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Iris atropurpurea
Iris atropurpurea, the coastal iris (Hebrew: אירוס הארגמן, Irus HaArgaman, meaning "Purple Iris"; Arabic: سوسن أرجواني داكن, Sawsan argwānī al-dākin) is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Iris and in the section Oncocyclus. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Israel-Palestine. It has glaucous (blue-green), linear, falcate (sickle-shaped) leaves. Between February and March, it has between 1 and 2 flowers, in dark shades from red-brown, burgundy, dark purple to blackish purple. They have a darker signal patch and yellow beard tipped with purple. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, due to it needing very dry conditions.
It is hardy to a dry Mediterranean-like climate, although within the UK, and some parts of the US, it is recommended to be grown in pots in a frost-free greenhouse with forced ventilation. They also prefer very fertile seed compost and dislike any temperature changes.
According to Dykes, it is best planted in October in the UK.
Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), and if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Also, handling the plant may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.
It is native to the coastal plain of israel
Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata · Iris acutiloba · Iris adriatica · Iris afghanica · Iris alberti · Iris albomarginata · Iris alexeenkoi · Single Bract Iris · Iris antilibanotica · Stool iris · Iris arenaria · Iris assadiana
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Iris atropurpurea by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
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.
