Iris longipetala
Coast iris, Coast Iris
Family: Iridaceae · Type: perennial · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.2
Coast iris is a native perennial found in central and northern California coastal regions, including the North Coast, Central Coast, and San Francisco Bay Area, in moist coastal prairies and open coastal forests at elevations below 600 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces lilac-purple flowers with darker veining, measuring 6 to 10 centimeters across, with large obovate sepals and elliptic petals. Growing 30 to 60 centimeters tall with rarely branched stems emerging from a thick rhizome 10 to 25 millimeters in diameter, it has distinctive basal leaves 5 to 11 millimeters wide. Its leaves include 1 to 2 cauline bracts that extend along at least two-thirds of the stem length, with the lowest flower bracts positioned alternately and enclosing the perianth tube. The flower's style branches extend 35 to 43 millimeters long with 12 to 15 millimeter crests and two-lobed stigmas.
Habitat: Moist, coastal prairie or open coastal forest
Bloom period: Mar-Jun
Elevation: < 600 m
Bioregions: c&s NCo, s NCoRO, n&c CCo, SnFrB.
California counties: Monterey, Sonoma, Solano, Glenn, Mendocino, San Benito, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Napa, Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Santa Cruz
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.