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yellow flag, yellow water iris

Habit Herbs to 150 cm tall.
Roots

fleshy;

rhizomes pink, freely branching, producing extensive clumps with remains of old leaves.

Stems

usually 1-branched.

Leaves

deciduous; stiff; erect at first then recurved;

blades dark green with prominent median thickening, 20–30 mm wide;

cauline leaves equal in height to inflorescence.

Inflorescences

4–12-flowered;

bracts subequal, green with brown margins; outer bract strongly keeled.

Flowers

perianth bright yellow or cream; signal a darker yellow basal patch delimited by short, brown lines;

petals without veining;

tube 12–13 mm;

stigmas rounded with prominent tongue.

Fruits

angled, with obvious groove at each angle.

Seeds

D-shaped, flattened; corky, lustrous.

2n

=24, 30, 32, 34.

Iris pseudacorus

Iris purdyi

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Swamps, wet shores of rivers and lakes, irrigation ditches. Flowering May–Jun. 0–1000 m. BW, CR, Est, Lava, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; throughout North America; northern Africa, Eurasia. Exotic.

A native to Eurasia and Africa, this taxon is considered invasive in Oregon.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 1, page 261
Ann Willyard
Sibling taxa
I. bracteata, I. chrysophylla, I. douglasiana, I. germanica, I. innominata, I. missouriensis, I. tenax, I. tenuis, I. tenuissima
I. bracteata, I. chrysophylla, I. douglasiana, I. germanica, I. innominata, I. missouriensis, I. pseudacorus, I. tenax, I. tenuis, I. tenuissima
Web links