''Iris'' ser. ''Syriacae'' is a series of the genus '' Iris'', in ''Iris'' subg. ''Limniris''. The series was first classified by Ludwig Diels in 'Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien' (Edited by H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl) in 1930. It was further expanded by

George Hill Mathewson Lawrence George Hill Mathewson Lawrence (June 19, 1910 - June 10, 1978) was an American botanist, writer and professor of botany who helped establish the 'Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium', the Hunt Botanical Library and the ''Huntia'' journal. He was also a ...

in ''Gentes Herb'' (written in Dutch) in 1953.James Cullen, Sabina G. Knees, H. Suzanne Cubey (Editors) It is named after the region where most of the species are found,

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. There is a similarity in the pollen and rootstock morphology between the species in the series and the bulbous reticulated irises (''

Hermodactyloides The subgenus ''Hermodactyloides'' of Iris includes all reticulate-bulbed bulbous irises. It was formerly named as a genus, ''Iridodictyum'' by Rodionenko in 1961. but it was not widely accepted and most botanists preferred 'Hermodactyloides'. ...

''), (especially ''

Iris pamphylica ''Iris pamphylica'' is a plant species in the genus ''Iris''. It is the largest member of the subgenus ''Hermodactyloides'', it is also in the section ''Reticulatae''. It is a bulbous perennial from Antalya Province in Turkey, Asia. It has long n ...

'') that seems to suggest an evolutionary link. Seedlings of ''Iris masia'' and ''Iris grant-duffii'', grow a small bulb with tunics (similar to the reticulata bulbs). Later, the base plate enlarges and then stretches out to create a

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

. The rhizomes have branching, large terminal bubs, that are covered with large 'spines'. These are the leftovers from the last growing season leaf viens. The species also have unbranched flower stems that carry a single flower head. Although most species in this series come from the damp spring areas of Asia, most species prefer to have a very dry period in summer. They could be cultivated in the UK, in a bulb frame, if allowed to dry out in the summer. They are rare in cultivation in the UK. Includes; *''

Iris grant-duffii ''Iris grant-duffii'' is a species in the genus '' Iris''. It is also in the subgenus '' Limniris'' and in the series '' Syriacae''. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq, which has brown bri ...

'' Baker *'' Iris masia'' Foster

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q18352108 Flora of Syria Flora of Western Asia Syriacae