1921, Yellow Iris Naturalized

The American Botanist p.112, February 21, 1921

Yellow Iris Naturalized. — Recently while driving I found an iris quite new to me. It was growing in low wet ground by the roadside and its one remaining flower was a bright soft vellow in color. The leaves were long — quite two feet or more — and narrow and bright green, lacking the soft bloom that many of our cultivated varieties possess. The flower, which had evidently passed its best days, was about the size of our common native species but with the inner divisions of the perianth very short, after the fashion of the Japanese iris. The onlv light 1 can bnd on the subject is a note in Gray's Botany saying that the yellow iris of European marshes "is reported as having become established in Mass. and N. Y. The flower is very attractive and if you can give me any information in regard to it, through the magazine, I shall be very glad. As much of it was being destroyed by the grading of the road I brought a clump home with a clear conscience. I wonder if hybrids of value could be grown from it.—Adella Prescott, New Hartford, N. Y. [The plant referred to is Iris pseudacoris a European specias often offered in the catalogues of iris dealers. Like many other Old World plants it has a disposition to look out for itself and has escaped from cultivation in several places. It is good for naturalizing along streams and in wet places but the flowers are too small to make them desirable for cutting. It is likely that the plant may be of value for introducing a strain of yellow into the garden irises. Pure yellow flowers of this kind are still rare. — Ed.]

For more information on historic Irises visit the Historic Iris Preservation Society at

-- BobPries - 2014-11-20