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Western Blue Flag
Iris missouriensis
  
About Western Blue Flag (Iris missouriensis) 11 Nurseries Carry This Plant Iris missouriensis (syn. I. montana) is a hardy flowering rhizomatous species of the genus Iris, in the family Iridaceae. Its common names include western blue flag, Rocky Mountain iris, and Missouri flag. It is native to western North America. Its distribution is varied; it grows at high elevations in mountains and alpine meadows and all the way down to sea level in coastal hills. Its leaves are quite unpalatable to wildlife and livestock and the roots are poisonous to humans.



Plant Description
Plant Type
Plant Type
Perennial herb

Size
Size
1 - 1.6 ft tall

Form
Form
Upright, Spreading

Growth Rate
Growth Rate
Fast

Dormancy
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous

Flower Color
Flower Color
Purple

Flowering Season
Flowering Season
Spring

Wildlife Supported
 
Hummingbirds and insects

 
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 4 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Landscaping Information
Sun
Sun
Part Shade, Full Sun

Moisture
Moisture
Low, Moderate - High

Summer Irrigation
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries
Nurseries

Cold Tolerance
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -15° F

Soil Drainage
Soil Drainage
Fast, Medium, Slow

Soil Description
Soil Description
Tolerant of a variety of garden soils as long as sufficient moisture is available. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses
Common uses
Bogs and Ponds, Deer Resistant

Companion Plants
Companion Plants
Consider pairing with Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant) or Creek Dogwood (Cornus sericea), both which also do well in wetter sites.

Maintenance
Maintenance
Pests to watch out for include the PCI borer (Amphipoea americana var. pacifica), which infects the rhizome. Dig out and remove infected plants entirely; dispose of in sealed plastic bags.. Old leaves should be removed.

Propagation
Propagation?
You can separate bulbs, bulb offsets, corms and rhizomes. Frequent divisions tends to keep the plants vigorous. These should be planted immediately, ideally in early Autumn. Seeds can be collected and should be stored at room temperature until planted.

Sunset Zones
Sunset Zones?
1, 2*, 3*, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 9*, 10, 11, 14, 15*, 16, 18*, 19, 20, 21

Natural Setting
Site Type
Site Type
Moist, grassy places, such as meadows and streambanks.

Climate
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.2" - 66.4", Summer Precipitation: 0.25" - 2.78", Coldest Month: 24.2" - 51.9", Hottest Month: 45.7" - 77.6", Humidity: 0.09" - 26.72", Elevation: 13" - 10501"

Alternative Names
Common Names: Missouri Flag, Rocky Mountain Iris, Wild Iris, Wildiris


Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links:   Jepson eFlora Taxon Page  CalPhotos  Wikipedia  Calflora


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