It looks like Iris lacustris to me. There is hardy any genetic
variation in this species, and with the exception of f. alba, they all
look pretty much the same. Seed set is low in the wild, and many
colonies are large vegetative clones. The assumption is that I.
lacustris is derived from a single northward colonization event by I.
cristata, the normal range of which is about 500 km south at its
closest.
I. lacustris mostly occurs here:
http://www.michigan.gov/images/dwarf_iris_distribution_57509_7.jpg
as well as in small numbers on the adjacent Door Peninsula in
Wisconsin and Manitoulin Island and the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario.
The isolated southernmost population near Milwaukee is extirpated.
The range of I. cristata, widespread south of the glacial maximum:
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/FloraData/001/Map/26/iris_cristata.jpg
Despite being restricted to limestone pavement or sand dunes along
Lake Michigan and Lake Huron (but not Lake Superior) in the wild, it
seems to do just fine in garden conditions that suit I. cristata.
Sean Z
Zone 5b/6a
SE Michigan
Quoting Robert Pries <r*@embarqmail.com>:
>
>
> My first thought is that this is lacustris. Some botanists have
> placed lacustris as a subspecies of cristata because they are very
> very similar. Generally lacustris is much smaller and confined to a
> small region around Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. But there are
> very small forms of cristata in limited locations in the Southern
> USA that would be very hard to tell from the classic lacustris. Good
> to hear from you Yuri, Sincerely Bob Pries
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Yuri Pirogov" <j*@aha.ru>
> To: i*@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Friday, June 24, 2011 4:08:35 AM
> Subject: [iris-species] ID please
>
> Â
>
>
>
>
>
> Is this beauty Iris lacustris or Iris cristata?
>
> Yuri
> in Moscow
>
>
>
