Iris susiana

Iris susiana has a short, compact, brown rhizome and long secondary roots that grow beneath the soil.{{cite web |title=chapitre I (partie 5) Les Oncocyclus II |url=http://irisbotanique.over-blog.com/article-chapitre-i-partie-5-les-oncocyclus-ii-124148159.html |website=dictionaire des iridacée |publisher=irisbotanique.over-blog.com |language=fr |accessdate=30 November 2019}} Stems can grow to {{convert|30|-|38|cm|0|abbr=on}} tall.{{cite web |date=14 April 2014 |title=Iris summary |url=http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Iris/Iris_Summary.pdf |accessdate=23 November 2014 |publisher=pacificbulbsociety.org |format=PDF}} The leaves can reach 25 cm long and 5-12 mm wide. The leaves are glaucous and slightly curved, and the spathes slightly dilate at the base. It has one flower per stem, which blooms in May. Like other irises, the flowers have two pairs of petals: three large sepals (outer petals, known as the 'falls') and three inner, smaller petals (or tepals, known as the 'standards').{{cite book | first= Claire | last=Austin | title= Irises: A Gardener's Encyclopedia | publisher= Timber Press, Incorporated | isbn = 978-0881927306 | year = 2005 |ol = OL8176432M}} External tepals are reflexed, ovate, approximately 7 cm long and 4 cm wide, and strongly spotted with purple on a bluish-white base.{{cite web |last1=Kramb |first1=D. |title=Iris susiana |url=http://www.signa.org/index.pl?Iris-susiana |website=www.signa.org (Species Iris Group of North America) |accessdate=3 March 2020 |date=2 October 2004}} Internal tepals are erect, with a color similar to or lighter than its external tepals. Veins are white or purplish. Branches of the plant's style (part of the stigma) are 2-3 cm long. It has short, rounded lobes and a denticulate margin.

As with most irises, Iris susiana is diploid, having two sets of chromosomes. Its diploid cells have 20 chromosomes. Genetic variations give rise to phenotypic differences which can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.

File:The Botanical Magazine, Plate 91 (Volume 3, 1790).png.|175px]]

Iris susiana has the common name of mourning iris.William Robinson {{google books|OqORbrG8FhAC|Hardy Flowers|page=153}} Other common names include 'chalcedonian iris',Philip McMillan Browse {{google books|D36IWrYiixgC|Heligan: Fruit, Flowers and Herbs (2005)|page=176}}Country Life (magazine) {{google books|RFFOAAAAYAAJ|Country Life Illustrated, Volume 9, 1 June 1901|page=686}} 'great-flowered iris', 'great spotted iris', and 'mourning widow'.Margery Fish {{google books|4hW_CAAAQBAJ|An all the Year Garden (1966)|page=49}}Christopher Brickell {{google books|2PmmDwAAQBAJ|RHS Encyclopedia Of Plants and Flowers (5th Ed. 2010)|page=613}}

Iris susiana has been cultivated since 7000 BCE.{{cite book |last=Stebbings |first=Geoff |year=1997|title=The Gardener's Guide to Growing Irises |url=https://archive.org/details/gardenersguideto00steb|url-access=registration |location=Newton Abbot |publisher=David and Charles |pages=[https://archive.org/details/gardenersguideto00steb/page/7 7] |isbn=0715305395 }} It was taken from Turkey and introduced to gardens in Vienna in 1573.{{cite journal|last1=Wilson|first1=Carol A.|last2=Padiernos|first2=Justin|last3=Sapir|first3=Yuval|title=The royal irises (Iris subg. Iris sect. Oncocyclus): Plastid and low-copy nuclear data contribute to an understanding of their phylogenetic relationships|journal=Taxon|date=February 2016|volume=65|issue=1|pages=35-46|doi=10.12705/651.3|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/296668248_The_royal_irises_Iris_subg_Iris_sect_Oncocyclus_Plastid_and_low-copy_nuclear_data_contribute_to_an_understanding_of_their_phylogenetic_relationships|accessdate=4 January 2018}} The botanist Carl Linnaeus discovered it in Persia, and then published and described it in his book Species Plantarum in 1753.{{cite web |title=Iris susiana |url=https://www.ipni.org/n/439153-1 |website=www.ipni.org |publisher=International Plant Names Index |access-date=12 October 2020}}{{cite web |title=Iris susiana L. GRIN-Global |url=https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=20423 |website=npgsweb.ars-grin.gov |access-date=12 October 2020}} The name Iris susiana is a reference to these Persian roots: in classical literature, the Persian civilization of Elam was also known as Susiana, a name derived from its capital Susa.Rev. John Brown {{google books|\yUbNRs66G8sC|A Dictionary of the Holy Bible (1769)|page=621}}

One of the synonyms of the iris, I. sofarana, owes its name to the summer resort Sofar, where it was collected by Hartmann in 1899. It was then described by Sir Michael Foster,{{cite web |title=Iris Sofarana, endemic Lebanese flower – LebanonUntravelled.com |url=https://lebanonuntravelled.com/iris-sofarana-endemic-lebanese-flower/ |access-date=27 July 2022}} in Gardeners' Chronicle ser. 3, vol.26: on page 389.{{cite web |title=Iris sofarana {{!}} International Plant Names Index |url=https://www.ipni.org/n/439098-1 |website=www.ipni.org |access-date=27 July 2022}}

It was verified as Iris susiana by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003.

Iris susiana is prevalent in Lebanon, Turkey and Syria. It grows in mountainous terrain, typically on eastern slopes in rocky areas.

Irises can generally be propagated by division.{{cite web |title=How to divide iris rhizomes |url=http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/propagating/how-to-divide-iris-rhizomes/169.html |publisher=gardenersworld.com |access-date=12 October 2015}} Iris susiana can be grown in sunny nooks within a rock garden, on sheltered banks or in borders. It needs light, warmth and well-drained soil.

Like many other irises, most parts of the plant (including the rhizome and leaves) are poisonous. If ingested, it can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Handling the plant may cause a skin irritation or an allergic reaction in some individuals.David G Spoerke and Susan C. Smolinske {{Google books|a7-f66fRfzQC|Toxicity of Houseplants |page=236}}

The Taj Mahal in India has images of Iris susiana carved from stone.

{{Reflist}}

• Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource) www.skud.info
• Georges Tohme& Henriette Tohme, Illustrated Flora of Lebanon, National Council For Scientific Research, Second Edition 2014.
• Mathew, B. 1981. The Iris. 59.

{{Taxonbar|from=Q15572864}}

susiana

Category:Flora of Lebanon

Category:Flora of Turkey