Iris douglasiana

Douglas iris

Family: Iridaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Douglas iris is a California native perennial found in northwestern and central western California coastal regions, typically in grassy places near the coast at elevations generally below 200 meters. Flowering from May to July, this iris produces flowers ranging from light to dark lavender, deep red-purple, or pale cream with purple veining, featuring large blossoms 5 to 8 centimeters long with broad, obovate sepals and petals. Growing with rhizomes 8 to 9 millimeters in diameter and stems 15 to 50 centimeters tall that are generally branched, it forms graceful clumps in coastal grasslands. Its leaves are primarily basal, 10 to 22 millimeters wide, with 1 to 3 similar cauline leaves emerging along the stem. The distinctive flower structure includes a funnel-shaped perianth tube and style branches with triangular stigmas, creating an elegant and complex bloom characteristic of native California irises.

Habitat: Common. Grassy places, especially near coast

Bloom period: May-Jul

Elevation: generally < 200 m

Bioregions: NW, CW

California counties: Mendocino, Solano, Del Norte, Humboldt, Marin, Monterey, Sonoma, San Francisco, San Mateo, Trinity, Santa Cruz, Tulare, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Santa Barbara, Shasta, Alameda, Lake, Napa, Alpine, Mariposa, Contra Costa, Butte, Siskiyou, Los Angeles, Inyo, El Dorado, Sacramento

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