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Hartweg's iris, rainbow iris, Sierra iris

fleur-de-lis, horticultural iris, iris jaune, pale-yellow iris, yellow flag, yellow iris, yellow water iris

Rhizomes

creeping, not producing dense clumps, covered with remains of old leaves, slender to moderately thick, 0.5–0.9 cm diam.;

roots fibrous.

pink, freely branching, producing extensive clumps, 2–3 cm diam., with fibrous remains of old leaves;

roots fleshy.

Stems

simple, solid, 0.5–3 dm.

usually 1-branched, solid, 7–15 dm.

Leaves

basal deciduous, blade pale green, not pink basally, 2–4.5 dm × 0.2–0.6(–1) cm, sometimes glaucous, margins not thickened;

cauline usually 1–several, spreading, sheathing for about 1/2 length, foliaceous, blade not inflated.

basal deciduous, at first erect, then recurved, blade dark green, with prominent median thickening, 4–10 dm × 2–3 cm, slightly glaucous basally;

cauline equaling inflorescence unit.

Inflorescence units

1–2(–3)-flowered;

spathes divergent, separated by 1.5–4 cm, linear to linear-lanceolate, unequal, outer 5–11 cm × 4–7 mm, inner 5–6 cm × 2–3 mm, herbaceous, apex acute.

4–12-flowered;

spathes green with brown margins, outer spathe strongly keeled, inner without keel, 6–9 cm, subequal, margins not scarious.

Flowers

perianth lavender, cream, or pale to deep yellow;

floral tube funnelform, 0.5–1(–1.5) cm;

sepals oblanceolate, 4–7 × 1.4–2 cm, base gradually attenuate;

petals narrowly oblanceolate, 3.5–6 × 0.5–1.1 cm, widest at about 1/2 their length, base abruptly attenuate, claw 1–2 mm wide;

ovary nearly cylindrical, 1–2 cm;

style 1.6–3 cm, crests overlapping, obtusely angled, 0.5–1.1 cm;

stigmas acutely triangular, margins entire;

pedicel 0.5–2.5 cm at anthesis, lengthening to 3.5–7.5 cm at maturity.

perianth bright yellow;

floral tube 0.6–0.8 cm, with no constriction into ovary;

sepals bright yellow or cream colored, lanceolate to ovate or suborbiculate, 5–7.5 × 3–4 cm, base abruptly attenuate, claw ca. 1/2 length of limb, signal a darker yellow basal patch limited by short, brown lines;

petals without veining, lanceolate to spatulate, 2–3 cm;

ovary triangular in cross section with concave sides and narrow groove at each angle, 1.5 cm;

style keeled, 3–4 cm, crests spreading, 1–1.2 cm, laciniate at apex;

stigmas rounded with prominent tongue;

pedicel 2.5–7 cm.

Capsules

oblong-oval, 3-angled, tapering abruptly at either end, 2–3 cm.

prismatic to oblong-ovoid, obscurely 3-angled with obvious groove at each angle, 3.5–6 cm, beak 5 mm.

Seeds

brown, irregularly D-shaped, wrinkled.

D-shaped, flattened, 6–7 mm, corky, lustrous.

2n

= 40.

= 34.

Iris hartwegii

Iris pseudacorus

Phenology Flowering Jun. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Yellow-pine forests on sunny or partially shaded slopes Swamps, wet shores of rivers and lakes
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; ME; MS; NC; NH; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; WA; WV; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; Eurasia; n Africa [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants with pedicels 2.8–4.7 cm, and flowers light purple or bluish violet have been recognized as subsp. australis. Plants having a 3-flowered inflorescence unit, leaves about 1 cm wide, and pale yellow flowers with golden yellow veining have been called subsp. columbiana. Plants having both flowers open at the same time rather than consecutively, pedicels averaging only 1 cm, long narrow style arms and crests, and floral tubes 1.2–1.5 cm have been named subsp. pinetorum.

Iris hartwegii hybridizes with I. douglasiana, I. innominata, I. macrosiphon, I. munzii, I. tenax, and I. tenuissima. It is known from Butte County to Kern County.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 385. FNA vol. 26, p. 390.
Parent taxa Iridaceae > Iris > subg. Limniris > sect. Limniris > ser. Californicae Iridaceae > Iris > subg. Limniris > sect. Limniris > ser. Laevigatae
Sibling taxa
I. bracteata, I. brevicaulis, I. chrysophylla, I. cristata, I. douglasiana, I. fernaldii, I. fulva, I. germanica, I. giganticaerulea, I. hexagona, I. hookeri, I. innominata, I. lacustris, I. longipetala, I. macrosiphon, I. missouriensis, I. munzii, I. orientalis, I. pallida, I. prismatica, I. pseudacorus, I. pumila, I. purdyi, I. savannarum, I. setosa, I. sibirica, I. tenax, I. tenuis, I. tenuissima, I. tridentata, I. verna, I. versicolor, I. virginica
I. bracteata, I. brevicaulis, I. chrysophylla, I. cristata, I. douglasiana, I. fernaldii, I. fulva, I. germanica, I. giganticaerulea, I. hartwegii, I. hexagona, I. hookeri, I. innominata, I. lacustris, I. longipetala, I. macrosiphon, I. missouriensis, I. munzii, I. orientalis, I. pallida, I. prismatica, I. pumila, I. purdyi, I. savannarum, I. setosa, I. sibirica, I. tenax, I. tenuis, I. tenuissima, I. tridentata, I. verna, I. versicolor, I. virginica
Synonyms I. hartwegii subsp. australis, I. hartwegii var. australis, I. hartwegii subsp. columbiana, I. hartwegii subsp. pinetorum, I. pinetorum
Name authority Baker: Gard. Chron., n. s. 6: 323. (1876) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 38. (1753)
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