XVI International Botanical Congess

Eight species of the Oncocyclus Irises are endemic and have isolated populations in Israel. Five species of the Haynei aggregate have dark flowers, from purple to brown or black. Many transitional forms between the dark-coloured species are known. All diagnostic traits mentioned in the systematic literature show high intra-population variation and a high degree of overlapping between populations. I. mariae is an exception due to its intra-population homogeneity, as well as distinct difference in hair colour. Cluster analysis performed on the data revealed that cluster of populations correlated with geographical regions. Along the North-South gradient, the morphological distance of 11 populations is correlated with geographical distance, and the morphological characters change along the gradient.Species of Haynei aggregate in Israel are allopatrically distributed with transition populations, and in spite of the geographical disjunction, the morphological gradient is retained. We suggest that all Haynei taxa in Israel except I. mariae are one morphological species and can be divided into five geographical sub-species with an importance for conservation the morphological variation of the Oncocyclus irises in Israel.