Iris pontica Zapal

This species grows around the Black Sea in steppes but its range is very disjunct. One area in Europe is placed in the steppes of Ukraine and Republic of Moldova and a second one in Transylvania (until recently the single perimeter known in EU). The species is also found in the steppes of Transcaucasia and north-eastern Turkey.

In 2013 the species was discovered also in the forest-steppe area of Moldavia at Miclesti (Vaslui county) in Movila lui Burcel natural reserve area by dr. Irina Irimia and dr. Ciprian Manzu. See the article here.

Near Boju railway station, in the meadows from Straja Mare hill, Cluj county, 17-18th of May 2006

dr. Alexandru Badarau, alexandru@transsilvanica.com

The images below are dedicated to a comparison between the flowers of the rare species Iris pontica (with larger external tepals and smaller and lighter colored claws (internal tepals) and the large spread species Iris graminea (with much smaller external tepals and larger and dark colored claws); Iris pontica is frequently mistaken for Iris graminea by many researchers.

In the two images below there is also Iris pseudacorus introduced into the comparison. All the three are members of the Apogon subgenus of the genus Iris.