Wildflowers of the United States

Home Journal Family Index - All States Photo Albums News About Privacy

Crested Dwarf Iris - Iris cristata


Family: Iridaceae - Iris family Genus Common Name: Iris Native Status: NativeHerb
Iris cristata - Crested Dwarf Iris . Iris is a genus of 225 to 280 species worldwide, about 30 to 35 growing wild in North America. Because of the large, showy flowers and easy growing nature, they are a popular garden plant. The American Iris Society shows 1425 different Irises.

The Dwarf Crested Iris is one of the 28 native irises found in the United States. I find it to be one of the more exciting finds on any of my wildflower walks, even though it is fairly common.

Found in:
AL, AR, DC, GA, IL, IN, IA, KY, MD, MS, MO, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV

Journal Articles Referencing Iris

Leave comments on Iris cristata at this link.
Iris cristata

Distribution of Iris cristata in the United States and Canada:
Map unavailable.
Map courtesy of The Biota of North America Program.
Map color key

Search Our Database: Enter any portion of the Scientific, Common Name, or both.
Scientific name:
Common name:

Example: Enter "lob" in the common name field and you'll get all our species that have "lobelia" in the common name, as well as "sharp-lobed hepatica".

Do a general Google search of the entire site:


#ad

Follow on Twitter
Follow USWildflowers on Twitter



Site: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA Date: 2009-April-04Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D60
1/200f/8 ISO200
Tamron SP 90MM f/2.8 AF Macro
90mm (135 equiv)
Purple blossom of crested dwarf iris arises on a stalk above the 4 to 8 inch tall leaves. There are 3 unmarked petals; the yellow, fluted crest is on each of the 3 beautiful sepals.
Iris cristata
Site: Big Frog Mountain, Polk County, TN Date: 2010-May-02Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Nikon D60
1/50f/5.6 ISO200
Nikon Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm 4-5.6G ED
200mm (300 equiv)
Crested Dwarf Iris is usually found in colonies of several to many plants.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Iris cristata
Site: The Pocket at Pigeon Mountain, Walker County, GA Date: 2009-April-04Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
There are 3 unmarked petals; the yellow, fluted crest is on each of the 3 beautiful sepals. This crest is one of the key differences between Iris cristata and Iris verna.
Click on the photo for a larger image
Iris cristata
Site: Big Frog Trail, Polk County, TN Date: 2004-May-08Photographer: Gerald C Williamson
Click on the photo for a larger image
Iris cristata
#ad
Iris cristata initially published on USWildflowers.com 2008-12-31; Updated 2016-04-10

Commercial / Cookie Notice

Looking for Wildflowers for a specific state? Check here:



All content except USDA Plants Database map Copyright Gerald C. Williamson 2024
Photographs Copyright owned by the named photographer



Code Update 20230302