Description
(Iris sofarana westii, Iris susiana westii)
One of a closely inter-related group of species centred around I. hermona and I. bismarckiana. Iris westii differs from the former in having short, curved, cutlass-shaped leaves (hermona has long, erect leaves) and from the latter in having clumped rhizomes (bismarckiana has sparse, strongly stoloniferous rhizomes). Just to confuse matters, the populations of Oncocyclus Iris on Mount Hermon, are not I. hermona, they are I. westii (I. hermona occurs only in the Golan)!
This species makes a tight, compact rhizome with strongly falcate leaves below a 30-40cm tall stem bearing a solitary flower which has white standards, varyingly veined with hairstreaks of violet and flecked with violet-brown, the whole infused with pale blue. The falls are inclined towards pale tan as a ground colour but they are overlaid with heavy, quite broad, irregular veins of purple-violet, especially on the upper surface and around the deep violet-black signal patch.
Iris westii appears to be a high-altitude plant, found in open subalpine scrubland on rocky limestone mountain slopes above 1,900m in the Hermon and Lebanon mountains in sites above 1,900m whilst bismarckiana is said to be a lower altitude species. Military activities, over-grazing by goats and climate change which is reducing snow-cover and water availability, are all thought to be contributing to the demise of this poorly understood and declining plant.
In cultivation it can take winter cold but it does require excellent drainage and plenty of water when the leaves start to develop, though much less after development and it needs a dry summer. Matching and balancing water, drainage and dryness is the key with this species. It is not one to learn your craft on, nor a plant for beginners.
