''Iris susiana'', commonly known as the mourning iris, is a species of perennial plant in the family

Iridaceae Iridaceae () is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the Iris (plant), irises. It has a nearly global distribution, with 69 accepted genera with a total of about 2500 species. It includes a number of economically importan ...

. The mourning iris is native to the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. It grows in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, although it is believed to be extinct in the wild. It is popular as a cut flower as the flowers can easily span 12 centimeters (5 inches). The survival of the species is seriously threatened by excessive picking.

Description

''Iris susiana'' has a short, compact, brown

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

and long secondary roots that grow beneath the soil. Stems can grow to tall. The leaves can reach 25 cm long and 5-12 mm wide. The leaves are

glaucous ''Glaucous'' (, ) is used to describe the pale grey or bluish-green appearance of the surfaces of some plants, as well as in the names of birds, such as the glaucous gull (''Larus hyperboreus''), glaucous-winged gull (''Larus glaucescens''), ...

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 A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

(outer petals, known as the 'falls') and three inner, smaller petals (or

tepals A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of ve ...

, known as the 'standards'). External

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s are reflexed, ovate, approximately 7 cm long and 4 cm wide, and strongly spotted with purple on a bluish-white base. 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 Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

(part of the stigma) are 2-3 cm long. It has short, rounded lobes and a denticulate margin.

Genetics

As with most irises, ''Iris susiana'' is

diploid Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Here ''sets of chromosomes'' refers to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, ...

, having two sets of

chromosome A chromosome is a package of DNA containing part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes, the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with nucleosome-forming packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells, the most import ...

s. Its diploid cells have 20 chromosomes. Genetic variations give rise to

phenotypic In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology (physical form and structure), its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological propert ...

differences which can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.

Taxonomy

''Iris susiana'' has the common name of mourning iris.William Robinson Other common names include 'chalcedonian iris',Philip McMillan Browse

Country Life (magazine) ''Country Life'' (stylised in all caps) is a British weekly perfect-bound glossy magazine, launched in 1897, that is published by Future plc. It was based in London at 110 Southwark Street until 2016, when moved to Farnborough, Hampshire. I ...

'great-flowered iris', 'great spotted iris', and 'mourning widow'. ''Iris susiana'' has been cultivated since 7000 BCE. It was taken from Turkey and introduced to gardens in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in 1573. The botanist

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

discovered it in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, and then published and described it in his book ''

Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genus, genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial nomenclature ...

'' in 1753. The name ''Iris susiana'' is a reference to these Persian roots: in classical literature, the Persian civilization of

Elam Elam () was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of Iran, stretching from the lowlands of what is now Khuzestan and Ilam Province as well as a small part of modern-day southern Iraq. The modern name ''Elam'' stems fr ...

was also known as Susiana, a name derived from its capital

Susa Susa ( ) was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh River, Karkheh and Dez River, Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital o ...

. 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, in

Gardeners' Chronicle ''The Gardeners' Chronicle'' was a British horticulture periodical. It lasted as a title in its own right for nearly 150 years and is still extant as part of the magazine '' Horticulture Week''. History Founded in 1841 by the horticulturists Jose ...

ser. 3, vol.26: on page 389. It was verified as ''Iris susiana'' by the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

and the

Agricultural Research Service The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...

on 4 April 2003.

Distribution and habitat

''Iris susiana'' is prevalent in

and

. It grows in mountainous terrain, typically on eastern slopes in rocky areas.

Cultivation

Irises can generally be propagated by division. ''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.

Toxicity

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

Culture

The

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

in India has images of ''Iris susiana'' carved from stone.

References

Other sources

* 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 Susa ( ) was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital of Elam and the winter ca ...

Flora of Lebanon Flora of Turkey