YELLOW FLAG IRIS

Yellow Flag Iris growing by a stream in early Summer. (Credit: Gardenia.net)

KEY FACTS

• ​In a vase of gold And scarlet, how cold The flicker of wrinkled grays In this iris-sheaf! - 'Michael Field', 'Irises'

• A tall plant (it can grow up to a meter and a half in height) with branched stems and large, bright yellow flowers. Its leaves are long and sword-shaped. It grows from a thick rhizome at the base. This give a black dye and black ink. 

• The yellow iris was chosen as the County Flower of Wigtownshire and the county's marshy hollows are often flooded with its bright 'flags' . It is known locally as 'segg' or 'sword-grass', a reference to the equally remarkable blade-like leaves.

• This plant likes to grow in damp places, from lake, ponds and river margins to wet woodland, fens, ditches and marshes. They tend to flower from May to July.

DID YOU KNOW?

Yellow Flag Iris medicinally used for its astringency, to stop blood flow. Also the roasted seeds have been used to make an coffee-like drink.