The Nazareth Iris. (Yuval Sapir) There are irises and then there are royal irises, majestically capacious flowers dramatically blooming now from the north to the south of Israel, putting on one of the biggest and most dramatic shows of wild horticulture in the entire Eastern Mediterranean. The iris, which blooms in many colors, and sometimes carries several colors on the same flower, is thought to have taken its name from the Greek goddess of the rainbow. In Israel there are thought to be 18 species of Iris, all but one of them protected. About 10 of the species (botanists have yet to agree on the exact number) are royal irises.