Yellow Flag Iris Iris pseudacorus
Other Common Name(s):
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- This plant is an invasive species in North Carolina
- Description
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Yellow flag iris perennial blub in the Iridaceae (iris) family native to Eurasia and Africa. The genus name Iris is named after the Greek Goddess of rainbows and the common name, "flag", comes from an old English word (flagge) for reeds and refers to its natural preference to wetlands.
The showy yellow flowers appear in the spring and its bright green sword-shaped clumping foliage reaches up to 3 feet in height. These plants grow aggressively and spread quickly in wet soils including water up to 10 inches deep or the wet muds along a pond. Yellow flag iris spreads by rhizomes and seeds and can quickly overtake native plants in wet sites. Although it prefers full sun and boggy sites, it can adapt to somewhat drier sites in moist to wet gardens.
While it is a popular perennial planted at the edge of ponds and waterways, the North Carolina Invasive Plant Council lists yellow flag iris as invasive. Invasive plants are especially threatening to wetland habitats due to their ease of spread through seeds and plantlets, and through their rapid growth. See native plant alternatives in the left-hand column.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Listed as invasive by the NC Invasive Plant Council. It is also listed as invasive in Virginia and several other northeastern states as well as several northwestern states.
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Dry Rock Stream Garden Floricyle
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Iris
- Species:
- pseudacorus
- Family:
- Iridaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The rhizome has been used in herbal medicine. The plant also has the ability to take up heavy metals out of water.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Europe, north Africa, western Asia
- Distribution:
- It has naturalized in much of the USA
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Water Plant
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Frequent Standing Water
- Moist
- Occasional Flooding
- Occasionally Wet
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- The fruit is a dry 3-sided capsule 1.5–3 in long, containing numerous pale brown seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Panicle
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- 3-6 inches
- Flower Description:
- 3-4 inch yellow iris-type flowers with several flowers per stem April to June
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Whorled
- Leaf Shape:
- Linear
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Erect sword-shaped leaves are up to 35 inches long and 1.2 inches wide. Parallel venation and smooth margins
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- The flowering stalk is stout and glabrous
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Landscape:
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Wet Soil
- Problems:
- Invasive Species
- Problem for Cats
- Problem for Dogs
- Problem for Horses
- Weedy
