PRAIRIE IRID
File Size: 42 KB
 
Nemastylis geminiflora  Nutt.
Neosho County, Kansas
Perennial
Height: 5-20 inches
Family: Iridaceae - Iris Family
Flowering Period:   April, May
Also Called: Prairie iris, prairie celestial lily.
Stems: Erect, sturdy, round; from spherical bulb, .6 to 1.2 inch in diameter, dark, scaly.
Leaves: 1-4, grass-like, linear to sword-shaped, 5-18 inches long, 1/8 to 2/5 inch wide, folded together lengthwise, prominent ribs and furrows, tip pointed, 1 blade often exceeding inflorescence.
Inflorescences: 1-3 flowers, terminal on slender ascending branches; spathe bracts 2, nearly equal.
Flowers: 1.6 to 2.8 inches across; perianth segments 6, similar, in 2 series, spreading, .8 to 1.4 inch long, blue, base lighter; stamens 3, opposite inner perianth segments, anthers oblong, 2/5 to 1/2 inch long, filaments short, thickened, united at base; styles 3, each divided into 2 threadlike branches, stigmas tiny, spherical.
Fruits: Capsule, egg-shaped, .6 to 1 inch long, .4 to .6 inch wide; seeds numerous, 1/6 inch long, rust-colored.
Habitat: Moist to dry prairies and open oak woods; limestone or chalk soils.
Distribution: Southeast 1/4 of Kansas.
Comments: Each flower lasts only a day. The flowers usually open in the morning and close before sunset. The perianth segments curl by mid-afternoon.

Prairie irid flower
49 KB
Neosho County, Kansas
Prairie irid
103 KB
Neosho County, Kansas
Prairie irid leaf
48 KB
Neosho County, Kansas