Nazareth Iris

Iris bismarckiana, Iris sari, Iris nazarena, Nazareth Iris,
Hebrew: אירוס נצרתי, Arabic: سوسن الناصرة

Scientific name:   Iris bismarckiana Regel
Synonym name:   Iris nazarena (Foster) Dinsmore, Iris sari var. nazarena Foster
Common name:   Nazareth Iris
Hebrew name:   אירוס נצרתי
Arabic name:   سوسن الناصرة
Family:   Iridaceae, אירוסיים


Life form:   Geophyte
Stems:   Long, erect flowering stems
Leaves:   Alternate, rosette, entire, smooth
Flowers:   The flags are light violet, while the falls are covered with large dots which sometimes merge to form a dark stain.
Fruits / Pods:   Capsule which opens up in three parts to reveal the numerous seeds within
Flowering Period:   March, April
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Derivation of the botanical name:

Iris, ιριϛ, ιδοϛ, rainbow; female messenger, announcer of the gods, the Greek goddess of the rainbow.

bismarckiana, Bismarck-Archipel, group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean.
nazarena, Nazareth, Israel.
The Hebrew name: אירוס, iris, transliteration from the scientific name.

  • The standard author abbreviation Regel is used to indicate Eduard August von Regel (1815 – 1892), a German horticulturalist and botanist.
  • The standard author abbreviation Foster is used to indicate Sir Michael Foster (1836 – 1907), an English physiologist and Member of Parliament.
  • The standard author abbreviation Dinsmore is used to indicate John Edward Dinsmore (1862 – 1951), who moved from Maine to Jerusalem in the 1890’s to join a Protestant commune called The American Colony.

The Nazareth Iris – Iris Nazarena (Bismarckiana) – grows on Mt. Yona in the Nazareth hills, in the Giv’at Ha-More Nature Reserve and in some of the smaller Reserves in the Naphtali hill country.

Link: A walk in the park – Givat-Hamoreh, Hamoreh Hill, Little Hermon, Nebi Dahi, נבי דחי