Iris tenax

Douglas ex Lindley

Edwards’s Bot. Reg. 15: plate 1218. 1829.

Common names: Tough-leaf iris Oregon flag
Endemic
Synonyms: Iris gormanii Piper Iris tenax var. gormanii (Piper) R. C. Foster Iris tenax subsp. klamathensis L. W. Lenz
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 26. Treatment on page 383. Mentioned on page 374, 384, 385, 386, 387.

Rhizomes many-branched, not creeping, forming dense clumps, slender, 0.3–0.8 cm diam.; roots fibrous. Stems simple, somewhat angular, solid, 1.5–2.7 dm. Leaves: basal somewhat lax, overtopping stem, blade light green, paling to pink or straw color basally, finely ribbed, linear-acute to linear, ensiform, 4.5 dm × 0.5 cm, margins not thickened; cauline 1–3, sheathing for 1/2 length then spreading, foliaceous, blade linearlanceolate, not inflated, narrow, reduced, to 15 cm. Inflorescence units 1–2-flowered; spathes distant basally by 3 cm in some cases, keeled, linearlanceolate to lanceolate-acuminate, 5–7 cm × 2–4 mm, unequal, outer longer than inner, herbaceous, margins scarious. Flowers: perianth color variable, purple, pink, lavender, cream, yellow, or rarely white; floral-tube funnelform, 0.6–2 cm; sepals veined with color of limb, obovate, 5.8–6 × 1.6–2 cm, base gradually attenuate into white claw with slight yellow ridge, apex emarginate to bluntly rounded; petals same color as sepals, not prominently veined, lanceolate to oblanceolate, 5 × 1 cm; ovary 1–2 cm, slightly wider distally, base very gradually attenuate; style 2.2–3.2 cm, crests subquadrate, 8–12 mm, margins crenate or incised; stigmas triangular, margins entire; pedicel 1–5 cm, longer in second flower (when present) than in first. Capsules oblong, triangular in cross-section, prominently ribbed, beaked, 3–5 cm. Seeds brown, D-shaped to irregular, wrinkled.


Phenology: Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat: Dry soils in fields and open woods

Discussion

Plants described as subsp. klamathensis differ from others of the species in having floral tubes 11–20 mm instead of 6–10 mm, style crests somewhat longer and narrower, and flower color and markings more like those of Iris bracteata or I. innominata. The latter species has an even longer floral tube, 15–30 mm, which could be evidence of introgression. Hybrids are known to occur in the area common to both species, in Douglas County, Oregon.

Iris tenax hybridizes with I. bracteata, I. chrysophylla, I. douglasiana, I. hartwegii, I. innominata, I. macrosiphon, I. purdyi, and I. tenuissima.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"decreasing" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Iris tenax"
dehiscing +  and latrorse +
emarginate +  and bluntly rounded +
Norlan C. Henderson +
Douglas ex Lindley +
attenuate +
Iris subsect. Californicae +
straw color +, paling +  and pink +
4.5 cm45 mm <br />0.045 m <br /> (?) +
not inflated +, ensiform +, linear-acute +  and linear +
reduced +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (?) +  and 15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (?) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (?) +
additional +
cordlike +
enlarging +
beaked +  and ribbed +
triangular +  and oblong +
3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
Tough-leaf iris +  and Oregon flag +
subquadrate +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (?) +  and 1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br /> (?) +
monochasial +
Calif. +, Oreg. +  and Wash. +
distinct or;partly completely connate +
hollow +  and solid +
ridged +  and terete +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
sessile +  and pedicellate +
fragrant +
upward-facing +
hollow +, solid +, branched +  and simple +
flattened +, terete +  and cordlike +
indehiscent +  and loculicidal +
woody;firm;cartilaginous +
Dry soils in fields and open woods +
multicellular +
distinct +
cauline +  and basal +
scale-like +
distinct +
conspicuous +
triangular +  and rounded +
incised +  and crenate +
not thickened +
6-angled +, 3-angled +  and terete +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
white +, yellow +, cream +, lavender +, pink +, purple +  and variable +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (18 cm180 mm <br />0.18 m <br />) +
differentiated +
reflexed +, spreading +  and erect +
lanceolate +  and oblanceolate +
reduced +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
Flowering Jun–Aug. +
Edwards’s Bot. Reg. +
many-branched +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
heterogeneous +
tan;dark-brown +
conspicuously roughened +  and extensively corky +
4 +  and 20 +
wrinkled +
d--shaped +
reflexed +  and spreading +
expanding +
1.6 cm16 mm <br />0.016 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
persisting +
lanceolate-acuminate +  and keeled +
unequal +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
monochasial +
solid +  and simple +
triangular +
3-lobed +  and filiform +
2.2 cm22 mm <br />0.022 m <br /> (?) +  and 3.2 cm32 mm <br />0.032 m <br /> (?) +
Iris gormanii +, Iris tenax var. gormanii +  and Iris tenax subsp. klamathensis +
Iris tenax +
Iris (sect. Limniris) ser. Californicae +
species +
connate +  and distinct +
scarious +
spathaceous +  and more-flowered +
obscure;prominent +
indehiscent +
hardened +  and papery +
unequal +