After we had been to Tehran to get a new leaf spring for our car we
went back
in the direction of the city of Shiraz, so way back to the southeast
again. On our
way to Shiraz we also went to the Kuh-e Khataban range, near the town of
Sureyan, to search for Dionysia esfandiarii. Unfortunately we did not find
it.
Continuing to Shiraz we saw a nice valley along the road, and we decided
to
stop here for the night. When we entered the valley we saw yet another
gorge
entrance, close to the entrance was a nice spot to park the car.
In the morning of the 23rd of April
2003 we went for a walk inside the gorge,
already at the entrance we spotted the first plants of Dionysia
diapensiifolia in
flower! they were growing on both sides of the gorge, most of them
completely
inaccessible. Even goats could not reach them. Luckily further up in the
gorge I
could make some pictures, but I always had to take some risk to get close
enough. We also found some plants of Dionysia revoluta and a very
beautiful
unknown Silene species.
Dionysia diapensiifolia has a long history, in 1605 there were already
pictures
made of this species. In that time the plants were used as a drug, as far
as
Bombay they were traded.
This dionysia is not easy in cultivation, and is difficult to propagate.
