Iris hartwegii subsp. columbiana

Tuolumne iris, Tuolumne Iris

Family: Iridaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 1B.2

Tuolumne iris is a rare (CNPS 1B.2) California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada Mountains (Tuolumne County) in dry slopes within oak woodland at elevations of 540 to 1,400 meters. Flowering in May, this plant produces pale cream-yellow flowers with gold veining, featuring a distinctive barrel-shaped perianth tube. Growing with short stems 7 to 25 centimeters tall, it emerges from a rhizome 7 to 10 millimeters in diameter. Its basal leaves are approximately 7 to 14 millimeters wide, with a distinctive reddish base. The plant's inflorescence typically bears 3 flowers, with an outer bract 9 to 15 centimeters long and 13 to 17 millimeters wide.

Habitat: dry slopes in oak woodland

Bloom period: May

Elevation: 540-1400 m

Bioregions: c SNH (Tuolumne Co.).

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