Iris savannarum

Iris savannarum is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Limniris and in the series hexagonae. It is a rhizomatous perennial. It has the common name of prairie iris.Robert Wildermuth, David P. Powell It was published by Small in Addisonia (Colored Illustrations and Popular Descriptions of Plants. New York, NY) in 1925. It was later classified by various Iris authors (including R. C. Foster, 'Contributor to Gray Herberium'. 119: 3–82. 1937) as a variety of Iris hexagona, and called Iris hexagona var. savannarum. It was listed in 'Iridaceae of North America database' (version 2010) and 'The PLANTS Database' (in 1996 and 2000), as 'Iris hexagona var. savannarum' and in the 'Guide to the Vascular Plants of Central Florida'.Richard P. Wunderlin In 2002, Henderson re-classified both of Small's species Iris giganticaerulea (located in coastal Alabama to Louisiana) and Iris savannarum (located in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida) as distinct species. Iris hexagona then was left to populations in South Carolina and a few regions in northern Florida. This was agreed and expanded on by Daniel Ward in 2011 (from the University of Florida), who linked Iris kimballiae as a variant of Iris savannarum. It was later classified as a synonym of Iris savannarum. As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes. This can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings. It has a chromosome count: 2n=44. Iris savannarum and several other ornamental plants were evaluated for their potential use as accumulator plants for treating arsenic (As) contaminated soils. It was found that the iris dry weight increased with increasing solution concentrations but As did not accumulate in the plant tissue. As the iris can be harvested multiple times a year, it is a good choice for phytostabilisation. It is listed on The National Wetland Plant List (NWPL), which was updated in 2013. It is found in Atlantic Gulf Coastal Plains (AGCP) and Eastern Mountains and Piedmont (EMP). Specimens can be found at the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario Herbarium. Iris savannarum has been hybridized with Iris fulva to produce Iris × cacique.

No narrative description available for this taxon yet.