Iris antilibanotica is a rare, critically endangered rhizomatous perennial from the mountains of Syria and Lebanon, very rarely grown as an ornamental. It is a difficult plant to cultivate, and it needs a dry, sunny spot with a rhizome planted at or just below soil level.
Family
Iridaceae (Iris family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Keep dry; water sparingly and avoid soggy soil, especially in summer.
Soil
Free-draining, gritty or rocky mineral soil.
Temperature
Tolerates cold and heat when dry; protect from prolonged wet cold.
How easy
Hard
Safety
Toxic: Rhizome and leaves are poisonous; ingestion can cause stomach pain and vomiting, and handling may cause skin irritation or allergy.
Native range
Syria (above Bludan)
Climate
subtropical
About
Iris antilibanotica is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the mountains of Syria. It has semi-evergreen, green, falcate leaves, slender stem, bi-coloured flowers, in dark purple, violet. With a small dark spot and purple tipped yellow beard on the outer petals. It is very rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It is classified by the IUCN Red List as a critically endangered species in-situ, with only three known wild populations still existing (one in Lebanon and the other two in Syria), as well as a few reintroduced populations which were created in an attempt to conserve this very rare species in Lebanon.
How to grow it
The iris is considered a very difficult plant to cultivate. It can withstand the cold, as long as it is dry. It can also withstand the heat, as long as it is also dry.
Safety
Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), and if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Handling the plant may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Iris antilibanotica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.