Iris germanica

German iris

Family: Iridaceae · Type: perennial · Not Native

German iris is a naturalized perennial found in northern Sierra Nevada Foothills, southern Coast Ranges, southwestern California, and Mojave Desert regions in roadsides and old homesteads with open or light shade at elevations of 100 to 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces white to blue-purple flowers with distinctive yellow-tipped beards, large sepals measuring 7 to 10 centimeters long and 40 to 60 millimeters wide. Growing with branched stems 30 to 60 centimeters tall emerging from thick rhizomes 10 to 20 millimeters in diameter, it forms dramatic clumps in disturbed landscapes. Its basal leaves are broad, measuring 20 to 35 millimeters wide, with minimal cauline leaves that are bract-like. The flower's complex structure includes large obovate sepals and petals with style branches 20 to 35 millimeters long, creating an intricate and showy bloom.

Habitat: Roadsides, old homesteads in open or light shade

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: 100-1000 m

Bioregions: n SNF, SCoRI, SW, DMoj

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