Iris hermona

It has 9 leaves,[5] which are linear,^[8] straight and erect.^[1][9] Compared to Iris westii (another Oncocyclus Iris), which are short and curved.^[1] The leaves can grow up to between 30 cm (12 in) long and 1.8 cm wide.^[5]

It has a slender stem or peduncle, that can grow up to between 30 and 50 cm (12 and 20 in) tall.^[10][11][12]

The stems hold terminal (top of stem) flowers, blooming early in the season,^[10] between March and April,^[3][4][8] or between April and May (in the UK).^[5]

The flowers are between 10 and 18 cm (4 and 7 in) in diameter,^[5][10][11] they are considered to be the largest single flower in Israel.^[13] They are bi-coloured,^[14] and are pale lilac,^[5] creamy,^[11][15] cream-yellow,^[9][10][15] light tan,^[9] or white background.^[5][16] They are then covered in purple brown,^[5][9][15] or purple,^[3] or purple-pink,^[9] veining, spots or speckling.^[5][9]

Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large

It has cream,^[9] or yellow anthers,^[10] with purple filaments,^[9][10] and creamy white style branches.^[10] Compared to Iris atropurpurea and Iris haynei, it has a very short flowering time of between (3.6 ± 0.8 days).^[14]

After the iris has flowered, it produces a seed capsule, which has not yet been described.^[5]

Genetics

As most irises are

Taxonomy

It is commonly known as 'Golan Iris',

The Latin specific epithet hermona refers to Mount Hermon, between Israel and Syria,^[21] although most of the currant plants are found in the Golan Heights.^[1]

It was first found in Kunaytrah, Palestine,^[22] in 1912,^[9] and described by Wilhelm Bacher.^[10] Although it was first published and named by John E. Dinsmore in 'Flora of Syria, Palestine, and Sinai' (edited G. E. Post) by Vol.2 on page 596, in 1933.^{[2][10][22][23]}

It was also published in 1934 in Fasc. II. 8 (Publ. Am. Univ. Beirut, Nat. Sc. Series No. 1 and No.3).^[22]

In 1968, Bastow (within his article 'Oncocylus Irises, Part II', in The Iris Year Book 1968) thought that the species was similar in form to Iris bismarckiana except from having different types of rhizomes.^[5]

It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003, then changed on 1 December 2004.^[23] It is listed in the Encyclopedia of Life,^[24] and in the Catalogue of Life,^[25] as well as being tentatively accepted name by the RHS.^[26]

Distribution and habitat

It is

Generally, most Oncocyclus irises (including I. hermona) are pollinated by night-sheltering male bees (male eucerine bees).^[14]

Conservation

I. hermona is currently assessed as being a

I. hermona is thought to be an easier plant to grow in cultivation,

Hybrids and cultivars

It has one cultivar called 'Hermona'.^[10]

It has various crosses including; 'Aviv' (Iris atropurpurea x I. hermona) X (I. atropurpurea x I. hermona),^[32] 'Bagdad Beauty',^[33] 'Doar Na' (I. hermona X Iris iberica),^[34] 'Galeet' (Iris haynei crossed with I. hermona]]),^[35] 'Gilmond' (I. haynei crossed with I. hermona),^[36] 'Goren' (Iris mariae X I. hermona),^[37] 'Leat' (Iris atropurpurea X I. hermona) X (I. atropurpurea x I. hermona,^[38] 'New Enchantment' (I. hermona X Iris susiana) X self,^[39] 'Noga' (I. atropurpurea X I. hermona),^[40] 'Orit' (Iris samariae X I. hermona),^[41] 'Ravid' (Onco Hybrid 'Judean Charmer' (1956) X I. hermona),^[42] 'Reaem' (I. hermona X Onco hybrid 'Judean Charmer'),^[43] 'Sa'ar' (Iris mariae X I. hermona),^[44] 'Tameer' (I. atropurpurea X I. hermona) X I. hermona),^[10][45]

Toxicity

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 skin irritation or an allergic reaction.^[46]

Culture

It is also found on the roof of a

On 19 June 2016, the National Gallery of Art in Vilnius, held an exhibition of photos by photographer Sharon Ya’ari, I. hermona was included as part of his "Red Slide" series (2015).^[48]

References