Iris virginica |
Iris tenuissima |
|
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iris de virginie, southern blue flag, Virginia iris |
long-tube iris, slender iris |
|
Rhizomes | many-branched, forming dense clumps, 2–4 cm diam., usually covered with remnants of old leaves; roots fleshy. |
freely branching, producing dense clumps, slender, 0.5–0.7 cm diam., covered with bases of old leaves; roots fibrous. |
Stems | rather weak, often falling over after flowering, solid, usually 1-branched, 5–10 dm. |
simple, solid, 2–3 dm. |
Leaves | 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. |
basal with blade sometimes pink to red basally, finely ribbed, linear, 3–3.5 dm × 0.5 cm, subglaucous, margins not thickened, apex acute; cauline 1–3, imbricated, mostly free, bractlike, blade linear-lanceolate, inflated. |
Inflorescence units | 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. |
(1–)2-flowered; spathes often flushed with pink or red, lanceolate, 4–8 cm × 5–10 mm, subequal or unequal and inner somewhat longer than outer, rigid, apex acuminate. |
Flowers | 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. |
perianth pale cream with distinct veins of lavender, reddish brown, or brown, margins often distinctly crisped; floral tube funnelform, 3–5.8 cm, slender, then expanding abruptly to base of flower; sepals spreading outward from base and remaining in horizontal position for entire length, narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, 4–6.5 × 1.1–1.8 cm, base attenuate into long claw; petals somewhat spreading, not strictly erect, 4.5–6.5 × 0.6–1.4 cm, base gradually attenuate; ovary 1–2 cm, gradually tapering to each end; style 2–3 cm, crests linear, undulate near tip, 1–2.5 cm; stigmas triangular; pedicel 0.8–1.8 cm at anthesis. |
Capsules | ovoid, ellipsoid, or long-cylindric, trigonal or polygonal in cross section, 3–6 × 1–2 cm. |
oblong, round in cross section, 3–4 cm, base abruptly attenuate into pedicel, apex gradually acuminate into distinct beak apically. |
Seeds | in 2 rows per locule, pale brown, usually D-shaped, 5–8 mm, pitted, corky. |
grayish brown, pyriform to oval, 3 mm, wrinkled. |
2n | = 70, 72. |
= 40. |
Iris virginica |
Iris tenuissima |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Jun. | Flowering Jun–Jul. |
Habitat | Wetlands, margins of lakes and streams | Dry, sunny woods |
Distribution |
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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CA
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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.) |
Iris tenuissima hybridizes with I. chrysophylla, I. douglasiana, I. hartwegii, I. macrosiphon, I. purdyi, and I. tenax. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 390. | FNA vol. 26, p. 386. |
Parent taxa | Iridaceae > Iris > subg. Limniris > sect. Limniris > ser. Laevigatae | Iridaceae > Iris > subg. Limniris > sect. Limniris > ser. Californicae |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | I. caroliniana, I. georgiana, I. shrevei, I. virginica var. shrevei | I. citrina, I. humboldtiana, I. tenuissima subsp. purdyiformis, I. tenuissima var. purdyiformis |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 39. (1753) | Dykes: Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 51: 18. (1912) |
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