Iris virginica

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Iris virginica
Iris virginica 2.jpg
Status TNC G5.svg
Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris subg. Limniris
Section: Iris sect. Limniris
Series: Iris ser. Laevigatae
Species:
I. virginica
Binomial name
Iris virginica
L.
Synonyms [2]
  • Iris carolinianaS.Watson
  • Iris convolutaRaf.
  • Iris georgianaBritton
  • Iris shreveiSmall
  • Iris versicolor var. shrevei(Small) B.Boivin
  • Iris versicolor var. virginica(L.) Baker
  • Iris versicolor f. virginica(L.) Voss
  • Iris virginica var. shrevei(Small) E.S.Anderson
  • Iris virginica var. virginica(none known)
  • Limniris virginica(L.) Rodion.
  • Xiphion virginicum(L.) Alef.

Iris virginica, with the common name Virginia blueflag, [3] Virginia iris, great blue flag, or southern blue flag, [4] is a perennial species of flowering plant in the Iridaceae (iris) family, native to central and eastern North America.

Contents

It was identified as a separate species by Edgar Anderson, and is one of the three Iris species in Anderson's Iris flower data set, used by Ronald Fisher in his 1936 paper "The use of multiple measurements in taxonomic problems" as an example of linear discriminant analysis. [5] [6]

Description

Iris virginica is a perennial plant that grows up to 0.6–0.9 m (2–3 ft) tall. The plant's sword-shaped basal leaves are erect or sometimes arching and measure up to 91 cm (3 ft) long and 2.5 cm (1 in) across at the base. The leaves have smooth margins and are bluish green to green and glabrous. Unbranched or sparingly branched flowering stalks rise from the basal leaves to a height of up to 0.6–0.9 m (2–3 ft). Small, alternate leaves are located on the stalks, with 1 to 2 flowers emerging from the axil of each of these leaves on pedicels that are 3–13 cm (1–5 in) long. [7]

The flowers, which bloom May to July, are blue to blue-violet and are a typical iris shape. Each flower has 3 drooping sepals, called "falls", that have white marks and yellow near the throat, and 3 upright petals, called "standards". Flowers measure 3–13 cm (1–5 in) across. [8] [9]

Distribution and habitat

Iris virginica is native in the United States from Nebraska to the west, Florida and Texas to the south, New York to the east, and the Canadian border to the north. In Canada, it is native in Ontario and Quebec. [3] It grows in wet areas, sometimes in shallow water, including marshes, wet meadows, swamps, river bottoms, sloughs, ditches, bottomland prairies, edges of sinkhole ponds, and in shallow water. [10]

Uses

The Cherokee use this medicinal plant for traditional medicinal uses. The root is pounded into a paste that is used as a salve for the skin. An infusion made from the root is used to treat ailments of the liver, and a decoction of the root is used to treat "yellowish urine". [11] [12]

It may be one of the Iris species used by the Seminole to treat "shock following alligator-bite". [13]

Iris virginica is one of three iris species in Ronald Fisher's Iris flower data set.

Related Research Articles

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<i>Claytonia virginica</i> Species of plant

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<i>Iris giganticaerulea</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Iris cristata</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Geranium viscosissimum</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Agrimonia gryposepala</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Blephilia hirsuta</i> Species of flowering plant

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This is a list of plants used by the indigenous people of North America. For lists pertaining specifically to the Cherokee, Iroquois, Navajo, and Zuni, see Cherokee ethnobotany, Iroquois ethnobotany, Navajo ethnobotany, and Zuni ethnobotany.

<i>Polygala senega</i> Species of flowering plant

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<i>Verbesina virginica</i> Species of flowering plant

Verbesina virginica, known by the common names white crownbeard, or frostweed is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Southeastern United States, where it is found in calcareous soil, often in bottomland thickets and edges of woods.

<i>Orbexilum pedunculatum</i> Species of legume

Orbexilum pedunculatum, commonly known as Sampson's snakeroot, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family. It is native primarily to the Southeastern United States where it is found in prairies and savannas, often in acidic soil. It is a perennial that produces racemes of flowers in early summer.

<i>Iris setosa</i> Species of flowering plant

Iris setosa, the bristle-pointed iris, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Iris of the family Iridaceae, it belongs the subgenus Limniris and the series Tripetalae. It is a rhizomatous perennial from a wide range across the Arctic sea, including Alaska, Maine, Canada, Russia, northeastern Asia, China, Korea and southwards to Japan. The plant has tall branching stems, mid green leaves and violet, purple-blue, violet-blue, blue, to lavender flowers. There are also plants with pink and white flowers.

<i>Iris brevicaulis</i> Species of flowering plant

Iris brevicaulis is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Limniris and in the series Hexagonae. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from North America. It has bright green, glossy long leaves, a long zig-zagged stem and 3–6 flowers per stem, which are come in blue shades from violet-blue, to lavender, to purple-blue, to bright blue to blue, and pale blue.

This is a list of plants documented to have been traditionally used by the Cherokee, and how they are used.

<i>Teucrium canadense</i> Species of herb

Teucrium canadense, commonly known as Canada germander, American germander, or wood sage, is a perennial herb in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to North America where it is found across the contiguous states of the United States and in much of Canada.

<i>Plantago virginica</i> Species of flowering plant

Plantago virginica, common names hoary plantain and Virginia plantain, is a species of plant native to North America and introduced in Asia. It is listed as a special concern in Connecticut. The Kiowa use it to make garlands or wreaths for old men to wear around their heads during ceremonial dances as a symbol of health. It is commonly found within the continental United States in the majority of states along coastal areas and on roads, though has become an invasive species to eastern China after its introduction c. 1980. It is an annual plant, blooming around the month of May.

References

  1. Maiz-Tome, L. (2016). "Iris virginica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T64315090A67729761. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T64315090A67729761.en . Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  2. "Iris virginica". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 13 April 2015 via The Plant List.
  3. 1 2 "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org.
  4. "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org.
  5. R. A. Fisher (1936). "The use of multiple measurements in taxonomic problems" (PDF). Annals of Eugenics . 7 (2): 179–188. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1809.1936.tb02137.x. hdl: 2440/15227 . Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-04-12. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  6. Kleinman, Kim (1999). "His Own Synthesis: Corn, Edgar Anderson, and Evolutionary Theory in the 1940s". Journal of the History of Biology. 32 (2): 293–320. ISSN   0022-5010 . Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  7. "Blue Flag Iris (Iris virginica shrevei)". www.illinoiswildflowers.info.
  8. "Iris virginica (Southern Blueflag): Minnesota Wildflowers". www.minnesotawildflowers.info.
  9. "Iris virginica (Southern Blue Flag Iris) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu.
  10. "Southern Blue Flag (Virginia Iris)". Missouri Department of Conservation.
  11. The University of Michigan at Dearborn: Native American Ethnobotany of Iris virginica
  12. Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey 1975 Cherokee Plants and Their Uses -- A 400 Year History. Sylva, N.C. Herald Publishing Co. (p. 41)
  13. "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov.