Harlequin blueflag
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated February 2018.
Scientific name: Iris versicolor L.
Common name(s): harlequin blueflag, larger blueflag, blue iris
Links: USDA PLANTS Profile , NPIN Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
-
- emergence in wet blueberry field, end of May
-
- in wet depression in blueberry field
-
- flower, early June
Description:
-perennial
-leaves are:
- basal and alternate
- lanceolate and linear
-can reach up to 2-3 feet
-generally flowers in June in ME
-may be confused with I. hookeri, but only on coastal beaches; see left sidebar of Go Botany webpage
Habitat:
-disturbed areas
-marshes
-wetlands
-river shores
Natural History:
-used by Native Americans to treat
- burns
- wounds
- swelling
- liver and kidney disease
-the plant and especially the root are toxic
Source(s):
Heinrich, B. 1976. Flowering phenologies: Bog, woodland, and disturbed habitats. Ecology. 57(5):890-899.
Go Botany. “Iris Versicolor L.” Iris Versicolor (Blue Iris): Go Botany, 2020, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/iris/versicolor/.