Family |
Iridaceae
Moraea sisyrinchium
(L.) Ker Gawl.
Moraea sisyrinchium (L.) Ker Gawl.
First published in Ann. Bot. (König & Sims) 1: 241 (1804).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 1, pp. 305–306, Pl. CI, 1; 1966)
Description
Life-form & habit: Perennial geophyte with a nearly spherical corm, 1–3 cm across, enclosed in numerous tunics; the outer tunics break into dark, more or less netted fibres. Slender, cylindrical stems, 10–45 cm high, erect or ascending, bear a terminal flower cluster and often 1–3 lateral ones.
Leaves: Two or three long-sheathing, flexuous leaves, 15–70 cm long, channelled and striate, spreading along the ground or ascending.
Inflorescence & flowers: Membranous spathes, green at the base and 5–7 cm long, enclose 1–5 flowers. Blue or violet flowers open in the afternoon and fade rapidly; perianth limb 2–3 cm long. The outer tepals have a reflexed blade about 1 cm wide with a pale-yellow, white-bordered central patch and a beard on the inner surface; inner tepals are slightly shorter and erect-spreading. Anthers linear and narrow, about 6 mm long.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: February–April.
Habitat & elevation: Widespread in Mouterde’s account, except on the highest summits.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Saida, Khalde, Choueifat, Beirut, Antelias, Batroun, Tripoli, Palm Island, below Beit Meri, Bikfaya, Feitroun, Sannine, Hadeth, Zahle, Taanayel and Rachaya.
Syrian distribution: Bhamra, Qadmous, Massiaf, Kissoue, Dmeir, Wadi el Qarn, Krak des Chevaliers, Aleppo, Hama, Khan Cheikhoun, Homs–Hama, Hassié, Chahba, Qanaouat forest, Kafer, Haité, Khisfine, Hammé, Jabal Abiad, Arak, Palmyra and the Palmyra–Abou Kemal route.
Recorded locations: Fraikeh, Kornet Chehwan, Kfertay.
Native range: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Baleares, Corse, Cyprus, East Aegean Is., Egypt, Greece, Gulf States, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Kuwait, Lebanon-Syria, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Portugal, Sardegna, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, Spain, Tadzhikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, Uzbekistan, West Himalaya, Yemen.
⚠️ Taxonomic note:
Mouterde treats this species as Gynandriris sisyrinchium (L.) Parl., also citing Iris sisyrinchium L.; Kew confirms both as synonyms of Moraea sisyrinchium.