Yellow Iris (Sarracenia purpurea)

Other Names

Water Iris
Yellow Flag Iris

Habitat

Wildlife Value

Pollinating Insects

Native?

Related Sites

MN DNR: Yellow Iris

Yellow Iris | Woodbury, MN

Another invasive Eurasian import, Yellow Iris is commonly found in and around ponds and wetlands in the Twin Cities. While its root is actually poisonous, parts of it were considered medicinal by many cultures, and is often used in holistic and alternative medicine today. The flower has evolved into a rather ingenious design, and is practically self-pollinating. To get at the nectar "bait" a pollinating insect must crawl across first the male and then the female parts of the flower, almost guaranteeing pollination.

Yellow Flag Irises are native to Europe, and werebrought over to our country during colonial times. Since they are closely related to the native Blue Flag Iris, it was easy for them to make the transition into Minnesota's ponds and wetlands. They are not as harmful to our native ecosystems as other species, though they do compete with native plants for water and sunlight.

Multimedia:

There is no other multimedia related to this species.

Add to our growing wildlife encyclopedia! Submit a photo or other footage of this species!*

Want to Learn More?

In an effort to make our site as comprehensive as possible, we have supplemented our online park and wildlife survey with other educational resources. Every book we recommend has been hand-picked by a Beyond Main Street volunteer. 7.5% of all proceeds from the links below go to help Beyond Main Street build a larger, more comprehensive site!

	Wildflowers of Minnesota
	Trees of Minnesota

*Submissions are full and credited property of their original owner. The name of the sender will be printed below the submission unless otherwise requested. BMS maintains one-time printing rights only. For legal reasons, all video and photography must be your own work. If there is a copyright on it, you must own it. Video, photos, and writing must have been created in Minnesota or surrounding area to be added to our database.