Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Asparagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Iris tridentata
FAMILY
Iridaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Iris from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Iris tridentata
FAMILY
Iridaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26 (2002)
Iris tridentata
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 046-05-004:
Iris tridentata FAMILY Iridaceae
(?) (MISAPPLIED) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Iris tripetala
COMMON NAME:
Bay Blue-flag Iris, Flag, Savannah Iris
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
John B. Nelson jbn_154340560_b7404ce6ff
May Georgetown County SC
A petaloid style, cleft at its tip, arches over the base of each sepal, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
John B. Nelson jbn_3577304350_b0d2e24cf8
May
Sepals violet, marked with yellow or white toward and onto the claws, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
John B. Nelson jbn_5763121404_cf0e5bdb72
May
The petals are basically gone ("obsolete"), unlike most irises. — John Nelson
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmitridentata_fb1
May
Showy, yellow-spotted purple sepals arch from the center of the flower, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmi_tridentata
Month Unknown
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmitridentata_great2fb
Month Unknown
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Iris tridentata
FAMILY
Iridaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Iris tridentata
FAMILY
Iridaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 26
Iris tridentata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 046-05-004:
Iris tridentata
FAMILY
Iridaceae
(?) (MISAPPLIED)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Iris tripetala
1965
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Wet savannas, pine flatwoods, margins of pineland pools, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon in Carolina Coastal Plain, rare elsewhere
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Violet
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
3 petals
3 stamens
Inferior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Brown
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006) p059
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p317
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p398
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p189
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".