Dionysia is a genus containing 61 species of flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. They are small, cushion-forming alpines native to mountains of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, sauth Turkmenistan, northwestern Pakistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and parts of Oman. They are usually evergreen perennials with felted leaves, covered with bright yellow or pink, five-petalled flowers in spring. They are often difficult to cultivate if the correct conditions are not provided.
Most species of Dionysia are cushion plants that grow in dry mountain environments, but some species are taller and prefer moist environments. In many species, the leaves are covered with an aromatic wax. The leaves are very drought resistant in some species and are reinforced with stone cells (sclerids) either around the nerves or freely in the leaf tissue. These species blooms profusely in early spring with yellow, purple, violet or pink flowers, often being completely covered by the flowers. The range of most Dionysia species is small and confined to one ridge, mountain or its slope. The disappearance of species from their habitats is associated with the construction of roads, as well as with the collection of plants by collectors for planting in alpine slides and The number of species also decreases due to grazing.
Species Species include: Image Scientific name DistributionDionysia afghanica Dionysia archibaldii Dionysia aretioides Dionysia assadii Dionysia aubrietioides Dionysia avia Dionysia bachtiarica Dionysia balsamea Dionysia bazoftica Dionysia bornmuelleri Dionysia bryoides Dionysia cespitosa Dionysia cristagalli Dionysia curviflora Dionysia denticulata Dionysia diapensiifolia Dionysia esfandiarii Dionysia freitagii Dionysia gandzhinae Dionysia gaubae Dionysia haussknechtii Dionysia hedgei Dionysia hissarica Dionysia involucrata Dionysia iranica Dionysia iranshahrii Dionysia jamzadiae Dionysia janthina Dionysia khatamii Dionysia khuzistanica Dionysia kossinskyi Dionysia × kowsariana Dionysia lacei Dionysia lamingtonii Dionysia leucotricha Dionysia lindbergii Dionysia lurorum Dionysia michauxii Dionysia microphylla Dionysia mira Dionysia mozaffarianii Dionysia odora Dionysia oreodoxa Dionysia paradoxa Dionysia revoluta Dionysia rhaptodes Dionysia robusta Dionysia saponacea Dionysia sarvestanica Dionysia splendens Dionysia tacamahaca Dionysia tapetodes Dionysia termeana Dionysia teucrioides Dionysia viscidula Dionysia viva Dionysia wendelboi Dionysia zagrica Dionysia zetterlundii Dionysia zeynepiae Dionysia zschummelii
Dionysia aretioides, with yellow flowers, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
References
External links
The genus Dionysia