2024 Edition • Get the App
X

Colors

Data mode

Account

Login
Sign up

Click the number at the start of a key lead to highlight both that lead and its corresponding lead. Click again to show only the two highlighted leads. Click a third time to return to the full key with the selected leads still highlighted.

Key to Iridaceae

Copy permalink to share

1 Inflorescence a spike or panicle of spikes; plants from corms; flowers slightly zygomorphic.
  2 Stem usually branched, the inflorescence appearing paniculate; tepals orange to red
  2 Stem unbranched, the inflorescence a spike; tepals any of a wide range of colors (including orange and red)
    3 Inflorescence bent at its base, the inflorescence axis more-or-less horizontal, the flowers facing upward
    3 Inflorescence erect, the flowers facing outward
1 Inflorescence an umbellate 1-sided cyme; plants from rhizomes or bulbs; flowers actinomorphic.
      4 Leaves planar; plants from rhizomes (or indistinct) or a bulb (in Iris xiphium).
        5 Style branches broad, petaloid, terminating in paired crests
        5 Style branches not broad or petaloid.
          6 Tepals 16-35 mm long, orange or red; seeds 4-6 mm in diameter
          6 Tepals 6-15 mm long, blue, purple, lavender, pink, magenta, white, or yellowish-white; seeds 0.6-1.3 mm in diameter
      4 Leaves plicate; plants from bulbs.
             7 Tepals unequal, the inner whorl < ½ as long as the outer whorl
             7 Tepals nearly equal in length.
               8 Style recurved, with 3 flat branches that are < 2 mm long
               8 Style straight, each of the 3 branches further divided into slender lobes
                 9 Style branches divided for ca. ½ their length; style arms arching over or between the anthers; tepals dark purple
                 9 Style branches divided nearly to base; style arms extending horizontally between the anthers; tepals blue, white in the center
Cite as...