Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus)

The Yellow Flag is scientifically known as Iris pseudacorus. Some people call it water flag, yellow flag or yellow iris. It is in the family of Iridaceae and belongs to the genus Iris. This species is native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia.

The Yellow Flag Iris does well in temperate areas and is popular for its ornamental properties.

This species is widely sold for purposes of gardening but it can be a very invasive aquatic plant. If it invades a piece of land it can be very difficult to get rid of even with serious sloughing.

The rhizomes of the Yellow Flag Iris are known to have been used for medicinal purposes for a long time now. It is also able to suck heavy metals through its roots and as such it is used to purify water.

The Yellow Flag Iris is an herbaceous flower and a perennial plant. It grows up to 100 to 150 centimeters tall; its leaves are erect and can be up to 90cms long with a breadth of 3cms. The color of its flowers is bright yellow and they are quite conspicuous. They measure about 7 to 10cm across and they resemble the iris so much.

The Yellow Flag Iris produces a fruit in form of a dry capsule that measures 4 to 7 centimeters in length and it contains a number of seeds that are pale brown in color.

This species favors wet conditions and as such it is commonly found in wetlands with low PH, submersion and anoxic soils.

This plant is known to spread very quickly whether via rhizome or water dispersed seeds. The plant is majorly aquatic but it can survive dry conditions for a prolonged period of time. It is also known to fill a similar niche with Typha and many times they grow together. It however does better in shallow waters.