■ (SPEC) Iris lortetii Barbey

1881, Botanical author Barbey

Iris lortetii Barbey (William Barbey, 1881, Lebanon); Section Oncocyclus; Height 12-20" (30-50 cm); Color Code-S9L; Flowers 8-9 cm in diameter, somewhat pinkish-rose; standards orbicular, whitish or pale lavender veined reddish, falls reflexed, very pale lavender or whitish ground, with both sparsely and densely dotted areas of pinkish-maroon and a reddish signal patch, beard sparse brown; style purplish-brown with reddish brown lobes;

See below:

• * References
• * Chromosome counts
• * Synonyms
• * Variations
• * Hybrids
• * Distribution and Cultivation

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References:

Boiss. Fl. Or. 5: 131. 1881.
Baker in Curtis's Botanical Magazine 118: tab. 7251. 1892 provides the following description ; "This section Oncocyclus of the genus Iris has received great attention of late years, and now we are acquainted with a dozen distinct species. It belongs entirely to the hot arid regions of Western Asia and the species therefore require special care in an English garden. Professor Foster dealt fully with this question in a lecture which he delivered during the present summer, which will be published shortly in extenso in the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society. The present plant occupies an intermediate position between I. susiana and I. iberica, both of which have been figured in ths Botanical Magazine, the former on tab. 91 and the later on table 5847. It was first found by Dr. Lortet, after whom it is named, about the year 1880, in dry thickets on the slope of the southern part of Lebanon range, at an elevation of about two thousand feet above sea-level. Our drawing was made from a plant flowered last May by H. J. Elwes, esq., F.L.S., of Colesborn, Andoversford, Gloucestershire. We have it at Kew and it is doing well. *Descr.* Rootstock stout, short-creeping. Leaves four or five in a basal tuft, ensiform, weak, glaucous, falcate, under a foot long at the flowering time. Stem one-flowered about as long as the leaves. Spathe very ventricose, three or four inches long; outer valves lanceolate, pale green; pedicel short. Ovary cylindrical-trigonous, an inch long. Perianth tube cylindrical, about as long as the ovary; limb three or four inches broad; outer segments obovate, much reflexed, two inches broad, pale grey lilac with darker stripes, copious minute red-brown dots, a dark red-brown throat and a broad claw below it with scattered gland-tipped brown hairs; inner segments incurved, orbicular, three inches broad, narrowed suddenly to a distinct claw, plain pale lilac. Style branches above an inch long, convex on the back; crests large, quadrate. Anther pale yellow, linear, about as long as the flattened brown filament."
Yr. Bk, I.S.(E.) 42. 1933;
The Garden. An illustrated weekly journal of horticulture in all its branches [ed. William Robinson], vol. 43: p. 130, t. 897, fig. 2 (1893) Sir Michael Foster wrote about the Oncocyclus group in the preceding reference. His comments on lortetii were "I. LORTETI (Barbey, Herbor. au Levant, p. 178, t. 7). — This most beautiful Iris was discovered some years ago between Meis and Hounin, in South Lebanon, by Dr. Lortet, the accomplished naturalist of Lyons. It was described by Barbey, " Herborisations au Levant," p. 178 1882, who there gives a large coloured figure of it. Thanks to the unwearied zeal of M. Max Leichtlin, a considerable stock of roots has recently been imported from Palestine. ln general features it comes very close to I. Sari, but its wonderful colouring puts it by itself as, perhaps, the most beautiful Iris in the world. In the specimens gathered by Lortet the outer/ segments are described and figured as showing a very pale blue ground covered with crimson spots, which, scattered sparsely over the marginal parts of the fall, are concentrated into a dark crimson patch or "signal "in the centre beneath the end of the style ; the inner segments or standards are similarly described as being of a delicate pale rose. In a plant flowered by myself this summer the falls showed a creamy yellow ground marked with crimson spots, concentrated at the centre into a dark crimson signal, while the standards were nearly pure white, marked with very thin violet vines, hardly visible at a distance. The plant figured in Botanical Magazine, t. 7251, from Mr. Elwes' garden gives the prevailing tone of the standards as a light violet, while the veins, spots, and signal on the fall a-e purple. I learn that the plants imported by M. Max Leichtlin show considerable variation in colour ; apparently, however, the "note" of the plant is a peculiarly charming combination of crimson spots and blue or violet veins on a white o' creamy yellow ground. The flower figured by Barbey is as large as that of an ordinary or rather small I. susiana; the one shown in the plate is not quite so large. I imagine that, when well grown, the flower will be found to be about as large, but on the whole rather smaller than that of a well-grown I. susiana. When the plant is well grown, the foliage seems to be larger, longer, and broader than even that of I. susiana.
Krel. 1892; 1913; Van T. 1900; 1938;
Revue horticole, serié 4, vol. 74: (1902)
Dykes, The Genus Iris, 1913
Wal. 1934; Hocker 1937;
Amer. Col. 1939;
F.C.C., Amsterdam 1893; F.C.C., R.H.S. 1893, shown by Van T.; Hort. Dir. 35: 61. 1894;

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Chromosome

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Synonyms

syn. Lebanon Iris; Lortet Iris. ----

Variations

Iris lortetii has the following variations; 'Lortetii Alba', 'Samariae'. ----

Hybrids

Iris lortetii crosses include;

• Iris lortetii X Iris gatesii : 'Aphrodite'.
• Iris gatesii X Iris lortetii: 'Bedouin Queen', 'Bedouin Twins'.
• Iris lortetii X Iris hermona : 'Orit'.
• Iris lortetii X Iris iberica : 'Iberian Gem', 'Mustapha Kemal', 'Shah-Shah'.
• Iris lortetii X Iris meda ; 'Amboy Agate'
• Iris lortetii X Onco Hybrid: 'Alon', 'Bareket', 'Einav', 'Fiesta Charm', 'Hanit', 'Hefzi-Bah', 'Meirav', 'Mohave Queen', 'Mor', 'Mumtaz', 'Prince Abbas', 'Shah Abbas', 'Tirat Tsvi', 'Tslil'.
• Onco Hybrid X Iris lortetii: 'Arit', 'Leo's Femininity', 'Meital', 'Revital', 'Tsofit', 'YA'ARA', 'Yfah', 'Yitav', 'Ziv'.
• Iris atropurpurea X Iris lortetii: 'Ashkol'.
• Iris barnumae X Iris lortetii: 'Bright Bonnet'.
• Tall-bearded X Iris lortetii: 'Child Of Lebanon', 'Lorason', 'Majnun'.
• Miniature dwarf bearded X Iris lortetii: 'Dizzy Sammy'.
• Iris lortetii X Arilbred: 'Golden Lavender'; 'Nitzan'.
• Lortetii with Regelias
  • Iris lortetii X Iris korolkowii : 'Hard To Get'.
  • Iris korolkowii X Iris lortetii: 'Tajik Testament'.
• Oncogeliabred X Iris lortetii 'Leo's Lort-Chen';
• Oncogelia X Iris lortetii: 'Mojave Rose', 'Tajik Temptress'.

¼ Iris lortetii crosses

• 'Adva', 'Charming Chick', 'Desert Olive', 'Desert Orchid', 'Eila', 'Eluded Target', 'Ginger Lass', 'Hallelujah Chorus', 'Hidden Beauty', 'Hila', 'Lady Sunshine', 'Let It Shine', 'Little Kid', 'Mansions Of Light', 'Marganit', 'Nomad's Child', 'Ora J. Seale', 'Pastel Lady', 'Prodigal Son', 'Quotation', 'Samaritan', 'SeaBass', 'Shalhavit', 'Speckled Delight', 'Sunlight In Glory', 'Thine the Glory', 'Tzor', 'Village Light', 'Visiting Queen'.

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Distribution and Cultivation

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