SIBERIAN IRIS

Iris sibirica

Iris Family [Iridaceae]  

month8may month8jun month8june

status
statusZneophyte
 
flower
flower8bicolour
 
flower
flower8blue flower8mauve
 
inner
inner8white
 
inner
inner8yellow
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ3
 3+3+'3'
stem
stem8round
 
toxicity
toxicityZlowish
 

19th June 2010, Rochdale Canal, Stubbins, Hebden Bridge. Photo: © RWD
Growing by the side of the water, long wide grassy leaves with stiff round stems, each with two or three large bluish flowers at the top. Between 2 - 3 flowers per (un-branched) main stem.


19th June 2010, Rochdale Canal, Stubbins, Hebden Bridge. Photo: © RWD
Two spent flowers below the third still extant flower. Three striped blue and white with yellow bracts droop downwards. Three all-blue 'petals' spread out horizontally, whilst another three all-blue petals stretch upwards. [In reality, Irises have but three petals, the rest are sepals or other structures].


19th June 2010, Rochdale Canal, Stubbins, Hebden Bridge. Photo: © RWD
The blue of the petals is mid-way to being mauve.


19th June 2010, Rochdale Canal, Stubbins, Hebden Bridge. Photo: © RWD
The outer sepals are strikingly patterned in purple stripes over-laying yellow, perhaps a warning of its toxicity, and reminiscent of the discordant purple on yellow patterning on the flowers of Henbane.


19th June 2010, Rochdale Canal, Stubbins, Hebden Bridge. Photo: © RWD
The tiger stripes at close quarters.


19th June 2010, Rochdale Canal, Stubbins, Hebden Bridge. Photo: © RWD
Fawn and orange-coloured sheaths (actually called 'spathes') at the juncture of bifurcating flower stalks.


19th June 2010, Rochdale Canal, Stubbins, Hebden Bridge. Photo: © RWD
The long wide sword-shaped leaves are slightly translucent at the edges.


Flower pattern of 3 + 3 + 3 'petals' similar to other flowers of the Iris Family. There are only three real petals, the others are sepals of one sort or another.

Some similarities to :

  • Purple Iris (Iris versicolor), which is also found in Yorkshire on the River Calder (which flows through Hebden Bridge) but has between 2 to 9 flowers per main stem and deeper yellow coloration down the middle of the outer three sepals. Has wider leaf-like spathes half-encircling the top parts of the stems.
  • Butterfly Iris (Iris spuria) which is also purple with yellow but has 2 to 4 flowes per main stem and is rare in the UK, being confined to ditches in Lincolnshire and Dorset.
  • Garden Iris aka Bearded Iris (Iris germanica) but that is somewhat branched, has larger flowers (20 - 35mm wide) 3 to 4 flowers per main stem (only 2 - 3 for Siberian Iris) but most prominently a swathe of white stamens with yellow anthers on the upper and narrow parts of the three outer 'petals'.

Like many other Irises, Siberian Iris contains the cardiac poison Iridin.


  Iris sibirica  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Iridaceae  

Distribution
 family8Iris family8Iridaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Iris
Iris
(Irises)

SIBERIAN IRIS

Iris sibirica

Iris Family [Iridaceae]  

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