepted name http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-322068 4 April 2018 Iris samariae Dinsm. Synonym

Iridaceae Iris lortetii Barbey ex Boiss. var. samariae (Dinsm.) Feinbrun Fl. Palaestina 4: 121 (1986):. http://www.ipni.org/ipni/idPlantNameSearch.do?id=952532-1 4 April 2018

Hebrew with Vowels: אִירוּס הָדוּר English: Lortet iris Synonym (Scientific): Iris samariae Dinsm. Geogr. District Hula Plain (V. Rare) Upper Galilee (Common) Samaria (V. Rare) Vegetation Units The Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrubland April, May http://flora.org.il/en/plants/irilor/ 4 April 2018

Iris lortetii Barbey status Endangered. Only 4 small populations are known at present. The original populations never were very large, were drastically reduced by commercial exploitation and are currently under threat from rapid habitat destruction by afforestation and from the difficulties in restrained picking because of it excceptionally showy flowers. Distribution - Israel, Eastern Upper Galilee. There are also records for its presence in the extreme south east of Lebanon, south of the [Litani River]]. Habitat and Ecology - Dwarf shrub communities and rock outcroppings, at 700-1000m. The rhizomes require a hot and dry dormancy period and the plants are sensitive to competition and shading. Grazing has up to now aided surivl by reducing competition. Populations are invaded by Quercus calliprinos Webb (the Palestine oak) and Pinus halepensis Miller (the Aleppo pine). Conservation Measures Taken - It is protected by the Nature conservation laws in Israel. Conservation measures proposed - to ensure the survival of the remaining populations, reserved should de declared, and active pollination and reseeding under taken. Biology and Potential Value - I lortetii is one of he largest flowered and most attractive Irises. It is an isolated west Iran-Turanian endemic from a disjunct, small morphological group of Oncocyclus Irises. It was introduced to commerce shortly after its discovery and relatively large quantities of rhizomes are available from nursery grown stock. Unfortunately, cultivated specimens rarely survive more than 2 seasons, causing a continuous demand for fresh material. Since there are no genetic barriers between members of section Oncocylus of Iris, most of the material under cultivation is probably contaminated genetically. Pollination and seed dispersal is by ants. The nearest relatives are I. samariae Dinsm. and Iris gatesii Foster. Cultivation - The Oncocyclus Irises are reputedly very difficult to maintain in cultivation. However research in recent years, especially at the Van Tubergen Nurseries, Harlem, has developed successful techniques, and these are outlined by M.H. Hoog. A key element is the storage of the rhizomes during the late summer and autumn at 23'C, to imitate the hot,dry Mediterranean summer of the natural habitat. During this time the rhizomes lose 30-60% of the weight. didyouknowfact ??? Description - Rhizomatous perennial with an erect flat fan of sword-shaped leaves, 18-23cm long and about 2cm wide, sheathing the flower stem, stem about 75cm carrying a solitary flower 10-16cm in diameter and 10-20cm in length, perianth segments (tepals) 6 in two dissimilar whorls of 3, the outer 3 (the falls) recurved, bearded in the centre, white, densely spotted with pink or grey-purple, inner 3 (standards) erect, white, finely arching over each of the falls to make a tube (pollination tube).

Iris lortetii - only 4 small populationx are known at present (in 1992), all in Isreal The original populations, never very large were drastically reduced by commerical exploitation and are currently under threat from rrapid habitat destruction by afforestation and from he difficulties in restraining picking because of its exceptionaly showy flowers.

Within Isreal, Iris lortetii with its huge pink flowers shot with a tracery of veins was considered in 2002 as Endangered.

Morphological variation of the Oncocyclus irises (Iris: Iridaceae) in the southern Levant YUVAL SAPIR AVI SHMIDA ORI FRAGMAN H. PETER COMES Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 139, Issue 4, 1 August 2002, Pages 369–382, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1095-8339.2002.00067.x https://academic.oup.com/botlinnean/article/139/4/369/2433615 5 April 2018 Volume 139 Issue 4 August 2002 Ten species of the section were recorded in Israel and adjacent areas (Jordan, The Palestinian Authority and Sinai/Egypt) henceforth referred to as the southern Levant (Feinbrun-Dothan, 1986; Rix, 1997). Three of these species have light-coloured standards, namely Iris lortetii W. Barbey of the Lortetii aggregate, and I. bismarckiana Regel and I. hermona Dinsmore of the Iberica aggregate. In the other seven species the standard (and whole appearance of the flower) is dark-coloured. The latter group includes I. haynei Baker, I. atrofusca Baker, I. bostrensis Mouterde, I. nigricans Dinsmore, I. petrana Dinsmore, I. mariae W. Barbey and I. atropurpurea Baker, all of which belong to the Haynei aggregate (Avishai, 1977; Avishai & Zohary, 1980).

C) Iris Lortetii: Boissier 1882 Hexapogon group Oncocyclus series. Iris Lortetii, is from southern Lebanon, Israel (Samaria Mountain, Gilboa, Galilee). A hardy perennial herb with rhizomes. It is a semi desert plant to keep in the sun, well drained. The rhizomes are short and small. Brown in color, they are fibrous and develop just on the surface of the soil. They form little complex networks and picked up. The leaves of the iris Lortetii, are herbaceous, alternate, sheathing, with parallel veins. The foliage is low, from 15cm to 20cm, and forms small tufts. The leaves are deciduous, and disappear completely during the dormancy period in summer. Flowering takes place in May. The flower is white, veined and dotted pink to brown. The petals are much less marked with brown, which contrasts with the sepals. This one has a signal called Onco brown, and has a beard also brown. The flowers unfolds a volume of 8cm to 9cm in diameter note a variety: Chromosomes: 2n = 20