Iris fernaldii
Endemic to western Northern California's Coast Ranges around the Santa Cruz Mountains and San Francisco Bay Area, this iris grows to about 30 cm tall, spreads by underground rhizomes, has gray-green leaves edged in pink or purple, and bears pale yellow to creamy white flowers.
Common Names
Fernald's Iris, Wine Country Iris
Summary
Fernald's iris is native to the central California coastal ranges, where it grows in shady woodlands and moist slopes; it forms dense clumps via underground rhizomes, reaching about 1 ft tall with narrow gray-green leaves, and bears two cream- to yellow-colored flowers with veining per stem in spring, which attract bees and butterflies.
In cultivation, it prefers full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil with moderate watering and occasional summer irrigation; it can be propagated by division (reliable) or by seed (slower, germinating in year two), and suits native plant and habitat gardens, rock gardens, and planting under oaks, with deer resistance once established; USDA zones 4–8.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
8-18 inches
Spread
6-24 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 7-8
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained, humus- and organic-matter-rich soil; pH 5.0–7.0
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil that is moist but not waterlogged.
Soil pH
6.0-7.0, Slightly acidic to neutral soil
Bloom Color
Yellow
Bloom Time
Spring to Summer
Foliage Color
Gray-green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Moderate
Seasons of Interest
Spring
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, other pollinators, birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- R.C.Foster
- Publication
- Iridis Sp. Nov. : 1 (1938)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Asparagales
- Family
- Iridaceae
- Genus
- Iris