Foothills, montane, subalpine.  Wetlands, meadows, openings.  Late spring/early summer.
Navajo Lake Trail, June 25, 2005 and Lizard Head Trail, June, 17, 2013.

Wild Iris is a perfectly shaped miniature of the domesticated Iris  --  which, of course came from various wild irises.  Wild Iris typically has leaves and flower stalk about a foot tall, but it is not uncommon to find it growing to two feet tall.  Flowers are typically about three inches in diameter.  As is true of many flowers, Iris color variations exist, but in our area the range is confined to shades of blue/purple with a rare white flower. 

Wild Iris is most often found in extensive patches in moist meadows from the foothills to the mountains, but it also grows solitary in open moist woods.  It is common (and at first puzzling) to find Iris blooming in dry meadows in June; these meadows were certainly moist from snow-melt in April and early May.  The duration of Iris missouriensis flowering is determined by the amount of late spring snow and early summer rain.

Linnaeus named this genus in 1753 and the species was named by Thomas Nuttall in 1834 from a specimen collected by his friend Nathaniel Wyeth "towards the sources of the Missouri" (as quoted in Intermountain Flora).  "Iris" was the Greek goddess of the rainbow and "missouriensis" refers to the river or the territory. On July 6, 1806 Meriwether Lewis collected this species in Montana. Click to read why Lewis' collection is not considered the type.

Flower colors vary with soils, rainfall, and, of course, genetics.

Foothills, montane, subalpine.  Wetlands, meadows, openings.  Late spring/early summer.
Grand Mesa, July 10, 2017.
Lizard Head Trail, August 22, 2007.
Lower Calico Trail, October 3, 2014.

Floral parts still adhere to the newly developing seed pods.

Pods dry and become chunky and lumpy certainly contrasting with the delicate flowers.

A month later and pods have dried and split and seeds have matured. Seeds are indented because they are tightly packed against one another in the pod.

Range map © John Kartesz,
Floristic Synthesis of North America

State Color Key

Species present in state and native
Species present in state and exotic
Species not present in state

County Color Key

Species present and not rare
Species present and rare
Species extirpated (historic)
Species extinct
Species noxious
Species exotic and present
Native species, but adventive in state
Eradicated
Questionable presence

Range map for Iris missouriensis