The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

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

Douglas' iris, mountain iris

Rhizomes

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

roots fleshy.

freely branching, forming large colonies, slender, 0.8–0.9 cm diam., covered with remains of old leaves;

roots fibrous.

Stems

usually 1-branched, solid, 7–15 dm.

1–4-branched, solid, 1.5–7 dm.

Leaves

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.

basal with blade yellow-green, occasionally darker green, sometimes flushed pink or red basally, prominently ribbed, linear, 4.5–10 dm × 2 cm, apex acute;

cauline 1–3, reduced.

Inflorescence units

4–12-flowered;

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

(2–)3-flowered, branch units 2–3-flowered;

spathes opposite or separated, divergent, green, sometimes flushed purple basally, lanceolate-acuminate, 6–12 cm × 7–12 mm.

Flowers

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.

perianth deep red-purple, lavender, gray-blue, cream, or white, with gold signal and blue or purple veins;

floral tube 1.5–2.8 cm, usually widening to bowl shape at base of flower;

sepals oblanceolate to obovate, 5–9 × 1.4–3 cm, base gradually attenuate, apex obtusely rounded;

petals oblanceolate, 4.5–7 × 0.9–1.8 cm, base attenuate to narrow claw;

ovary elliptic-oval, sharply triangular in cross section, 3–4 cm;

style 1.7–3.5 cm;

crests overlapping, subquadrate, 1–2 cm, margins coarsely toothed;

stigmas triangular;

pedicel 2–5 cm.

Capsules

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

sharply triangular in cross section with ridge at each angle, tapering at both ends, remnant of floral tube forming tip at apex, 2.5–5 cm.

Seeds

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

dark brown, pyriform, wrinkled.

2n

= 34.

= 40.

Iris pseudacorus

Iris douglasiana

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jun. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Swamps, wet shores of rivers and lakes Open woods, sunny slopes and fields
Distribution
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]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

R. C. Foster (1937) named several varieties of Iris douglasiana, about which L. W. Lenz (1954) said, “This is a widespread and extremely variable species whose total variability is being increased due to introgressive hybridization between it and other species with which it has come into contact. Well marked and distinct geographic races cannot be detected; however, pronounced variations are to be found within a single population. For these reasons no attempt is made here to segregate taxa within such a polymorphic species.”

Iris douglasiana hybridizes with I. bracteata, I. chrysophylla, I. fernaldii, I. hartwegii, I. innominata, I. macrosiphon, I. munzii, I. purdyi, I. tenax, and I. tenuissima. The natural hybrid between I. douglasiana and I. innominata has been designated as Iris ×thompsonii R. C. Foster and the garden hybrid as Iris ×aureonympha E. H. English.

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

Source FNA vol. 26, p. 390. FNA vol. 26, p. 384.
Parent taxa Iridaceae > Iris > subg. Limniris > sect. Limniris > ser. Laevigatae Iridaceae > Iris > subg. Limniris > sect. Limniris > ser. Californicae
Sibling taxa
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
I. bracteata, I. brevicaulis, I. chrysophylla, I. cristata, 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. 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
Synonyms I. beecheyana, I. douglasiana var. alpha, I. douglasiana var. altissima, I. douglasiana var. beecheyana, I. douglasiana var. bracteata, I. douglasiana var. major, I. douglasiana var. mendocinensis, I. douglasiana var. nuda, I. douglasiana var. oregonensis, I. watsoniana
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 38. (1753) Herbert G. A. W. Arnott: in W. J. Hooker and G. A. W. Arnott, Bot. Beechey Voy., 395. (1840)
Web links