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Trees- ShrubsYellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus)
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Yellow Flag belongs to the Iridaceae Family, and the Genus Iris (1). It is a robust, tall plant (approximately two meters), that has many roots. Its leaves are greyish green in colour, one to three centimetres in length, with membranous margins. There are usually five to 10 flowers which are seven to 10 cm in length. The flowers are yellow with brown or purple marks on the broad oval petals (2). The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by bees and hoverflies (3). The leaves, and the roots of this species, contain a resinous substance that if absorbed can cause gastric disturbances, dermatitis and allergies. However if dried out, this plant can be safely consumed as tea. The seeds can also be an excellent coffee substitute as long as they are well roasted (3). Yellow Flag is used in pharmaceutics, as well as medicines, as a strong purging or cleanser (4). Due to the fact that Yellow Flag contains tannins, the flowers and roots can be made into yellow and black dyes (4) that are used in the ink industry (3).
It is a perennial species that blooms from May to July. It is a hermaphrodite plant but can also be propagated via seeds that are replanted in late spring or early summer, in their permanent positions (3).
Yellow Flag prefers light or medium soils (sandy or loamy), full of nutrients, that can be either acid, neutral or alkaline (3). It demands a lot of moisture and can be found growing in water. Consequently this species is mostly found near rivers (4) and lakes (2). It can grow under some shade, it is wind tolerant but not frost resilient (3). It is commonly found in gardens as an ornamental plant (4).
It is found all across Europe, from England to Norway, from south-eastern and north Africa to Caucasus and also in western Asia (3). It can also be found all over Greece (1).
It is not mentioned on the IUCN Red List (5).
Description translated by Anna Theodoridou (2009)
(1) Γ.Π. Σαρλής, (1999), Συστηματική Βοτανική-Εφαρμογές Κορμοφύτων, εκδ. Σταμούλη.
(2) Blamey. M., and Grey-Wilson. C. (1993) Mediterranean Wild Flowers, Harper Collins Publishers, London.
(3) Plants for a Future (2009) Iris pseudacorus L. [online] Available:
http://pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Iris+pseudacorus [date accessed: 05/08/2009]
(4) Grieve. M. (2009) Iris pseudacorus [online] Available:
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/i/iripse09.html [date accessed: 05/08/2009]
IUCN (2009) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species [online] Available:
http://www.iucnredlist.org [date accessed: 05/08/2009]
