Dixie Iris (Iris hexagona)
Description
Iris hexagona is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Limniris and in the Series hexagonae. It is a rhizomatous perennial.It has the common name of Dixie Iris, (Dixie is a common name for the southeastern United States) and it also occasionally known as 'Carolina iris'.Florida, it was known as the 'Prairie iris', but this due to a population of Iris hexagona var. savannarum which was later classified as a synonym of Iris savannarum.Most of the I. hexagona population in Florida was Iris savannarum.The name 'hexagona', refers to the six angled seed head.The Louisiana Irises and the name of the series of Hexagonae are derived from Iris hexagona, which was published (in Latin) and described by Walter in 'Flora Caroliniana' page 66 in April-June 1788.Iris hexagona has thick (around 2-2.cm in diameter), greenish, branching rhizomes, that can spread to form large colonies of plants.The rhizomes are shallow rooted and can spread up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) per plant.Arising from the rhizomes are the basal leaves, which are yellow-green to bright green and sword-shaped.They can grow up to between 30-100 cm long (12-39 in),(2 feet)and between 1.2-3 cm (0.47-1.18 in) wide. They overlap at the base, similar to a fan but some leaves grow on the flowering stem.After the plant has flowered, the leaves wither and die, to re-grow in the autumn (for the next season).The flowering stem (or stalk) grows up to between 30-90 cm (0.98-2.95 ft)or 12-36 inchesThe stem is usually straight but sometimes slightly zig-zag, or flexuous (winding) with 1 -2 branches.At the top of the stem are several groups of flowers in later spring,between late March to May (in the US)and between June and July (in the UK). Each flower arises from an axil (or spathe)of a reduced leaf (except the top flower), and the single (or double) flowers open in succession.They have a slight fragrance which is similar to sandalwood.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Liliopsida
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Order: Asparagales
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Family: Iridaceae
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Genus: Iris
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