Question

Hallo all,

I am not reporting an extinct species right now but would rather like to know how and why the Iris species I.antilibanotica, I.westii, and I.damascena got themselves on the list.

Although all of them (and numerous other Irises) are quite rare, the Iris community hasn't listed them as extinct so far. All Iris monographs list them as endangered, 'on the verge of extinction' etc., but as far as I know they have been found in the past years.

Therefore I would like to learn about your sources for inclusion of the above Irises in your list.

Thank you very much for your efforts!

Best regards,

Thomas Fietz, Schriesheim, Germany.

Answer

Tom,

Thank you for your message. I have several sources, listed on the web site, and I do not track which species came from which source.

One of the rules of my list is that the species be extinct in the wild. This works better for animals than plants, and I am debating whether I should modify this for plants, especially plants that are in the garden.

I also know that for every species that is listed there are many more that have become extinct that we never knew existed or whose population has dwindled so greatly that it is inadequate for healthy survival.

Generally, if it is reported that a species still exists in the wild in a sustainable population I would remove it from the list.

I am still working through such issues and expect to wander through gray areas for a while longer.

Regards,

Jim Haklik
Earth Witness Community