Session

In Syria, Iris is considered as a wild perennial herbaceous plant that subjected to strict protection, though Iris grows naturally in many regions of Syria. It presents some 30 species grown in Syria, Iris plants in Syria are becoming rare due to both ongoing destruction of their natural habit, as well as over harvesting of wild species and the influencing of modernization, i.e. urbanization, migration, determental climatic and environmental changes, adding the huge destruction of plant biodiversity by the hard war since 12 years. Iris aurantica L is one of the important species that belongs to the family Iridaceae, endemic to Jabal Al `Arab, rhizomatous (with thick, creeping underground stems). wild golden iris has a compact rhizome and falcate leaves. It has a slender stem with flowers golden yellow to coppery-brown. The golden iris in Syria is becoming rare due to destruction of their natural habit. Iris damascena is a rhizomatous perennial endemic to Mount Qasioun in Syria. It has thin, sickle-shaped, grey-green leaves and medium-sized stem that holds 1-2 large flowers between March and April. In this paper, plant classification, botanical description, morphological, in vitro propagation and conservation, and cryopreservation of two endemic iris ( Iris aurantica and iris damascene) are investigated.