Iris innominata
Del norte county iris, Del Norte County Iris
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Family: Iridaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Iris innominata (Del norte county iris) is a native California herb in the Iridaceae family, recognized by deep gold flowers and rounded ovary.
Del norte county iris is a California native perennial ranked 4.3 by CNPS, found in the northern Klamath Ranges on open or partly shaded slopes with well-drained soil at elevations of 400 to 2,000 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces deep gold-yellow flowers with darker veining, 4 to 6 centimeters long, featuring broad sepals and elliptic petals. Growing with slender unbranched stems 5 to 20 centimeters tall from a thin rhizome, it develops basal leaves 3 to 6 millimeters wide and a few cauline leaves that transition from bract-like at the base to leaf-like near the stem tip. Its distinctive flower structure includes a funnel-shaped perianth tube 15 to 26 millimeters long, with style branches 29 to 40 millimeters long and triangular stigmas.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 10 sympatric species; deep gold flowers and rounded ovary
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open or partly shaded slopes with well-drained soil
Elevation: 400-2000 m
California counties: Del Norte, Siskiyou, El Dorado, Marin, Lake
Outside California: southwestern Oregon
Bloom period
Iris innominata blooms May-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
How to tell it apart
vs Dietes: Iris has broad petal-like style branches; Dietes has thread-like styles and flowers lasting only one day.; vs Canna: Iris has six-parted flowers with drooping sepals; Canna has asymmetric flowers with one petal-like stamen.; vs Hemerocallis: Iris has petal-like style branches opposite stamens; Hemerocallis has simple thread-like styles and six equal tepals.; vs Typha: Iris has showy six-parted flowers; Typha has dense brown cylindrical flower spikes (cattails).; vs Sisyrinchium: Iris has large flowers with drooping outer sepals; Sisyrinchium has small flat flowers with six equal tepals.
Frequently asked questions
Is Iris innominata native to California?
Yes. Iris innominata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Iris innominata bloom?
Iris innominata blooms May-Jun.
Where in California does Iris innominata grow?
Iris innominata occurs in Del Norte, Siskiyou, El Dorado, Marin, Lake, at elevations of 400-2000 m.
What plant family does Iris innominata belong to?
Iris innominata is in the Iridaceae family, genus Iris.
Is Iris innominata rare or endangered?
Iris innominata carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S3.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.