I. missouriensis question

David Joyce fowarded a message from Steve Erickson about the current and
historical occurrences of Iris missouriensis west of the Cascade Mts. in
Oregon and Washington.
He asked whether the one remaining population on Whidbey Island,
Washington is the last such occurrence. 

Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest (Hitchcock, et al.) states that
the only occurrence west of the Cascades is "only on some isulands of
Puget Sound".  Does that mean that the species has been wiped out on all
the other islands?  This seems surprising as house and cottage
development on the islands tends to be somewhat "rural" on large lots
with plenty of trees, etc. left. At least north of the border on the
companion islands in Georgia Strait, the residents have made a great
effort to protect the natural vegetation and scenery. One would think
that the homeowners would welcome a flowering plant of this sort. I
would think that a quick call to the botanists at U of W would answer
the question immediately.

Ian, in Ottawa
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index