''Iris chrysophylla'', the yellowleaf iris, is a

wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, rather than being intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is any different from the native plant, eve ...

which ranges from midwestern and southern

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

west of the Cascades and south to the crest of the Siskiyou Mountains in

northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The yellowleaf iris grows up to elevation, most commonly in open, coniferous forests.

Description

This herbaceous

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

grows from compact, dark brown and slender

rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...

s. The leaves are linear, finely ribbed, and light green, 25–50 cm long, and may be reddish colored at the base. The flowering stems are simple, solid, and slender, 3–20 cm. The flowers are cream to pale yellow, with dark golden to reddish-brown or lavender veins. The plant flowers from April through June.

References

Flora of North America ''Iris chrysophylla''
*

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service ''Iris chrysophylla''

External links

Calflora Database: ''Iris chrysophylla'' (golden leaved iris, yellowleaf iris)USDA Plants Profile for ''Iris chrysophylla'' (yellowleaf iris)
chrysophylla Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of the Klamath Mountains Taxa named by John Thomas Howell {{Iridaceae-stub