Flora Iranica

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Flora Iranica
Edited by Karl Heinz Rechinger
Original title
Flora des Iranischen Hochlandes und der umrahmenden Gebirge: Persien, Afghanistan, Teile von West-Pakistan, Nord-Iraq, Azerbaidjan, Turkmenistan
Country Austria
Language Latin, German/English
Publisher Graz: Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt
Published1963 – 2015
No. of books181
Website https://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/en/publications/scientific_series/flora_iranica

Flora Iranica is a series of books on the flora of Iranian highlands and adjacent mountains in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. The general editor of the series was the Austrian botanist Karl Heinz Rechinger (1963 - 1998). [1]

It included genera from plants such as the genus Ferula (53 species) within the Apiaceae family, the genus Cousinia (353 species) within the Asteraceae, 126 genera within the Brassicaceae, the genera Astragalus (with approx. more than 1000 species) within the Fabaceae, the genus Nepeta (59 species) within the Lamiaceae and the genus Acantholimon (164 species) within the Plumbaginaceae family. [2]

From 1963 up to 2005, 176 fascicles of Flora Iranica were published holding details about 9977 species and 1471 genera. A total number of 3318 species were mentioned as endemic to the Flora Iranica area (33%) and this included 1490 species which are known as endemic to Iran (24%). Up to 97 botanist from 20 different countries have contributed to Flora Iranica, which includes 10065 pages of text and 5873 pages of high quality black/white tabulae (pictures) of herbarium specimens and also 204 colour illustrations of 397 pictures. [3]

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<i>Halothamnus iranicus</i> Species of plant

Halothamnus iranicus is a species of the plant genus Halothamnus that belongs to the subfamily Salsoloideae of the family Amaranthaceae. It occurs in Southwest Asia.

Professor Karl Heinz Rechinger HonFRSE was an Austrian botanist and phytogeographer.

Ian Charleson Hedge was a Scottish botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. Hedge made important contributions to the flora of Iran and Iraq, and was a recognised authority on the flora of south-west Asia. He named more than 300 new plant species.

<i>Iris pseudocaucasica</i> Species of flowering plant

Iris pseudocaucasica is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Scorpiris. It is a bulbous perennial from central Asia, within the Caucasus and in Iran, Iraq and Turkey.

Iris spuria subsp. musulmanica is a species of the genus Iris, part of a subgenus known as Limniris and in the series Spuriae. It is a subspecies of Iris spuria and is a rhizomatous perennial plant, from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey in Asia with flowers in various shades of blue, but there are rare white forms. They have a yellow centre and darker veining. It has the common name of 'Muslim iris'. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

Iris falcifolia is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Hexapogon. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. It is a small plant, with sickle-shaped greyish-green leaves, lilac-violet flowers and darker veining, and a white or yellow beard. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in dry, temperate regions.

<i>Pseudomertensia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the borage family Boraginaceae

Pseudomertensia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae. They are perennial herbs with blue or bluish purple flowers. Their natural range is from Iran to the Himalayas. None have been found in China or Russia. P. echioides, and the type species for the genus, P. elongata, are occasionally cultivated as ornamentals.

Atropa pallidiflora is a close relative of the infamous deadly nightshade and, like it, is an extremely poisonous plant, containing a variety of tropane alkaloids valued in medicine for their anticholinergic, antispasmodic and mydriatic properties and deliriant in excess. Atropa pallidiflora is the least well-known of the four currently accepted species of Atropa and is endemic to the remarkable Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests of Northern Iran, which can boast all the species of Atropa currently recognised, with the sole exception of the strictly Ibero-Maghrebi Atropa baetica. The binomial Atropa pallidiflora was published by Eva Schönbeck-Temesy in volume 100 ('Solanaceae') of Karl Heinz Rechinger's monumental Flora Iranica in 1972. The specific name pallidiflora signifies 'bearing flowers of a pale, wan or washed-out hue' and, while appropriate, is not especially evocative, given that the flowers of most Atropa species are far from vivid. The flowers of A. pallidiflora, like those of A.baetica, vary from greenish to yellow, but, as the designation 'having pallid flowers' might suggest, the yellow in question is a dingy greenish-yellow that is far from ornamental. The geographical term 'Hyrcanian' in the common name signifies that the plant is native to what was once the satrapy of Hyrcania, the name of which derives from an Iranian root meaning 'wolf' : Hyrcania is thus the 'Land of Wolves'. The name is an apt one, since the Hyrcanian forests have long been known as a hunting ground of legendary richness and beauty : the lush forests could support an abundance of large, mammalian herbivores, which in turn could support an abundance of apex predators - notably the wolf, but also the Persian leopard and even the tiger. The word 'Hyrcanian' will be familiar to any diligent reader of the works of William Shakespeare, as an epithet of the proverbially savage Caspian Tiger, known to the dramatist from his reading of the works of various Latin authors - who, in turn, were familiar with the Ancient Greek coinage 'Hyrcania' and the lands adjoining the Caspian Sea to which the place name referred. Regarding the richness of the Hyrcanian flora - of which Atropa pallidiflora is a noteworthy element - it is worth mentioning that the name of the modern Iranian province of Golestan has the delightful meanings of 'Rose Garden' and 'Land of Flowers'.

Univ. Prof. Dr. Eva Schönbeck-Temesy was an eminent, Austrian botanist of Hungarian descent who made notable contributions to Karl Heinz Rechinger's magisterial Flora Iranica.

<i>Iris acutiloba</i> Species of plant

Iris acutiloba is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Iris and section Oncocyclus. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the mountains of the Caucasus and found in Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Dagestan in the North Caucasus, and Iran. It is a dwarf species, with narrow, falcate or curved leaves, it has one flower in spring or early summer, that comes in shades from cream, creamy white, whitish, pale brown, light grey, to pale violet. It is heavily veined or streaked and pointed, with 2 dark spots and brown, purple, dark purple, or black short beard. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. There are two subspecies, Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata and Iris acutiloba subsp. longitepala.

<i>Iris barnumiae</i> Species of plant

Iris barnumiae is a species in the genus Iris; it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Oncocyclus. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. It has pale glaucous green and narrow leaves, that are slightly sickle-shaped and fade soon after blooming. It has, in mid- to late spring, fragrant flowers in shades of purple, from red-purple, mulberry to purplish-violet, with a yellow tipped with purple beard. It was renamed as I. barnumiae in after a plant naming conference in 2011, but is still sometimes named as I. barnumae in some sources. It has one accepted subspecies Iris barnumiae subsp. demawendica and two forms; Iris barnumiae f. protonyma (Stapf) B.Mathew & Wendelbo and Iris barnumiae f. urmiensis (Hoog) B.Mathew & Wendelbo, which has yellow flowers. Sometimes I. barnumiae f. barnumiae is used to describe the basic form. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, due to its needing very dry and warm summer conditions.

Iris barnumiae subsp. demawendica is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Iris and in the Oncocyclus section. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Elburz Mountains in Iran. It was originally thought to be a separate species before going through various changes before being classed as a subspecies of Iris barnumiae. It has erect, grey-green (grass-like) leaves and two large flowers, which come in shades from claret-red, burgundy, violet-blue, to dark purple, with a white or cream beard. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, due to the environmental conditions it prefers.

<i>Tulipa fosteriana</i> Species of plant in the genus Tulipa

Tulipa fosteriana is a species of tulip, native to the Pamir Mountains and nearby areas of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

References

  1. "Flora Iranica (finished)". Naturhistorisches Museum Wien. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  2. "Flora Iranica | NHBS Academic & Professional Books". www.nhbs.com. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  3. Akhani, H. (2006). "FLORA IRANICA: FACTS AND FIGURES AND A LIST OF PUBLICATIONS BY K.H. RECHINGER ON IRAN AND ADJACENT AREAS". Rostaniha. 7 (Suppl. 2).