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Dwarf iris
Dwarf iris
- THAT'S ME
- FACTS
- OBSERVATIONS
- QUIZ
Dear explorer, dear explorers,
It's me, the dwarf iris. My name may sound a little complicated, but when you discover me as the first colorful harbinger of spring, it quickly becomes clear who I am. But I'm not that easy to find either, you have to know that I'm particularly common on nutrient-poor dry grassland and unfortunately there aren't that many of those left. If you want to see my yellow or purple-violet flowers, then you shouldn't hesitate too long, because my colorful splendor can only be admired for a few weeks. You can find out where I get the energy for such large flowers so early in the year and other exciting things in this newsletter.
All my love,
Your dwarf iris
Appearance
The dwarf iris has thickened underground creeping shoots (rhizomes). Its leaves are gray-green and sword-shaped. Its stems are only up to 5 cm long. On them sits a flower up to 9 cm long, which can have different colors. Yellow or violet to violet-bluish flowers are very common, but white flowers are also rare. It is the smallest native iris, but has a strikingly large flower in relation to the flower stalk, which blooms close to the ground.
Image credit 1: © Roland.aprent, CC BY-SA 4, via Wikimedia Commons, Image credit 2: © Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Image credit 3: © Володимир Тертишник, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distribution
Image credit: Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The dwarf iris is a typical plant of the Pannonian region. It colonizes gappy dry grassland areas over rock, stones or sand. Its westernmost occurrence is in Lower Austria. Its distribution area extends from eastern Lower Austria to Slovakia, Hungary, the Balkans and southern Russia. In Austria, its occurrence is limited to Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. As rare as the iris is to find, it can also form large populations in suitable locations.
Way of life
The dwarf iris is a rhizome geophyte. Geophyte means that the survival buds are underground. The storage organs of the irises are thickened underground creeping shoots (rhizomes) on which the survival buds are located. Sword-shaped leaves and eye-catching flowers sprout from these in spring. The flowering period lasts a few weeks from mid-March to mid-April.
Special features
Dwarf irises are nectar flowers. The flower color of the dwarf iris varies from blue, purple, yellow, creamy yellow to white. These strikingly colorful flowers cannot be overlooked and attract insects from afar. The insects climb into the flower in the hope of finding nectar, but come up empty in their search and visit the next flower. The different flower colors serve to keep the insects interested. If all flowers were the same color, insects would quickly learn that there is nothing to be had. But this way they try again with a different colored flower and thus contribute more to pollination.
Hazards
Even though it can form large populations in suitable locations, the dwarf iris is highly endangered. Its habitats are in decline. In particular, a lack of grazing and the overgrowth of areas are displacing this light-loving species. Without targeted management to preserve the habitats, such as extensive grazing and the removal of woody plants, it would disappear from the sites.
Where to find
Image credit: © Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Depending on the weather, the flowers of the dwarf iris can occasionally be spotted on steppes, dry grasslands and at the edges of lakes in mid-March to the end of April. In Seewinkel, especially around the Lange Lacke, you have the best chance of seeing large populations. The beautiful flowers can be admired during the St. Martin's Spring Safari, and the rangers know the best places to find them!
