Iris lacustris
| Iris lacustris | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Subfamily: | Iridoideae |
| Tribe: | Irideae |
| Genus: | Iris |
| Subgenus: | Limniris |
| Section: | Lophiris |
| Species: | I. lacustris |
| Binomial name | |
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Iris lacustris Nutt. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Iris lacustris (also known as dwarf lake iris), is a species in the genus Iris, subgenus Limniris and in the Lophiris section (crested irises). It is a rhizomatous, beardless perennial plant, native to the Great Lakes region of eastern North America. It has lavender blue or violet-blue flowers, a very short stem and long fan-like green leaves. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions. It is closely related to Iris cristata (another North American crested iris).
It is similar in form to Iris cristata but is chromosomally different and smaller.
It has slender, wiry, or cord-like, greenish-brown, or yellow rhizomes. It has a large central section and outer sections, which are 3–5 cm (1–2 in) long and 0.8-1.2 cm wide. The outer sections have fibrous roots (underneath), and 2-3 brown scale-like leaves above. It creeps across the ground, creating thick clumps of plants.
It has 8-12 sheathing, (fan-like), green or light green, basal leaves. They are falcate (sickle-shaped) or sword-shaped, and linear, and 4–6 cm (2–2 in) long and 10-8mm wide. After flowering, the leaves elongate up to 15–16 cm (6–6 in) long and 10mm wide.
When the plant is not in flower, the leaves of the iris might be confused with false asphodel, (Triantha glutinosa, a white flowered member of the lily family whose leaves are much narrower) which lives in similar habitats. Although, the flower stem of false asphodel is much longer than that of iris and very sticky.
It has very short stems, which are 0.8–5 cm (0–2 in) long. The stems and flowers are shorter than the leaves.
It has green spathes (leaves of the flower bud), which are slightly keeled, and 3–4.5 cm (1–2 in) long. They have scarious (membranous) edges.
The short stems have 1 to 2 flowers, in Spring, or summer (in Europe), in April, or May, or early June, or July. In Spring, it can flower 7 to 10 days earlier then Iris cristata. It can have later flush of flowers in the fall (Autumn), or October.
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Wikipedia