Louisiana Iris

The name "Louisiana Iris" originated with the famed naturalist and artist John James Audubon. In the 1820s, while living in Louisiana, Audubon painted a pair of Parula Warblers. And, as Audubon was prone to do, he included some local flora in the background--in this case a tall and radiant specimen of I. fulva . In his notes, Audubon referred to the flower as a "Louisiana Flag," and in so doing he coined the name by which we still know this iris and its relatives. In the state of Louisiana, five iris species are recognized and categorized as the Louisiana Iris group, Series Hexagonae: Iris fulva, Iris hexagona, Iris brevicaulis, Iris giganticaerulea, and Iris nelsonii.