North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Iris tridentata

Iris tridentata Pursh

savanna iris

Synonym(s): Iris tripetala

Image ID: 17873
Image by: Sorrie, Bruce A.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: IRTR
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Iris tridentata
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-01-09

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: IRIS
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Iris
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Iris
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 225 species, herbs, of Eurasia, n. Africa, and North America. Wilson (2004) suggests that Belamcanda is phylogenetically nested within Iris and should be included there; Goldblatt & Mabberley (2005) make the appropriate nomenclatural combination. Alternatively, Iris may be broken up into multiple genera (Mavrodiev et al. 2014; Crespo, Mart�nez-Azor�n, & Mavrodiev 2015).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: the petals are usually erect, smaller than the petaloid sepals (which are brightly colored, generally reflexed, and marked with a signal). The styles are also petaloid, arched over the sepals, and 2-cleft at the tip (except in I. domestica).
GENUS REFERENCES: Crespo, Mart�nez-Azor�n, & Mavrodiev (2015); Henderson in FNA (2002a); Goldblatt in FNA (2002a); Mavrodiev et al. (2014); Goldblatt & Mabberley (2005)=Z; Wilson (2004); Goldblatt, Manning, & Rudall in Kubitzki (1998a). Key based on Henderson in FNA (2002a).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: IRIDAC
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Iridaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Iris Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 65-82 genera and 1700-1810 species, herbs, of cosmopolitan distribution (most diverse in s. Africa).
FAMILY REFERENCE: Goldblatt in FNA (2002a); Goldblatt, Manning, & Rudall in Kubitzki (1998a).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 12-28 inches

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY:
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Late May-Jun

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
				x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Blue-violet flowers

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x				x		x		x	x	x

FRUITING PERIOD: Aug-Oct.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: southeastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Savannah iris is a late blooming iris often found growing in swamps and wetlands in the coastal plan and is perfect for a bog garden. The sepals are widely spreading and then arching downward with prominent dark purple veins and a white to yellow signal. During the winter period, depending on the severity of the winter, the leaves generally die, to re-grow next spring. When new plants are planted they take a year to settle in before flowering.

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 6
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 10
GERMINATION CODE: 2
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
64	HORT	2008-12-01	Walker	View
345	HORT	2010-12-31	Poythress	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
61	2013-0009	2013-05-06	64	View
341	2011-0210	2011-10-19	345	View
1954	1986-1742			View
7948	2002-0099	2007-07-25		View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
80	61	32	Mixon	2012-03-28	View
831	341	44	NCBG staff	2011-10-18	View
3118	1954	64	NCBG staff	1984-03-11	View
11190	7948	64	NCBG staff	2007-05-21	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: IRTR
USDA Common Name: Savannah Iris
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (FL, GA, NC, SC, TN)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	OBL				OBL

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Iris tridentata
COMMON NAME: Savanna Iris
SYNONYMY: [= FNA, GW, K, RAB, Tn, WH3; ? I. tripetala - S, misapplied; = Limniris tridentata (Pursh) Rodionenko - Y]
PHENOLOGY: Late May-Jun; Aug-Oct.
HABITAT: Wet savannas, pine flatwoods, margins of pineland pools.
COMMENTS: Se. NC south to ne. FL and Panhandle FL and AL (Mobile County); allegedly disjunct in the southern Eastern Highland Rim of TN.
RANGE MAP: Iris tridentata.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Iridaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Iris Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 65-82 genera and 1700-1810 species, herbs, of cosmopolitan distribution (most diverse in s. Africa).
REFERENCE: Goldblatt in FNA (2002a); Goldblatt, Manning, & Rudall in Kubitzki (1998a).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Iris L. (Iris)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 225 species, herbs, of Eurasia, n. Africa, and North America. Wilson (2004) suggests that Belamcanda is phylogenetically nested within Iris and should be included there; Goldblatt & Mabberley (2005) make the appropriate nomenclatural combination. Alternatively, Iris may be broken up into multiple genera (Mavrodiev et al. 2014; Crespo, Mart�nez-Azor�n, & Mavrodiev 2015).
REFERENCE: Crespo, Mart�nez-Azor�n, & Mavrodiev (2015); Henderson in FNA (2002a); Goldblatt in FNA (2002a); Mavrodiev et al. (2014); Goldblatt & Mabberley (2005)=Z; Wilson (2004); Goldblatt, Manning, & Rudall in Kubitzki (1998a). Key based on Henderson in FNA (2002a).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Iris tridentata in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Iris tridentata in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Iris tridentata in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Iris tridentata in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Iris tridentata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Iris tridentata

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 17873 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 17873 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 8473 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 21609 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)