Iris bismarckiana, Iris sari, Iris nazarena, Nazareth Iris,
Hebrew: אירוס נצרתי, Arabic: سوسن الناصرة

Scientific name:		Iris bismarckiana Regel
Synonym name:		Iris nazarena (Foster) Dinsmore, Iris sari var. nazarena Foster
Common name:		Nazareth Iris
Hebrew name:		אירוס נצרתי
Arabic name:		سوسن الناصرة
Family:		Iridaceae, אירוסיים

Life form:		Geophyte
Stems:		Long, erect flowering stems
Leaves:		Alternate, rosette, entire, smooth
Flowers:		The flags are light violet, while the falls are covered with large dots which sometimes merge to form a dark stain.
Fruits / Pods:		Capsule which opens up in three parts to reveal the numerous seeds within
Flowering Period:		March, April
Habitat:		Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:		Mediterranean
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

Derivation of the botanical name: Iris, ιριϛ, ιδοϛ, rainbow; female messenger, announcer of the gods, the Greek goddess of the rainbow. bismarckiana, Bismarck-Archipel, group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean. nazarena, Nazareth, Israel. The Hebrew name: אירוס, iris, transliteration from the scientific name. The standard author abbreviation Regel is used to indicate Eduard August von Regel (1815 – 1892), a German horticulturalist and botanist. The standard author abbreviation Foster is used to indicate Sir Michael Foster (1836 - 1907), an English physiologist and Member of Parliament. The standard author abbreviation Dinsmore is used to indicate John Edward Dinsmore (1862 - 1951), who moved from Maine to Jerusalem in the 1890's to join a Protestant commune called The American Colony. The Nazareth Iris - Iris Nazarena (Bismarckiana) - grows on Mt. Yona in the Nazareth hills, in the Giv'at Ha-More Nature Reserve and in some of the smaller Reserves in the Naphtali hill country. Link: A walk in the park - Givat-Hamoreh, Hamoreh Hill, Little Hermon, Nebi Dahi, נבי דחי