Carmel presents us with flowers in all seasons.
In this column we will always present one of the Carmel flowers, at the same time as it appears in the field, and you will be invited to visit it in one of the places where it blooms.
Yellow iridium (protected plant)
Yellow iridium Geophyte (*) has a tuft of thickened roots that is 120-80 cm high. Unlike other species of lilies, whose flowers are radially symmetrical. The iridium flower is bilaterally symmetrical and faces the insect that visits it. It blooms from late February to mid-April. In early spring, the plant grows an upright, unbranched inflorescence stalk, with many leaves arranged along it in a spiral. The color of the flowers is yellow-orange. They bloom from dusk until the next morning. The flowers are visited by large bees that sip the nectar stored in the cups of the pollen grains.
The species is common in rocky patches and clearings in stony woodlands in the Mediterranean region of Israel, with its main distribution in the mountainous regions of the Galilee, the Carmel, and the Judean Mountains.
(*) An underground storage organ that accumulates materials and water that enable its renewal.
ID
| family: | Roses. |
| root: | Thickened root tuft. |
| height: | 120-80 cm. |
| Leaves: | The leaves of the iridium are arranged in a rosette at the base of the plant and also "climb" up the stem along its entire length, arranged in a spiral pattern, becoming smaller as it climbs up the stem. The leaf is lanceolate, thick and slightly leathery, with a rough edge. |
| stalk: | Single inflorescence stalk, erect and tall, almost unbranched. |
| rash: | In the spring, from mid-February to April. |
| flower: | The dense, elongated inflorescence impresses with the abundance of flowers and their colors: the 6 petals are yellow-orange, with a green main vein. The flower is large, 25–35 mm in diameter, the length of the bract is 12 mm. The flower opens at dusk and closes the next morning. |
| The structure of the flower: | The flowers are borne on short secondary branches, each of which opens in order from bottom to top, but flowering occurs simultaneously on all branches. |
| fruit: | The capsule is spherical, wrinkled, 12 mm in diameter. The seed is black, polygonal, 5 mm in diameter. |
| smell: | No information on smell. |
| nectar: | The nectar accumulates in a cup formed from the expanded bases of the stamens. Pollinated by large bees. |
| uses: | Used as an ornamental plant in gardens. |
| Distribution in Israel: | Common in patches and isolated areas, in dry grassland and on the edges of forests. Its main distribution is in mountainous areas in the Galilee, Carmel, and the Judean Mountains. |
A place to meet the flower of the week
A secondary entrance to the Forty Grove is about 600 meters southwest on Route 672 from the main entrance to Carmel Park.
- Drive on road 672 from the university towards Usafia.
- Exit left (towards northeast) onto Kurkar Road from Route 672, about 600 meters southwest of the main entrance to Carmel Park.
- Continue on the kurkar path for about 50 meters until the path is blocked by giant sacks.
- Get out of the car and continue on foot for about 400 meters until the path is blocked by sandbags. Continue on the footpath that descends to the right to the Forty Grove. Continue from the Forty Grove on a narrow footpath towards the southwest and after passing a huge oak tree growing in the center, continue on the path to the water well. From the water well, continue on the footpath towards the northwest. The path passes along the edge of a cliff. Keep walking on the path to the edge of the cliff for about 350 more and you will see beautiful and eye-catching clusters of Iriyoni on the left side of the path.
If you go to visit the flower with children, you can tell them the legend of the yellow city dweller.
The Legend of the Yellow Urbanite
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, in a green valley full of flowers, a special flower grew. It was taller than all the other flowers, and its stem stretched proudly towards the sky. Its petals shone in yellow and orange, like the rays of the sun at sunrise.
The other flowers in the valley were short and colorful, but they did not understand why the tall flower insisted on standing out so much. "Why don't you bend down like us?" the violets asked it. "Why don't you hide among the leaves?" the poppies wondered. The tall flower smiled in the light breeze and replied: "I was born to touch the sun. Every drop of light strengthens me, and every ray of warmth fills me with joy. I cannot be short, because my destiny is to illuminate the valley from above."
One day, a heavy cloud hid the sun, and the wind howled in the valley. All the flowers bent down, but the tall flower remained upright, illuminating the path with its golden light even when the world turned gray.
When the sun rose again, the flowers realized – thanks to him, they had not lost hope. He was not just a tall flower, he was a beacon of light, determination and joy. Since then, the tall flower became a symbol of courage, and his friends learned that everyone must blossom in their own way.
And so, every spring, when the first sunflower plants emerge from the ground, the flowers tell the story of the tall flower, who dreamed of touching the sun – and succeeded.
Brings smiles:
1. The easy botanical subject (botany)
2. The detailed table
3. The hitchhiker's guide to Chizbet: "Continue on the kurkar path for about 50 meters until the path is blocked by giant sacks." (🤨)
Get out of the car and continue on foot for about 400 meters until the path is blocked with sandbags (!!). (🤬) Continue on the footpath that goes down to the right. Anyone who didn't smile when they read this - hasn't walked in nature and on the roads.