Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Specific Families and Genera => Iris => Topic started by: Oron Peri on February 11, 2015, 10:49:24 AM
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Just got back from our annual trip to Jordan with another forumist, Fred [BULBISSIME] in search of Jordan's Juno Irises.
Trip was a real success as for the first time we have found all four species in flower at the same time.
The first, Iris edomensis, which we managed to find the very last flowering plants as this species flowers during January.
I have already shown it here few times but can not resist...sorry. There are no two plants looking a like.
We have done almost 1000 KM in less than three days in order to find all four species.
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Two rare species in Jordan;
Iris aucheri and Iris regis-uzziae which appears in Jordan in its yellow form,
We have not found I. regis - uzziae in recent years due to a long lasting drought in the region.
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For the last six years i have been going to Jordan in order to find the 'mysterious' Iris postii and never found any trace of it.
Last year Fred found a location but flowers were over.
This year we were sure to find it as it rained in that area at the end of December and indeed we found about thirty plants blooming.
This species grows in the deep deserts of SE Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and in the Eastern Desert of Jordan.
We found it approximately 150 KM before the border with Iraq.
It is probably the first time this species is photographed in the wild and shown on the net, glad i can release these photos at the moment.
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The color of Iris postii flowers varies from very pale to the darkest purple or blue.
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The few seasonal plants growing in the area are heavily grazed by sheep and goats, including the iris leaves, but flowers still manage to come out
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Oh! My goodness - this is too exciting! I can't believe you have been able to find all these plants in one trip. And to track down the I. postii in flower- what a TRIUMPH! 8)
Congratulations and MANY THANKS for sharing this with us here.
I think that there is just this photo of Iris postii in cultivation at Kew : http://www.signa.org/index.pl?Display+Iris-postii+1 (http://www.signa.org/index.pl?Display+Iris-postii+1)
Iris postii Mouterde Nouv. Fl. Liban 1: 309 1966. http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-322248 (http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-322248)
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edomensis is fascinating, that's a lucky trip.
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Oron, I HAD to give this Jordan trip its own thread- too important to do otherwise!
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Just amazing to see these Oron. Thank you.
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Oron, many thanks for this wonderful pictures,
especially Iris postii :o
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Successful trip indeed! :)
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Fabulous Iris, many thanks Oron.
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:o :o :o :
Splendid Oron ! Exciting to see such special , rare and extremely beautiful Irisses .
Many thanks to share such great pictures with us.
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These are all stunning plants, Oron, but I'm really taken with your first photo of 'Iris edomensis, Shoubak'. What a subtley beautiful plant.
Seeing the habitat photos is enlightening too and the reason I'll not be trying to grow them here! ;D
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Fabulous Oron!!! :o
I can really imagine how you both jumped around when you found Iris postii in flower! ;D
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You never stop amazing us Oron !! Fabulous trip you had there ! Thanks for sharing !!
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Absolutely great to see these rare Junos in their wild habitats Oron. We can only dream!
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Did you collect seed Oron? 8)
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Did you collect seed Oron? 8)
Now here's a man who might just have the sort of conditions these plants would like ;)
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Oron , we are so fortunate to have you as a friend on the FORUM , to show us those fabulous Junos flowering in their native habitats . It took Tony Hall at Kew Bot . Gardens 14 years (fourteen ) to flower I . postii . many thanks from Otto.
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Thank you all!!
I'm glad to share these photos with you.
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I can really imagine how you both jumped around when you found Iris postii in flower! ;D
Well Hans... you know us well...
Luckily the minute we found it is not documented anywhere... ;)
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Did you collect seed Oron? 8)
Jamus,
It isn't the time to collect any seeds there as they are flowering now. There wasn't any sign of old seeds near the plants as any organic matter last very short time in the desert.
Any way in my experience i think growing I. postii from seeds would probably take 6-9 years in cultivation assuming it has the right conditions.
In my opinion, the mature plants we have seen are probably 15-20 years old [if not more!] considering that it doesn't rain every year.
In order to germinate and mature, seedlings would probably need three consecutive, wet winters to establish, fact which doesn't happen often in that area. Than in some years they will be grazed either by sheep and goats or by insects..
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Jamus,
It isn't the time to collect any seeds there as they are flowering now. There wasn't any sign of old seeds near the plants as any organic matter last very short time in the desert.
So you have plans for a return trip then? ;D
Fantastic that we can share in this trip with you, Oron,
cheers
fermi
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Yes fermi! I would love to but I will need someone to pay my airfares. ;). Oh and isn't it a war zone? Oron, are you sure it is safe to be travelling in these parts? Especially searching the desert for plants, a story some may find difficult to believe...
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stunning and fascinating to read about how these plants struggle to survive in the wild - many thanks for sharing Oron.
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Fabulous Oron!!! :o
I can really imagine how you both jumped around when you found Iris postii in flower! ;D
Yes you can Hans ;D ;D ;D :o ::) :P :-[
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Oron:
Absolutely wonderful stuff.
How can one imagine going there.
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Oh and isn't it a war zone? Oron, are you sure it is safe to be travelling in these parts? Especially searching the desert for plants, a story some may find difficult to believe...
Jamus
Jordan is probably the safest place to travel in this neighborhood,
also, we try to disguise ourselves into pollinators... ;)
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Hello Oron just found your superb pictures how on earth should anything so beautiful survive in these extreme conditions and the idea that you search for these as a possible pollinator thank you for letting us see such rare plants with the habitat where they grow, cheers Ian the Christie kind
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As luck would have it, pictures have emerged of Oron and Fred on their Jordanian trip ........
[attachimg=1][attachimg=2]
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Brilliant!
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As luck would have it, pictures have emerged of Oron and Fred on their Jordanian trip ........
(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)
haaa...this is nothing Maggi...you have to see the way Fred fly with his three cameras and a tripod... ;)
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Ha ha 😄😄😄😄😄
Oron is on the right !!
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Absolutely wonderful, Oron, thanks enormously for these exciting pictures - obviously irises call to you, just as you once told me that orchids do!