Photo by Jim Jung. All rights reserved.

Copper Iris

The Copper Iris, a swamp dweller and therefore a water iris, is the only red iris in the world. It's unique in another way in that it's the only iris that is pollinated (in part) by hummingbirds. Note the wide spread of its "flags" (the upright petals of the flower) - this is apparently so hummingbirds can better reach its nectaries

This plant has a unique natural history and may in fact be actively speciating in southern Illinois. But that's a topic for another time.

Habitat

This is one of the numerous species inhabiting our area that hail from the Coastal Plain province - an area that stretches from New Jersey in the east down the coast and around to Louisiana and Texas and up the Mississippi valley to southern Illinois, southeast Missouri and western Kentucky. This isn't a commonly seen plant since it inhabits places most humans avoid - swamps. But in the late spring it's worth the effort.

Colonies of this plant that are easily reached can be found in the La Rue-Pine Hills swamp and in the Belknap area in southern Illinois, in the ditches along Highway 60 in Missouri between Sikeston and Dexter, Missouri, and in the Mississippi and Ohio bottoms of Kentucky.

Seeds

Every autumn, the seeds of the Copper Iris are shed from their swollen capsules and scatted about the parent plant in small piles. Here they'll patiently wait for the coming of the fall rains and rising water levels.

In addition to being unique in their red coloring, their floral display and the fact that they're pollinated by hummingbirds the Copper Iris is also unique among Irises for their seeds which, as Irises go, are huge.

Most of the seed's bulk consists of a tough corky covering that encloses the actual seed. It functions not only as protection for the seed but as a life preserver which allows the seeds of these swamp dwelling flowers to disperse by floating to a location away from the parent plant. It also functions much like the hard covering on time-release medicines and prevents the seed from germinating until the following year - usually in June or July when temperatures are optimum for the young plant's survival. It apparently takes that long for the hard protective covering to break down from bacterial action and allow easy penetration of water as well as an easy exit for the roots from the young sprout.

Offsite link:

• Iris fulva page of Missouri Deptment of Conservation's Grow Native! site

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