Iris prismatica (Slender blue flag)

Iris prismatica Pursh ex Ker Gawl.

Iris carolina Radius

Iris prismatica Pursh ex Ker Gawl. var. austrina Fernald

Slender blue flag, blue flag

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
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	Latin for “iris”
Species	prismatica

About plant names...

Slender blue flag is a North American native species.

Identification: These irises are found in marshes, in both fresh and salt water, and in coastal meadows. They are 12-36" (30-91 cm) high, with attractive purplish blue flowers atop long stems, 2½-4" (6.3-10 cm) in size. Leaves are thin, long, and narrow, like large grass blades.

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 prismatica on the Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site

Iris prismatica at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Iris prismatica at Maine.gov’s Department of Conservation Maine Natural Areas Program

Iris prismatica on the USDA Plants Database

Iris prismatica on eFloras

Iris prismatica description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 16 × 24" (41 × 62 cm)

5/17/2010 · Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm) ID is uncertain

5/17/2010 · Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 16 × 14" (40 × 36 cm) ID is uncertain

Range:

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