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| **FERNALD'S IRIS**                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| ***Iris fernaldii* R.C. Foster**                                      |
|                                                                       |
| plant symbol = IRFE                                                   |
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###### Contributed By: USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

## ![](media/image1.png){width="1.8854166666666667in" height="1.7708333333333333in"}

# Uses

*Warning***: Fresh iris roots may be toxic.**

*Ethnobotanic*: Flour was made from iris seed by the Monache and the
Southern Yokuts in California. The Pomo placed acorn meal in a shallow
pit and covered the meal with iris leaves before pouring water over the
meal to leach out tannic acid.

Iris makes some of the finest cordage. The fibers are particularly
strong and flexible. Only two fibers can be taken from each iris leaf
margin. Huge numbers of leaves were harvested in the fall and stored
until needed. Iris cordage was used for fishing nets, string, rope,
snares, hairnets, camping bags, and regalia. The fibers are fine like
silk, but surprisingly strong. The iris leaves were gathered in large
bundles and a single silky fiber was taken from each margin of the leaf.
None of the other fibers were used. In spite of the tremendous labor of
preparing this material, the iris fiber was one of the most generally
employed in northwestern California. Since iris is fine and can be bent
at sharp angles, it also makes an excellent starting knot in coiled
baskets.

Using a mussel-shell or abalone \"thumbnail,\" the women stripped the
fibers from the leaves. The fibers are detached from the leaves and
scraped clean of all tissues. The threads were twisted on the bare thigh
by the men, mostly while sitting around in their sweathouses. The men
knotted the material into fishing nets. To catch deer, a rope was made
of about 20 feet in length with lasso at one end and about half an inch
in diameter. This loop was set over a deer trail to catch the head or
antlers. Within the set loop over the trail was spread a delicate
network of the same material to draw in the loop. One Indian stated that
\"it takes nearly six weeks to make a rope twelve feet long.\"

A poultice of the raw rhizome is especially effective against staph
sores. Externally, iris is successfully used in infected wounds, ulcers,
fistulas and to take away freckles. Only the dry root should be used
internally. Iris is active as a cathartic, has a stimulating effect on
the production of both pancreatic enzymes and bile, is a strong
diuretic, and will stimulate both saliva and sweat. This is a useful
drug plant but should be used with care and preferably in combinations
where less energetic plants form the bulk of a medicinal formula.

Tea from iris roots was used for kidney trouble by several California
Indian peoples (Murphey 1959). The Yana chewed iris roots to cure
coughs. The Modoc used an Iris root decoction to soothe sore eyes. A
piece of iris root was inserted in a tooth cavity to kill the nerve, so
the tooth would come out. Roots were burned and the smoke inhaled to
alleviate dizziness. A root decoction was used as a cathartic and
emetic, but large doses could cause severe digestive problems.

*Landscaping & Wildlife*: The beautiful and variable blossoms lend
themselves to landscaping, where they require minimal maintenance.
Native irises are free flowering, most are long lived, require very
little attention, and provide an abundance of seeds. In some situations,
such as pastures, iris can be invasive. Iris flowers attract insects and
birds while providing both nectar and insects to hummingbirds.

# Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious status
and wetland indicator values.

# Description

*General*: Iris Family (Iridaceae). *Iris fernaldii* has narrowed; dark
gray-green leaves with beet red staining at the base and often up the
broad stems and even into the spathes. It has cream-yellowish flowers
with lavender to red-brown veining and blooms from April-May. This
perennial, evergreen iris has two flowers to a stem. The rhizomes
average 6 mm in diameter.

# Distribution

For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Web site. Fernald's iris grows in woods from Santa
Cruz north to Sonoma, Solano, and Lake Counties in California.

# Establishment

*Adaptation*: It is able to tolerate sun to high shade, and requires
moderate moisture. In the wild, Fernald's iris grows in shady places
from 50 to 2000 m in elevation. This iris is native to shady sloped in
the mixed evergreen forest. Horticulturally, it is used for borders,
among trees and shrubs. This iris is not a clumping form; it will reseed
densely in good conditions. *Iris fernaldii* hybridizes with *Iris
macrosiphon* and the hybrid populations threaten the pure strains.

The native irises are excellent in shade situations, even dense shade of
walls and fences (Schmidt 1980). They will tolerate sun for most of the
day in mild areas, and should have afternoon shade and ample water in
the interior regions. These plants are intolerant of frequent summer
water; they should not be planted near lawns or other moisture-loving
plants. These plants require excellent drainage. Compacted or other
water-holding soils may need to be modified. Fertilization increases
biomass and seed production.

When allowed to increase freely, plants will naturalize and eventually
form extensive ground cover. Unless the seed vessels are removed there
will be many volunteer plants, but if inferior flower size or color
appears it should be culled immediately.

Irises start growing with the first cool weather and rains in fall,
reaching the height of their growth in spring and early summer.

*Propagation by Plant Division*: Iris species are clonal, radiating in
their growth outward from the center. The best propagation method for
these is division, in fall or winter after the first new roots are
established but before the flowers form.

Native irises in the wild tend to produce only a small, dry rhizome with
stringy roots which is difficult to dig. Vigorous garden or greenhouse
plants produce firm, white, growing roots especially in winter and
spring growing seasons, and clumps are easily divided at those time.
Remove a new fan with fleshy roots set in a prepared site, water it, and
provide shade for a few days if the plant is placed in full sun.
Frequent division appears to keep the plants vigorous, as well as being
the best method of increasing the supply of superior forms.

*Propagation by Seed*: Iris seed is easily collected from the large
capsules. The capsules turn from green to brown and open at the top when
they are ripe. You have to watch them closely, they split very rapidly,
then two days later the seed is spilled out. Collect capsules carefully
to avoid spilling seeds. Each capsule contains from 20 to 80 seeds.

Seeds should be stored in paper envelopes at room temperature until they
are planted. The seeds of all species will keep up to 10 years at room
temperature.

Plant seeds in 6-inch pots, using a combination of leaf mold and peat
moss. Cover seeds with 1/2 inch of same material. Any good potting soil
that\'s acidic is good for seed germination.

After planting, over-winter the pots outdoors in November or December.
They will come up in 2-3 months, depending on the weather. Germination
increases the second year, because there\'s always a percentage of a
hard seed that won\'t germinate the first year. Part of the seed waits
for the next year, to increase the probability for good weather
conditions and optimize germination success.

Plant the seedlings in May, when the young plants are usually 3 to 6
inches tall or even taller. Plants are likely to require watering the
first year while roots are being established. Plant from 6 inches to
one-foot when spacing. If a natural look is desired, scatter and clump
the plantings. Plants will begin to bloom by their second year if growth
has been continuous.

Direct seeding is possible in places that can be left undisturbed, as
among shrubs, or among low perennials where the seedlings can be
sheltered. If planting seeds in the ground, autumn is the best time for
seeding; germination begins in two or three months and often continues
beyond that time. A friable seed mixture of sand, loam, and either peat
or screened leaf mold is best, covering the seed with sphagnum moss to
aid in preventing damping-off of seedlings.

# Management

In autumn old leaves should be removed from the center of large clumps,
the foliage cut back, and a mulch applied, especially if the irises are
being naturalized in a semi-dry area. Traditional resource management
included harvesting huge bunches of iris leaves in the fall, and storing
these leaves until needed. The fibers are then harvested from the
leaves. This naturally accomplished the pruning and mulching that modern
horticulturists practice to maintain iris beds.

The PCI borer (*Amphipoea americana* var. *pacifica* ) and iris borer
are serious pests of iris. The iris borer stays in the rhizome through
the winter then metamorphose, coming out sometime in the spring as a
nocturnal moth. Controlling the moth when its flying, to prevent it from
laying its eggs on the Iris, would control the borer. At this time, it
is recommended to dig the infected plant out entirely, put it a plastic
bag, and put them in the garbage can to avoid contamination of other
plants.

Milkweed (*Asclepias* species) and dogbane (*Apocynum cannibinum*) were
traditionally burned by native people in the fall to maintain vigorous
plant production, to stimulate plant growth, to optimize long and
abundant fiber production from leaves and stalks, and to stimulate seed
production. It is probable that iris was burned for the same reasons.

# Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

IRFE is widely available through native plant nurseries throughout its
range. Please check the Vendor Database, expected to be on-line through
the PLANTS Web site in 2001 by clicking on Plant Materials.

# References

American Iris Society. *SPCNI*. 4333 Oak Hill Road, Oakland, California.

Archer, W.A. 1957. *Abstract of Pharmacological Research*. pp. 108-131
IN: \"Medicinal Uses of Plants by Indian Tribes of Nevada,\" by Percy
Train, James R. Henrichs and W. Andrew Archer. Contributions Toward a
Flora of Nevada, No. 45. Beltsville, MD: USDA, Plant Industry Station.
\[Facsimile Reprint: Quarterman Publications, Lawrence, Massachusets,
1978.\]

Balls, E.K. 1962. *Early uses of California plants*. University of
California Press. 103 pp.

Cohen, V.A. 1967. *Guide to the Pacific Coast irises*. A monograph with
drawings and photos. British Iris Society. This monograph has been
reprinted by the Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris (SPCNI), 4333 Oak
Hill Road, Oakland, California.

Cooke, S.S. 1997. *A field guide to the common wetland plants of western
Washington and Northwestern Oregon*. Seattle Audubon Society and
Washington Native Plant Society. 414 pp.

Fowler, C.S. 1992. *In the shadow of Fox Peak. An ethnography of the
cattail-eater Northern Paiute People of Stillwater Marsh*. Cultural
Resource Series Number 5. USDI, FWS, Region 1, Stillwater National
Wildlife Refuge. 264 pp.

Gunther, E. 1945 rev. 1973. *Ethnobotany of western Washington*.
University of Washington Publications in Anthropology, 10(1). University
of Washington Press, Seattle.

Hickman, J.C. (ed.) 1993. *The Jepson manual. Higher plants of
Cal*ifornia. University of California Press. 1399 pp.

Hunn, E. & J. Selam and family. 1990. *Nch\'i-Wana \"The Big River*\"*.
Mid-Columbia Indians and their land*. University of Washington Press,
Seattle and London. 378 pp.

Hutchens, A.R. 1991. *Indian herbalogy of North America*. Shambhala,
Boston & London. 382 pp.

Lawyer, A. and L. (January/February) 1996. *Growing and hybridizing your
own iris.* Growing Native*.* The Newsletter of the Growing Native
Research Institute. 15 pp.

Martin, A.C., H.S. Zim, & A.L. Nelson 1951. *American wildlife and
plants: A guide to wildlife food habits*. Dover Publications, Inc., New
York, New York. 500 pp.

Lenz, L,W.A. 1958. *Revision of the Pacific Coast irises. A monograph
with drawings and site maps for both species and naturally occurring
hybrids*. Originally published in RSABG\'s publication Also in 1958, it
has been reprinted by the Society for Pacific Coast Native Iris (SPCNI),
4333 Oak Hill Road, Oakland, California.

Mason, H.L. 1957. *A glora of the marshes of California*. University of
California. 878 pp.

Moore, M. 1979. *Medicinal plants of the mountain west*. Museum of New
Mexico Press. 200 pp.

Moser, C.L. 1993. *Native American basketry of southern California*.
Riverside Museum Press. 155 pp.

Murphy, E.V.A. 1959. *Indian uses of native plants*. Mendocino County
Historical Society. 81 pp.

Schmidt, M.G. 1980. *Growing California native pla*nts. University of
California Press. 366 pp.

Strike, S.S. 1994. *Ethnobotany of the California Indians*. Koeltz
Scientific Books. USA\\Germany. 210 pp.

USDA, NRCS 1999. *The PLANTS database*. National Plant Data Center,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. \<http://plants.usda.gov\>. Version: 990412.

Warburton, Bee. date unknown. *The world of irises*. American Iris
Society, 718 West 67th Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

# Prepared By

*Michelle Stevens*

formerly USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

# Species Coordinator

*M. Kat Anderson*

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

c/o Environmental Horticulture Department, University of California,
Davis, California

Edited: 05dec00 jsp; 20may03 ahv

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> and Plant
Materials Program Web sites
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>.

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