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WILD LOBAU
IRIS FAMILY

THE IRIS FAMILY (Iridaceae)

This monocot family includes such familiar flowers as iris, crocus, freesias and gladioli.

The Iridaceae can be recognized by their characteristic leaves, sword-like and oriented edgewise to the stem and with two identical surfaces. Such leaves are termed 'isobilateral' and 'unifacial'. The leaves are found both at the base and on the stem, usually alternate, with the blade oriented parallel to the stem and sheathing it at the base. This results in the characteristic fan-like arrangement found in genera like Iris.

All members of Iridaceae have soft-textured and colourful flowers in which the three tepals of the inner whorl, and the three of the outer whorl are alike in structure, shape, and often in colour. The character that sets them apart from other plants is the male part of the flower, the androecium, which has three stamens only. (In most related families there are six.)

(Monocots are one of two major groups of flowering plants, characterized as having only one seed leaf (cotyledon) in the embryonic form. (monocotyledon=one cotyledon). This group embraces the narrow-leaved, parallel-veined plants with floral symmetry in 3’s or multiples. It also includes grasses and reeds. Its embryonic development differs from the other major group – the dicots (dicotyledon=two cotyledons) that include the broad-leaved, network veined plants with floral symmetry in 4’s or 5’s. Dicots have 2 seed-leaves in the embryonic form.)

(source: Wikipedia)

Click on a thumbnail photo to go to full photo and description.

Dwarf bearded iris in Lobau Yellow flag iris in Lobau
Lobau Location
Map of Lobau Map of Lobau
QUICK KEY

Leaf Types (Simplified)

Icon
Shape
Veins
Simple parallel leaf-vein diagram
Simple
Parallel
Simple pinnate leaf-vein diagram
Simple
Pinnate
Lobed pinnate leaf-vein diagram
Lobed
Pinnate
Compound pinnate leaf-vein diagram
Compound
Pinnate
Trifoliate3-pinnate leaf-vein diagram
Trifoliate
3-Pinnate
Simple palmate leaf-vein diagram
Simple
Palmate
Lobed palmate leaf-vein diagram
Lobed
Palmate
Compound palmate leaf-vein diagram
Compound
Palmate
Other and various leaf-vein arrangments diagram
Other
Various

Flower Types (Simplified)

Icon
Symmetry
Petals
Radial symmetry and 3 petals flower type diagram
Radial
3 or multiple 3s
Radial symmetry and 4 petals flower type diagram
Radial
4
Radial symmetry and 5 separate petals flower type diagram
Radial
5, Separate
Radial symmetry and 5 tubular petals flower type diagram
Radial
5, Tubular
Radial symmetry and 5 tubular base flower type diagram
Radial
5,Tubular base
Radial symmetry and 5 bell-shape petals flower type diagram
Radial
5, Bell shape
Bilateral symmetry and 5 separate petals flower type diagram
Bilateral
5, Separate
Bilateral symmetry and 5 lipped petals flower type diagram
Bilateral
5, Lipped
Bilateral symmetry and winged petals flower type diagram
Bilateral
Butterfly form
Bilateral symmetry and tubular flower type diagram
Bilateral
Tubular
Spurred flower type diagram
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Spurred
Stellate composite flower type diagram
Stellate
Composite
Structured clusters flower type diagram
Structured Clusters
5, small
Anomalous flower type diagram
Anomalous
.
Inconspicuous flower type diagram
Inconspicuous
.

Inflorescence Types (Simplified)

Icon
Type
Capitulum inflorescence type diagram
Capitulum
Umbel flower head inflorescence type diagram
Umbel
Spike-like flower head inflorescence type diagram
Spike-like
Branched flower head inflorescence type diagram
Branched
Whorled flower head inflorescence type diagram
Whorled
Clustered flower head inflorescence type diagram
Clustered
Single flower head inflorescence type diagram
Single
Dwarf Bearded Iris in Lobau

© 2013 Margaret Eros

LEAF TYPE
PETAL TYPE
INFLORES- CENCE TYPE
HEIGHT OF PLANT
FLOWERING MONTH
HABITAT
PHOTO LOCATION
  • diagram of <!--Next: FOR BLIND LEAF SHAPE ICON.--> simple <!--Next brown section: FOR BLIND LEAF VEIN ICON.--> leaf shape and parallel vein structure
    • diagram of <!--Next: FOR BLIND POPUP LEAF SHAPE.--> simple leaf shape <!--Next: FOR BLIND POPUP LEAF VEIN ICON.--> and parallel vein structure
    • LEAF TYPE
    • Shape:
    • --simple (undivided/entire).
    • Veins:
    • --parallel (no side branching).
    • This plant:
    • Sword-shaped, 1-2cm wide, grey-green, longer than the stem, sharply pointed.
  • Radial symmetry and separate petals in 3’s flower type diagram
    • Radial symmetry and separate petals in 3’s flower type diagram
    • FLOWER TYPE
    • Symmetry:
    • --radial (star-shaped as seen from above).
    • Petals:
    • --3 (or multiples, for example 6).
    • This plant:
    • 3 outer petals (falls) bearded, outward bending; 3 inner petals upright; colour-variable, yellow to purple to deep purple, almost ‘black’.
  • <!--Next: FOR BLIND INFLORESENCE ICON. --> Single inflorescence diagram
    • Single inflorescence diagram
    • INFLORESCENCE TYPE
    • Single
    • --each flower stem carries a single solitary flower.
    • This plant:
    • single blooms held 10–15 cm above ground level on a lengthened perianth (flower) tube on a very short stem.
  • 5 to 15 cm
  • Apr May

  • Dry grasslands

    Rocky places (not in Lobau)

    • For more information, go to the “Habitats & such” tab in the menu bar.
  • diagram of photo location in the Lobau
    • diagram of photo location in the Lobau
Dwarf Bearded Iris
Iris pumila
Other common name(s): Iris pumila, dwarf iris
German name(s): Zwerg-Schwertlilie
ITIS Serial #: 43224
Date:
22 April 2013

A rare and protected plant!

The Dwarf Bearded Iris can be found from this part of Austria through eastern Europe and the Balkans, Ukraine, southern Russia, and the Caucasus into Turkey.

The flower is almost stemless, growing up from a thick mat of thickened stems at ground level (rhizomes). The size of the flower (10 -15m high) in relation to the rest of the plant is stunning. The petals (not including the long flower tube) represent half to two thirds of the overall size/height of the plant.

The ‘beard’ on the outer ‘fall’ petals may have a contrasting shade of colour. These plants have been used to create some of the more spectacular garden varieties of hybrid bearded irises. They have no nectar. (see !C! button below for other colour variations and !G! for plant group photo).

The fleshy seed capsule is three-sided, 4-6cm long and pointed

  • !G!
    • Group of mauve-coloured dwarf irises in Lobau
    • Plant group showing unusually large flowers compared with total height of plant.
  • !C!
    • Group of mauve-coloured dwarf irises in Lobau
    • This group of yellow dwarf irises was found in the same vicinity as the mauve and dark purple ones
Yellow Flag Iris in Lobau

© 2013 Margaret Eros

LEAF TYPE
PETAL TYPE
INFLORES- CENCE TYPE
HEIGHT OF PLANT
FLOWERING MONTH
HABITAT
PHOTO LOCATION
  • diagram of <!--Next: FOR BLIND LEAF SHAPE ICON.--> simple <!--Next brown section: FOR BLIND LEAF VEIN ICON.--> leaf shape and parallel vein structure
    • diagram of <!--Next: FOR BLIND POPUP LEAF SHAPE.--> simple leaf shape <!--Next: FOR BLIND POPUP LEAF VEIN ICON.--> and parallel vein structure
    • LEAF TYPE
    • Shape:
    • --simple (undivided/entire).
    • Veins:
    • --parallel (no side branching).
    • This plant:
    • Sword-shaped, shorter than the flower stem, prominent mid-rib.
  • Radial symmetry and 3 separate petals flower type diagram
    • Radial symmetry and 3 separate petals flower type diagram
    • FLOWER TYPE
    • Symmetry:
    • --radial (star-shaped as seen from above).
    • Petals:
    • --3 (or multiples, for example 6).
    • This plant:
    • 3 large pendulous outer petals with fine brown markings, 3 more upright and much shorter inner petals, not concealing reproductive parts.
  • <!--Next: FOR BLIND INFLORESENCE ICON. --> Spike-like inflorescence diagram
    • Spike-like inflorescence diagram
    • INFLORESCENCE TYPE
    • Spike-like
    • --flowers concentrated at the ends of each stem in an elongated fashion, either erect or drooping.
    • This plant:
    • Few flowers arranged along a single upright stem.
  • 50 to 150 cm
  • May Jun

  • Marsh

    • For more information, go to the “Habitats & such” tab in the menu bar.
  • diagram of photo location in the Lobau
    • diagram of photo location in the Lobau
Yellow Flag Iris
Iris pseudacorus
Other common name(s):
German name(s): Wasser-Schwertlilie, Sumpf-Schwertlilie, Gelbe-Schwertlilie
ITIS Serial #: 43194
Date:
19 May 2013

This plant grows best in very wet conditions, and is often common in wetlands, where it tolerates partial submersion. It can however also survive prolonged dry conditions on account of its thick, horizontally creeping rhizomes that are able to resist unfavourable conditions in a state of dormancy

The fruit is a dry 3-part capsule containing numerous small pale-brown seeds.

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  • !L!
    • Yellow Flag Iris showing leaves and flowering spike
    • Flower spike with 4 flower buds and sword-shaped leaves with prominent mid-rib.
  • !V!
    • Yellow flag iris variant
    • Variant with finer, narrower petals and greenish-yellow colour. Differences may be result of shadier, more sheltered growth position.