Iris ser. Laevigatae

Iris ser. Laevigatae
Iris ensata var. ensata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Iris
Subgenus: Iris subg. Limniris
Section: Iris sect. Limniris
Series: Iris ser. Laevigatae
Diels (Lawrence)
Type species
Iris laevigata

Iris ser. Laevigatae is a series of the genus Iris, in Iris subg. Limniris.

The series was first classified by Diels in 'Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien' (Edited by H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl) in 1930. It was further expanded by Lawrence in Gentes Herb (written in Dutch) in 1953.

This is a group of mainly moisture loving plants from Europe, Asia and North America. They generally need rich fertile soils, they can tolerate soils with a little lime. They generally flower between early and mid-summer. They have vigorous rhizomes and leaves. They can be easily cultivated in British gardens. The leaves have small blackish spots along the veins. This can be seen when holding the leaf up to the light or under a microscope. This trait means that the species can tolerate moist soils.

They can also cross pollinate between species to create hybrids.

It includes:

ImageScientific nameDistribution
Iris ensata Thunb. – Japanese iris, hanashōbu (Japanese) (including I. kaempferi)Japan, China, Korea and Russia
Iris laevigata Fisch – rabbit-ear iris, shallow-flowered iris, kakitsubata (Japanese)Japan
Iris maackii Maxim.China and eastern Russia
Iris pseudacorus L. – yellow iris, yellow flagEurope, western Asia and northwest Africa.
Iris versicolor L. – larger blue flag, harlequin blueflagEastern Canada and Eastern United States
Iris virginica L. – Virginia irisUnited States from Nebraska to the west, Florida and Texas to the south, New York to the east, and the Canadian border to the north. In Canada, it is native in Ontario and Quebec