User:Yonkatz/Oncocyclus

The Oncocyclus iris is a section in the subgenus Iris in the genus Iris in the Iridaceae family.

This section contains the species considered to be the most beautiful in the Iris genus.

The group includes 54 species worldwide, all growing in West Asia in three areas: Israel and Jordan, northern Lebanon, and the Trans-Caucasus region (the meeting of the borders between Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran ).

Onchocyclus irises are perennial root plants that dry in the summer but leave a rhizome. They generally need well-drained soils and full sun. Most of them also prefer a dry period after flowering. The Oncocyclus Iris are mainly from Turkey, the Caucasus, and Iran. They usually have only one flower, which is veined or spotted. The flower has six bracts, three folded outer bracts forming a sepal, and three erect inner bracts. Some of these species have been bred with bearded irises and have developed unique colors and markings.

Name
Oncocyclus is derived from Greek, where onko means mass or bulk, and cycle means circle. In 1846, C.H. Siemssen used the term 'oncocyclus' for the first time and classified them as a genus (taxonomy) in the book Botanische Zeitung. [5] After that, Baker reclassified it as a subgenus (taxonomy) in 1877, and from 1914 until today, Dykes defined them as a section.

Texonomy
The representatives of the section in Israel include nine species, some of which are endemic to Israel and some of which are sub-endemic and are also found in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.


 * Iris hermona
 * Iris bismarckiana
 * Iris lortetii
 * Iris haynei
 * Iris atrofusca
 * Iris mariae
 * Iris petrana
 * Iris atropurpurea
 * Iris westii