Iris prismatica Pursh ex Ker Gawl. var. austrina Fernald
Iris prismatica Pursh ex Ker Gawl.
Slender blue flag, blue flag, slender blue iris
Slender blue flag is a North American native species.
Plants: 1–3′ (30–91 cm) high. They spread via root systems.
Leaves: Thin, straplike, long, and narrow, like large grass blades, up to 12–28 ⨉ ⅛″ (30–70 cm ⨉ 5 mm).
Flowers: Attractive pale or purplish blue flowers atop long stems, 2½–4″ (6.3–10 cm) in size. Two to three flowers appear in May.
Fruits: Capsules 1–1½″ (3–4 cm) long dry, splitting to release two or more seeds.
Habitats: Brackish or salt marshes and flats, fresh tidal marshes or flats, marshes, meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes.
Wild Iris found in Newbury, Massachusetts (USA) 01951 on Newman Road. These flowers grow on an elevated spot on the salt marsh. An entire field of these irises can be found on Scotland Road, Newbury, MA 01951: cows graze here in an elevated salt marsh field. These are beardless iris, Iris Limniris (limniris is the sub-genus). My best guesses for species are Iris prismatica (slender blue iris) or Iris versicolor (northern/harlequin blue flag), but I haven’t done a proper tax’ing. The spot on the marsh where these can be found is lower than where Phragmites australis grows and higher than where the Distichlis spicata “wrack” grows. Photo and description by Lauren Noyes.
Online References:
Iris carolina Radius
Iris prismatica Pursh ex Ker Gawl. var. austrina Fernald
Iris prismatica Pursh ex Ker Gawl. var. austrina Fernald
6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 1 × 2′ (41 × 62 cm) 
5/17/2010 · Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 6″ (15 × 14 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
5/17/2010 · Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (50 × 33 cm) ID is uncertain 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Liliidae | Includes lilies, orchids, and many others |
| Order | Asparagales | A diverse group that includes asparagus |
| Family | Iridaceae | Iris family—perennial plants that grow from bulbs—also includes crocuses, gladiolas, and the genus Moraea |
| Genus | Iris | Named for the Greek goddess of the rainbow |
| Species | prismatica | Prismatic, a possible reference to the plant‘s many-sided, elegant shape |
Iris prismatica description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.