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Yellow Iris

Iris pseudacorus

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in swamps, marshes, streams, ponds, streambanks, tidal wetlands, cultivated as a water plant. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Severe harm

Not native to Louisiana. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Height
Single or multiple flowering stems are 20 to 39 inches tall, usually shorter than or equaling leaves [21].
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to standing water

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Louisiana.

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
March to July
Fruiting season
Late June to October

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 18 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

Ponds, lakes and their shores

Still water and its edges: ponds, lakes, millponds and reservoirs.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Iris

  • Endothenia hebesanaVerbena Bud Moth
  • Moodna ostrinellaDarker Moodna
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Xanthopastis regnatrixConvict Caterpillar, Spanish Quaker, Spanish Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Iris

  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Iridaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
Late June
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Pale Yellow Iris

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNA
Global rankGNR
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources