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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

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

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). ^[1]

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. ^[2]

Within Isreal, Iris lortetii with its huge pink flowers shot with a tracery of veins was considered in 2002 as Endangered. ^[3]

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 ^[4]

Postage stamps - 1978 Protect Wild Flowers - Iris Lortetii ^[5]

i Lorteti perhaps the most beautiful Iris in the world Barbey Herbor. Levant t7, fine flowers attaining a diameter of 7in with standards 5in high. the rhizome is short, the leaves are described as under a foot long, at flowering time, 3/4 in broad, but when the plant is well grown they may be as large or larger than those of I susiana. The stem is short, spathes 5-6 in long, valves pale green, lanceolate. The perianth tube is 1 1/2 in long, limb often 4in long, falls obovare-cuneate, 3 in broad, standards orbicular, erect and inflexed. The style branches are red brown, an inch broad, with larged reflexed quadrate crenate crests. There is considerable variation in colour, but the note of the plant is a peculiarly charming combination of crimson spots and blue or violet veins on a white or creamy-yellow ground. The flower, as a rule, may be as large or smaller then I susiana. Native of the southern slope of the Lebanon range at an altitude of 2000 foot. ^[6]

iris lorteti native of s lebanon, resembling I Sari, I gatesii and I susiana, with sword shaped leaves and very large showy flowers, very variable in colour. The standards are pale pink or delicate rose veined with purple, the falls being pale blue or lavender covered with crimson spots, and a deep crimson or blackish purple blotch at the base. Other forms have creamy yellow falls heavily spotted with purple, and almost white or pale violet standards distinctly but very thinly veined with violet. The variety 'alba' has pure white flowers ^[7]

endangered Iris lorteti ^[8]

The force required to break seed coat is 133.2 MPa (Blumenthal et al., 1986) ^[9]

the outer integument of I. lorteti and I. confusa seeds contained a compound toxic to the germinated embryo

Blumentahal also found that the outer integument of I lorteti and I confusa seeds contained a compound toxic to the germinated embryo. also the iris seeds have a dormancy period of severk months, this is due to mechnical resistance of the integument HortScience Vol.41 Edition 3 773-774 2006 NaOH Scarification and Stratification Improve Germination of Iris lactea var chinensis seed YC Sun, YJ Zhang, K Wang and XJ Qiu

Lortet's Iris The lightest colored large Iris in Israel. It grows in the eastern Upper Galilee and eastern Samaria, where it is also called the Samarian Iris. Due to its beauty, large quantities of this plant were collected in the course of the 19th century and exported to Europe, but did not survive there. Today it is our duty to preserve these last populations. ^[10]

Growing a Lortet’s Iris

Hagai Shemesh. Photo: Yoav Devir

Hagai Shemesh described how new Iris lortetii populations are generated at (Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael )KKL-JNF (Jewish National Fund) sites in a study designed by Prof. Yohai Carmel. The Iris lortetii is one of the rare flowers that grow mainly in the Upper Galilee of Israel, often in pine forests.

Scientists gathered seeds from all the known indigenous populations and sprouted them in greenhouse conditions, with the aim of planting them in the wild later on. Over 3,000 seeds were gathered at different sites and were planted in the Tel Aviv University Botanical Garden.

As expected, only twelve seeds sprouted the first winter, but in the second winter the number increased to 350. More sprouting is expected in the next few years. A model has been constructed, meanwhile, for selecting the most suitable sites for planting the irises. A considerable number of these sites will be on KKL-JNF lands. The flowers will be planted at the selected sites within the next three years, along with various thinning treatments, in order to ensure sufficient quantities of light. The scientists will, of course, continue tracking the development of the flowers, with the goal of ensuring the continued existence of the species. ^[11]

iris lorteti Lortet's iris endangered origin:southern lebanon and isreal found in pockets of grassland on the border between Israel and lebanon. Once collected extensively for the cut flower industry, it was sold in bunches on the side of the road, plants were also moved to decorate the cemetries of the area. Nowadays, it is threatened still by the flower and horticulture industry alongside over grazzing and, undergrazing as it is little able to compete with the larger, more vigorous, plant species when they aren't removed by herbivoruous mammals. Robbie Blackhall-Miles title=Plant profile:Iris lorteti |date=4 January 2016 http://www.blackhalls.co.uk/on-the-eleventh-day-of-christmas-my-true-love-gave-to-me-5-seeds-of/ publisher=blackhalls.co.uk accessdate=8 April 2018

Aphids on the World's Herbaceous Plants and Shrubs, 2 Volume Set By R. L. Blackman, Victor F. Eastop Template:Google.co.uk/books?id=UZqkLr9m4GUC&pg=PA553&lpg=PA554 Dysaphis tulipae Aphid Dysaphis tulipae can be found on the plant.^[12]

^[13] I lortetii plant 30-50cm leaves grey-green 1=1.5cm wide, straight, abruptly narrowed at the apex. Flowers 8-9cm in diameter. Perianth tube to 5cm, falls to 7.5cm, whitish or pale pink, with pink or maroon speckling and veining, the margin sometimes minutely toothed, beard reddish or yellowish, rather sparse, signal patch deep maroon. standards similar in colour to the fall, but vined rather than speckled. s lebanon H4 late spring

Botanical Name: Iris lortetii (added by D. Kramb, 25-SEP-04)

Botanical Synonyms:

N/A

Classification:

Oncocylcus, Aril (D. Kramb, 25-SEP-04)

Common Names:

2n=20 (D. Kramb, 25-SEP-04)

Chromosome Count:

N/A

General Description:

12"-20" tall with flowers that are white, veined and dotted pink or maroon. Signals are deep maroon. (D. Kramb, 25-SEP-04)

Distinguishing Features:

N/A

Preferred Habitat:

N/A

Hardiness:

N/A

Native Range:

Southern Lebanon near the border with Israel. (D. Kramb, 25-SEP-04)

Upper Galilee, Israel (E. Solomon, 12-APR-07)

Status in the Wild:

Endangered (E. Solomon, 12-APR-07) ^[14]