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| Colin Rigby, June 1993 | China Fla, OR (Wlm. Ferrell, 1989) |
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| Colin Rigby, June 1993 | China Fla, OR (Wlm. Ferrell, 1989) |
Range: An inland iris, seldom found within sight of the ocean; locally abundant in the Klamath mountains in southern Oregon, extending into northwestern California; 300-2,000 meters elevation.
Original material: Rogue River area, Curry County, Oregon 1929
Key identifying features:
1. Floral tube slender, funnel-shaped at top, medium length (around ¾ inch)
2. Spathes short, broad and closed around ovary
3. Flower parts rather broad and rounded
4. Leaves very slender, grass-like, dark glossy green, long-lasting
5. Plants form dense, compact evergreen tussocks
6. Numerous bright yellow flowers on each mature clump
Flower color: Usually a rich shade of pale to bright golden-yellow, with darker veins; pale yellow forms also occur, and sometimes lavender or even purple - perhaps through hybridization with I. douglasiana or other species.
Habitat: A woodland iris, preferring open places with well-drained soil; in fir/pine forests; sunny meadows or other well-exposed sites on lightly shaded slopes.
Comments: This is one of the most attractive PCIs, often used for hybridizing because of its clump-forming habit with dense, compact evergreen leaf growth and abundant flowers on each plant. One typical plant seen along Rueben Road in southern Oregon covered just one square foot of ground, and had 68 bright yellow flowers open at the same time. It is often crossed with I. douglasiana as the other parent. Many of the plants labled "IRIS INNOMINATA" in nurseries are actually hybrids.
"DEL NORTE COUNTY IRIS". Iris innominata occurs mostly in southwestern Oregon, with the southern edge of its distribution extending along the Klamath Mountains into California's Del Norte county. Plants in this region may more often show a deep lavender color, unusual elswhere, and thus justify a local name of "Del Norte County Iris" (a study confirming this has yet to be done).