Data specific to Irises (Edit)
Classification: Species

General Plant Information (Edit)
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Wet
Wet Mesic
Mesic
Soil pH Preferences: Strongly acid (5.1 – 5.5)
Moderately acid (5.6 – 6.0)
Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Purple
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer
Underground structures: Rhizome
Suitable Locations: Bog gardening
Uses: Water gardens
Will Naturalize
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Flood Resistant
Toxicity: Roots are poisonous
Propagation: Seeds: Self fertile
Propagation: Other methods: Division
Pollinators: Various insects
Miscellaneous: Monoecious

Image
Common names
  • Species Iris
  • Northern Blue Flag
  • Harlequin Blueflag
  • Dagger Flower
  • Water Iris
  • Liver Lily
  • Iris
  • Blue Flag
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Iris versicolor
  • Synonym: Iris versicolor f. murrayana

Photo Gallery
Location: Russia, Krasnodar region, Novokubansk
Date: 2022-05-31
Location: Menton, France
Date: 2016-06-01
Location: Inlet, Hamilton County, New York
Date: 2022-07-06
Northern  Blue Flag Species Iris (Iris versicolor) blooming in a
Location: Canada
Location: Inlet, Hamilton County, New York
Date: 2022-07-06
Northern  Blue Flag Species Iris (Iris versicolor) bloom and seed
Location: Canada
Location: Manitoba, Canada
Date: 2017-06-12
Location: Rhode Island, US
Date: 2022-05-28
Iris versicolor blooms
Location: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Date: 2017-05-25
close-up of wild clump at pond edge

Date: c. 1910
illustration by Chester A. Reed from his book, 'Wild Flowers East
Location: Manitoba, Canada
Date: 2017-06-12

Date: 2015-06-02
Location: Yorkville, IL
Date: 2020-06-04
Location: Canada
Location: Seney National Wildlife Refuse, Seney, MI
Date: 2004-07-14
95,455 Acres of Marsh, Field and Forest

Photo courtesy of Iris City Gardens
Location: Canada
Location: Inlet, Hamilton County, New York
Date: 2022-07-06
Northern Blue Flag Species Iris (Iris versicolor)

Date: c. 1787
illustration from 'The Botanical Magazine', 1787
Location: my garden 
Date: Spring 2015
Location: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Date: 2017-05-25
wild patch at drainage pond of condo area
Location: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Date: 2017-05-25
wild clump across pond
Location: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Date: 2017-06-18
plants at pond not in bloom
Location: Canada
Location: Canada
Location: RHS Hyde Hall, Essex, UK. 
Date: 2023-05-20
Location: Wiesbaden - Germany
Date: 2014-05-06

Jennifer Anderson, hosted by the USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
Location: Seney National Wildlife Refuse, Seney, MI
Date: 2004-07-14
95,455 Acres of Marsh, Field and Forest
Location: Hidden Hills CA
Date: 2013-04-16
.ffo

Date: 2014-05-13
Location: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
Date: 2017-05-25
wild clump at drainage pond
Location: Philadelphia Flower Show in Philadelphia, PA
Date: 2011-03-12
plants in naturalisitic landscape display

Forest Hamaiti
Photo by SongofJoy
Location: Fairfax VA
Date: 2022-06-25
Location: My Northeastern Indiana Gardens - Zone 5b
Date: 2012-06-06

Courtesy Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek
  • Uploaded by vic
Location: Lucketts, Loudoun County, Virginia
Date: 2016-04-02
Emerging spring growth
Location: Vermont
Date: 2009-06-17
Location: Seney National Wildlife Refuse, Seney, MI
Date: 2004-07-14
95,455 Acres of Marsh, Field and Forest

Date: c. 1924
illustration by Mary E. Eaton from 'Addisonia', 1924
Location: Seney National Wildlife Refuse, Seney, MI
Date: 2004-07-14
95,455 Acres of Marsh, Field and Forest
Location: Hidden Hills CA
Date: 2013-04-16
Closeup

Credit florum

Credit florum

Date: 2009-02-27
USDA
Location: Museum of Toulouse
credit: Roger Culos
This plant is tagged in:
Image

Comments:
  • Posted by scvirginia on Jun 25, 2020 9:47 PM concerning plant:
    Description from the 1933 catalog, Royal Iris Gardens (J. C. Nicholls, Jr., Camillus, NY), p.76:
    Other American Species
    VERSICOLOR (Collected in New York). 24". Light lavender blue flowers. Pretty and extremely hardy; will stand water freezing around it in Winter. Very beautiful foliage and showy flowers; recommended for streams.

    p.77
    VERSICOLOR ROSEA (Collected in U.S.). A very beautiful form of Versicolor. Flowers light rose mauve. Otherwise like Versicolor type, but quite distinct. Very pretty and unusual.
  • Posted by OldGardener (So Cal - Zone 10b) on Apr 16, 2013 1:32 PM concerning plant:
    According to Iris City Gardens, "this is the most common native iris of the northeastern U.S"
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Feb 28, 2018 11:16 AM concerning plant:
    This Northern Blueflag Iris is a wild species that grows in swamps, marshes, along pond and water edges from southern Labrador to southern Manitoba through Minnesota & Wisconsin & Illinois to Ohio to Virginia up to Massachusetts. It is the provincial flower of Quebec. This species usually grows about 2 to 2.5 feet high and has 3 to 5 flowers on each stalk blooming in late May to June, even early July in the far north. While it is found only in wet places in the wild, even growing in shallow water 2 to 4 inches deep, it does well in average, mesic garden soil. It can be grown like the cultivated irises. It also has thick rhizome roots from which it spreads slowly. It can be divided and reset after blooming. The word "flag" comes from Middle English meaning a "rush" or "sedge."
Plant Events from our members
antsinmypants On June 15, 2023 Transplanted
2 Into pot with Black Devil Pansies by Arch Garden.
antsinmypants On May 4, 2023 Plant emerged
Emerged in pot with Passiflora incarnata after overwintering in crawl space.
antsinmypants On May 4, 2023 Plant emerged
2 seedlings emerged from the seeds I winter sowed in 2021.
antsinmypants On May 25, 2022 Plant emerged
1 seedling emerged. WS 2021.
antsinmypants On March 18, 2021 Seeds sown
WS - Jug 36
» Post your own event for this plant

Discussion Threads about this plant
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
What Iris (Limniris) species is it? by Nick_Kurzenko Oct 25, 2019 3:39 PM 0

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