Iris bracteata

Siskiyou iris

Family: Iridaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 3.3

Siskiyou iris is a native perennial found in the northern Klamath Ranges in Del Norte and northwestern Siskiyou counties, inhabiting partly shady yellow-pine forests at elevations of 350 to 1,100 meters. Flowering in May, this iris produces yellow flowers with deep maroon or brown veining, featuring large obovate sepals 4 to 8 centimeters long and 15 to 25 millimeters wide. Growing with unbranched stems 5 to 40 centimeters tall, it emerges from a thick rhizome 6 to 9 millimeters in diameter. Its basal leaves are glossy and 4 to 18 millimeters wide, accompanied by 1 to 6 bract-like cauline leaves that overlap along the stem. The flower's style branches extend 29 to 45 millimeters with distinctive triangular stigmas, and the perianth tube is funnel-shaped and 4 to 10 millimeters long.

Habitat: Partly shady places, generally in yellow-pine forest

Bloom period: May

Elevation: 350-1100 m

Bioregions: KR (n Del Norte, nw Siskiyou cos.)

California counties: Siskiyou, Del Norte, Trinity, Shasta

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.