Iris savannarum Small

SAVANNA IRIS; PRAIRIE IRIS

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Iris savannarum is common in Florida and is characterized by its bright green non-evergreen leaves, sepal tips more acute to acuminate, and capsules 6-10 cm long with 6 winglike ridges. The rarer plant, I. hexagona s.s., is characterized by its yellow-green and evergreen leaves, sepals tips less acute to rounded, and capsules 2.5-3.5 cm long and strongly hexagonal. Data from some microsatellites show that I. savannarum is composed of multiple lineages which likely can or do interbreed (Meerow et al. 2011, 2017). This and related species have been placed in the genus Phaeiris, and additional species have been recognized that occur in Florida, including albispiritus (extinct?), kimballiae, and rivularis (Mavrodiev et al. 2021).

Native OBL (NWPL) OBL (DEP)