Vartan’s Iris

Iris vartanii, Vartan’s Iris,
Hebrew: אירוס הסרגל, Arabic: السوسن الفارتاني


Scientific name:		Iris vartanii Foster
Common name:		Vartan’s Iris
Hebrew name:		אירוס הסרגל
Arabic name:		السوسن الفارتاني
Family:		Iridaceae, אירוסיים

_{Location: Betah Mountain, Western Galilee}


Life form:		Geophyte
Stems:		15-25 cm high
Leaves:		Alternate, rosette, entire, narrow, linear- rod-like; smooth margin
Inflorescence:		Solitary flowers
Flowers:		Light blue flowers and lower perianth lobes (falls) with a protruding yellow ridge; style-crests long and narrow; flowers strongly almond- scented
Flowering Period:		January, February, December
Habitat:		Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands
Chorotype:		Mediterranean
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

_{Location: Betah Mountain, Western Galilee}
Derivation of the botanical name:

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

vartanii, after Dr. Kaloost Vartan, of Nazareth (1839-1908), an Armenian doctor who qualified from Edinburgh University, and opened the first Nazareth Hospital in a small rented house in 1879. The dispensary he set up was the only hospital between Jersualem, Damascus and Beirut. Dr. Kaloost Vartan was a leading pioneer of preventive medicine in Palestine.
The Hebrew name: אירוס, iris, transliteration from the scientific name.

The standard author abbreviation Foster is used to indicate Sir Michael Foster (1836 – 1907), an English physiologist and Member of Parliament.

_{Location: Betah Mountain, Western Galilee}