Iris pseudacorus |
Iris virginica |
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fleur-de-lis, horticultural iris, iris jaune, pale-yellow iris, yellow flag, yellow iris, yellow water iris |
iris de virginie, southern blue flag, Virginia iris |
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Rhizomes | pink, freely branching, producing extensive clumps, 2–3 cm diam., with fibrous remains of old leaves; roots fleshy. |
many-branched, forming dense clumps, 2–4 cm diam., usually covered with remnants of old leaves; roots fleshy. |
Stems | usually 1-branched, solid, 7–15 dm. |
rather weak, often falling over after flowering, solid, usually 1-branched, 5–10 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 erect or often flexible, blade gray-green to bright green, buff to purplish basally, with several prominent ribs in mature leaves, linear-ensiform, 6–8 dm × 2.5–3 cm, apex acute. |
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 1–2-flowered; spathes compact, often with brown striations, ridged, unequal, outer 3–8 cm, inner 8–14 cm, firm, herbaceous. |
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 lavender to violet, rarely white; floral tube constricted above ovary, 1–2 cm; sepals spreading and arched, pale blue to purple with darker blue or purple lines, obovate to oval, 4–8.4 × 1.6–4 cm, base abruptly attenuate, claw green in median, bordered by yellow ground with blue or purple lines, yellow extending onto base of limb as finely pubescent signal patch; petals oblong-lanceolate to oblong-spatulate, 3–7 × 1–3 cm, claw greenish yellow with blue or purplish lines, apex often emarginate; ovary trigonal, 1.3–3.8 cm; style inwardly auriculate at convergences, 3–4.5 cm, crests reflexed, 0.7–2 cm; stigmas unlobed, with prominent triangular tongues, margins entire; pedicel 2.5–8 cm. |
Capsules | prismatic to oblong-ovoid, obscurely 3-angled with obvious groove at each angle, 3.5–6 cm, beak 5 mm. |
ovoid, ellipsoid, or long-cylindric, trigonal or polygonal in cross section, 3–6 × 1–2 cm. |
Seeds | D-shaped, flattened, 6–7 mm, corky, lustrous. |
in 2 rows per locule, pale brown, usually D-shaped, 5–8 mm, pitted, corky. |
2n | = 34. |
= 70, 72. |
Iris pseudacorus |
Iris virginica |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun. | Flowering May–Jun. |
Habitat | Swamps, wet shores of rivers and lakes | Wetlands, margins of lakes and streams |
Distribution |
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]
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AL; AR; DC; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; ON; QC
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Discussion | Plants of Iris virginica from the southeastern and south-central states having stems 2–3-branched and seldom falling to the ground after flowering, and with capsules long-cylindric have been recognized as var. shrevei. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 390. | FNA vol. 26, p. 390. |
Parent taxa | Iridaceae > Iris > subg. Limniris > sect. Limniris > ser. Laevigatae | Iridaceae > Iris > subg. Limniris > sect. Limniris > ser. Laevigatae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | I. caroliniana, I. georgiana, I. shrevei, I. virginica var. shrevei | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 38. (1753) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 39. (1753) |
Web links |
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