Tulipa, Fritillaria, and Dionysia

Introduction

In April 2006, John and Hilary Birks visited the Zagros Mountains in western Iran as part of a Greentours trip organised and led by Ian Green and Mehran Etemadi.

In December 2007, John and Hilary gace a lecture to the Norwegian Botanical Scoeity abut this trip and showed 200 colour slides of many of the most attractive plants and places they saw. Slideshows can be found below and the PowerPoint of the lecture can be found here.

This web-page is a summry of the lecture.

Why go to Iran?

• Remarkable flora - 6417 species, 1810 endemic species
• Spectacular scenery - major mountain ranges, highest point 5671 m with permanent snow, also limestone cliffs and ravines
• Amazing culture - complex history, various Persian Empires, superb Islamic buildings

Zagros Mountains

Major mountain range extending from SW Turkey to Afghanistan - part of the Alpine-Himalayan system (map)

Series of long ridges and valleys controlled by unfaulted folds of Cretaceous and Tertiary limestone

Highest mountain - Gash Mastan - 4460 m

Flora: rich in spring bulbs (Fritillaria, Tulipa, Gagea, Muscari, Ornithogalum); one of the world's two strongholds for Dionysia - a magnificent spring-flowering cushion plant growing in crevices of limestone cliffs; with many endemic taxa

Modern Environment

There are three main physiogeographic provinces in western Iran: the Mesopotamian Lowland, the Zagros Mountains, and the Interior Plateaux. The climate is typically Mediterranean with almost all precipitation in autumn, winter, and spring. Summers are dry and hot, up to 35°C in Esfahan. The Zagros Mountains form a major barrier to moisture-bearing storm tracks from the Mediterranean, creating the very dry Interior Plateaux in their rain-shadow. Annual precipitation in the Lowlands is 300-400 mm, in the Zagros Moutnains 400-1000 mm, and in the Interior 200-300 mm.

Vegetation Zones

1. Mesopotamia lowland steppe, 200-600 m - Desert steppe with shrubs such as Paliurus spina-christi and abundant Artemisia.
2. Forest steppe (savannah) of Zagros foothills and mountains of the Interior Plateaux, 500-700 m - Trees and shrubs such as Amygdalus scoparia, Pistacia atlantica, and Ziziphus spina-christi. Virtually disappeared as a result of human activity, mainly clearance for cereal cultivation.
3. Zagros oak forest, 700-800 m up to 2500 m - Quercus brantii, Q. infectoria, Pyrus syriaca, Acer cinerascens, Pistacia atlantica, Fraximus rotundifolia, etc. Open forest heavily disturbed or destroyed by human activity. Charcoal burning, goat grazing, clearance for cereal cultivation.
4. Alpine area and Interior Plateau steppe - above 2000 m in Zagros Mountains, alpine zone of extensive snow beds and very open turf in wind-exposed areas. In areas farther east with lesst than 300 mm of rain per year, Artemisia steppe between 1400 and 2500 m.

Iran's Flora

As of 1999, Iran's flora consists of 6417 species, in 1215 genera, from 167 families. There are 1812 endemic taxa and 1420 rare species, including Orthilia secunda, Frangula alnus, Goodyera repens, Gymnadenia conopsea, Luzula spicata, and Festuca altissima. Since 1850, 98 species have become extinct.

Flora Iranica consists of 176 volumes with the keys in Latin and descriptions in Latin, English, or German.

Plants and landcapes of the Mesopotamian lowland vegetation

Plants and landcapes of the woodland and forest-steppe zones

Plants and landcapes of alpine areas and the inner plateau steppe

Dionysia- THE Botanical Gem of Iran

A spectacular cushion plant in Primulaceae growing in rock crevices on vertical limestone cliffs at a range of altitudes from about 1500 m to over 3500 m. There are currently 49 species of Dionysia and are mainly centred on Iran and Afghanistan, but also found in Iraq, Pakistan, and Tadzhikistan.

We saw 14 endemic species of Dionysia in the Zagros Mountains. There was an amazing diversification of species - very rare to see two species on the same cliff.

Dionysia species and habitats

Iranian Culture

Besides the spectacular flora and landscapes, the range and beauty of Iranian Culture, especially the buildings, carpets, artwork, and paintings are equally impressive.

Iranian Culture

For details of botanical tours to Iran, see http://www.greentours.co.uk