Most famous flowers
The Çoruh basin provides the perfect growing conditions for orchids. An astonishing number of orchids can be found in the water meadows or in the damp grass next to the regions’ innumerable streams and rivers. The region is home to many kinds of Dactylorhiza, some species of Orchis and the Cephalanthera rubra.
Dactylorhiza osmanica and Dactylorhiza umbrosa are widely distributed throughout the valleys and spangle numerous high meadows, especially the summer meadows above Yedigöl, where the orchids make a magnificent display until late July.
Near Yaylalar the Early-purple Orchid (Orchis mascula ssp. Pinetorum) and the Irish Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza euxina) are hidden amongst the bushes and pastures. The Red Helleborine (Cephalantera rubra) is not only found on the mountain slopes of Yaylalar, but also blooms on the Devedağı Pass, where Dactylorhiza flavescens grows in abundance. In addition, the Kılıçkaya and Sırakonaklar valleys host the Dactylorhiza urvilleana, which blossom in the summer.
Two of the most beautiful bellflower species can only grow under the unique climatic conditions of the Çoruh Valley. The Campanula choruhensis with its delicate pale pink flowers blooms profusely on rocks just above Yeşilyurt, a village near the town of Ispir. The hardly less lovely Campanula troegera also blooms in the narrow valleys of the region.
The lush deep-purple bunches of the Milky Bellflower (Campanula lactiflora) border the rushing streams of the Sırakonaklar valley. Many other bellflowers like the Pale Bellflower (C. Bononiensis) and the Campanula macrochlamys are to be found among the meadows and the precipices of the Çoruh River basin.
The Çoruh region is famous for its many different species of Iris which flourish both in the valleys and high mountains. In the valleys the endemic Iris Taochia grows along the river banks. The purple-coloured Bearded Iris (Iris Germanica) adorns the fields. These enchanting purple or yellow flowers, which are named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow, can be found everywhere in the region of the Çoruh. The rare species of Iris Sibirica grows on the slopes of the alpine meadows. |
