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Iris versicolor
| Common name: |
Blue Flag |
Family: |
Iridaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
Many plants in this genus are thought to be poisonous if ingested, so caution is advised[65]. The roots are especially likely to be toxic[238].
Plants can cause skin irritations and allergies in some people[238]. |
| Range: |
Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Manitoba, south to Florida and Arkansas. |
| Habitat: |
Swamps, wet meadows, scrub and by lakes and rivers[187]. Wetlands[21]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
0 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Amerikan Suseni [E], Blue Flag [H,S], Dagger Flower [H], Dragon Flower [H], Flag [E], Flag Lily [H], Harlequin Blueflag [B,P], Iris [E], Larger Blue Flag [L], Liver Lily [H], Poison Flag [H], Snake Lily [H], Water Flag [H], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
versicolor = variously colored
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Liliales. Iris family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Na
Turkey Us Us(Amerindian) Us(Appalachia)
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: Nevada. |
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 0.6m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from May to June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
The plant is self-fertile.
We rate it 0/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist or wet soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Bog Garden.Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Alterative
Antiinflammatory Cathartic Cholagogue Diuretic Emetic Sialagogue Stimulant.
Blue flag was one of the most popular medicinal plants amongst various
native North American Indian tribes[213]. In modern herbalism it is mainly
employed to detoxify the body - it increases urination and bile production
and has a mild laxative effect[254]. Some caution should be exercised in its
use, however, since there are reports that it is poisonous[222]. The fresh
root is quite acrid and when taken internally causes nausea, vomiting, colic
and purging[4, 238]. The dried root is much less acrid[4]. This remedy should
not be prescribed for pregnant women[238].
The root is alterative, anti-inflammatory, cathartic, cholagogue,
diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic and sialagogue[21, 46, 165, 238]. Taken
internally as a tea, the root has been used as a strong laxative or emetic
that also acts strongly on the liver and promotes the excretion of excess
body fluids[4, 213]. It is also stimulant for the circulatory and lymphatic
system[165]. Its detoxifying effect make it useful in the treatment of
psoriasis, acne, herpes, arthritis, swollen glands, pelvic inflammatory
disease etc[238, 254]. Externally, it is applied to skin diseases, wounds and
rheumatic joints[238]. The roots are harvested in late summer and early
autumn and are usually dried for later use[4, 238].
The roots were boiled in water and then mashed to make a poultice which was
used to relieve the pain and swelling associated with sores and bruises[213]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Litmus
Repellent Weaving.
A fine blue infusion is obtained from the flowers and this can be used
as a litmus substitute to test for acids and alkalis[4].
The leaves have been used to weave baskets and mats[257].
Some native North American Indian tribes used the root as a protection
against rattlesnakes. It was believed that, so long as the root was handled
occasionally to ensure the scent permeated the person and their clothes,
rattlesnakes would not bite them. Some tribes even used to chew the root and
then hold rattlesnakes with their teeth and were not bitten so long as the
scent persisted[257].
Cultivation details
Prefers growing in marshy conditions[1]. Very easily grown in any damp
soil[42]. Prefers a heavy rich moist soil[4] and partial shade[188]. Prefers
a sunny position[233].
Plants are hardy to about -25° c[187].
This species has been cultivated by the N. American Indians as a medicinal
plant[207, 213].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or
rabbits[233].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed
should be sown as early in the year as possible in a cold frame. Prick out
the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and
grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first year. Plant out
into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Division, best done in early autumn after flowering, but can also be done in
mid-spring. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their
permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them
on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for the family Iridaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.
[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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