National Collection of Imperiled Plants

CPC National Collection Plant Profile

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CPC National Collection Plant Profile

Iris lacustris

Family:	Iridaceae
Common Names:	dwarfLake Iris, Lake Iris
Author:	Nutt.
Growth Habit:	Forb/herb
CPC Number:	2321

Distribution
Protection
Conservation
References

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Image Owner: WI DNR, SNA files

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Iris lacustris is Fully Sponsored

Primary custodian for this plant in the CPC National Collection of Endangered Plants is:

The Holden Arboretum

Dawn M. Gerlica and Lindsey Parsons contributed to this Plant Profile.

Iris lacustris

This miniature perennial iris has deep blue, sometimes lilac or white flowers (1 1/2 inches in width and 1 1/2-2 1/2 inches in height) that occur one flower per stem. Flowers appear from early May to early June, and have 3 petals with yellow crests. Stems are less than 2 inches tall. Leaves are 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. They are flattened, sword shaped, and come in fan shaped clusters. Although globally rare, this species can reproduce clonally from rhizomes, so where it is found it grows in thick patches. The species is self-compatible, but insects are needed to transport the pollen, and seed set is generally low. The few seeds produced are dispersed by ants.

Distribution & Occurrence

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State Range

Michigan
Wisconsin

Habitat

Found on the north shores of the Great Lakes, this species generally occurs near to the lakes' shorelines, as it is well adapted to the cool, moist lakeshore air there. Intolerant of full sun, you often find this species growing in sandy or gravelly soil in the partial shade of coniferous trees or the mesic areas at a forest's edge. (USFWS 1988)

Distribution

Around the Great Lakes; near the Northern Shores of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, in Michigan. Found in the states of: Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, and the province of Ontario (USFWS 1988).

Number Left

At the time of federal listing in 1988, this species was found in about 60 sites in 10 counties on the northern shores of Lake Michigan and Huron. (USFWS 1988) Ninety five percent of the known populations of this species occur in Michigan (Chittenden & Carrington 1996).

Protection

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Global Rank:	G3	10/4/1996	Guide to Global Ranks
Federal Status:	LT	10/24/1996	Guide to Federal Status
Recovery Plan:	Yes

State/Area Protection

State/Area	Rank	Status	Date
Canada	N3		5/22/1991
Michigan	S3	LT	3/1/1999
Ontario	S3		8/26/1988
Wisconsin	S2	LT	1/12/2001

Conservation, Ecology & Research

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Ecological Relationships

Seeds, when they are produced, bear a single, white, corkscrew-shaped appendage, called an eliaosome. These eliaosomes are energy-rich food sources for ants, who consequently are primarily responsible for dispersal of this specie's seed. (Chittenden and Carrington 1996)

Threats

Residential and shoreline development
Road construction
Recreational activities
Chemical spraying
Road salting
Habitat succession
Off-road vehicles (ORV's)
Being sold as a commercial flower
Picking (generally results in the flower being uprooted)
Loss of habitat in general
Increasing human disturbance
(USFWS 1988)

Current Research Summary

Dr. Gary L. Hannan, at Eastern Michigan University, has studied the reproductive biology and genetic diversity of this species. He found that I. Lacustris has very little genetic diversity compared to its more widespread relative, Iris cristata.

Current Management Summary

None known.

Research Management Needs

Ex Situ Needs

References

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Books (Single Authors)

1999. A Forester's Field Guide to the Endangered and Threatened Plants of Michigan's Upper Penninsula. Mead Corporation, Champion International Corporation and Shelter Bay Forests, Inc.

Argus, G.W.; White, D.J. 1982. Atlas of the rare vascular plants of Ontario. Ottawa: National Museum of Natural Science.

Braun, E.L. 1967. The Monocotyledonae: Cattails to Orchids. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Press. 464p.

Chittendon, E.M.; Carrington, P.H. 1996. Endangered and Threatened Plants in Michigan. Michigan State University Press. 53p.

Mohlenbrock, R.H. 1983. Where have all the wildflowers gone? A region-by-region guide to threatened or endangered U.S. wildflowers. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co. Inc. 239p.

Electronic Sources

USGS. (2002). Status of Listed Species and Recovery Plan Development. [Web site] USGS: Norther Prairie Wildlife Research Center. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/others/recoprog/plant.htm. Accessed: 2002.

WIDNR. (2002). Wisconsin Endangered and Threatened Plants Species. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/er/factsheets/00etlist2.htm. Accessed: 2002.

Journal Articles

Atwood, W.H. 1933. The Lake Iris and its Differentiation from Cristata. Bulletin of the American Iris Society. 47: 78-79.

Foster, R.C. 1937. A cytotaxonomic survey of the North American species of Iris. Contributions of the Gray Herbarium. 119: 82.

Guire, K.E.; Voss, E.G. 1963. Distributions of distinctive shoreline plants in the Great Lakes Region. Michigan Botanist. 2: 99-114.

Hannan, G.L.; Orick, M.W. 2000. Isozyme diversity in Iris cristata and the threatened glacial endemic I. lacustris (Iridaceae). American Journal of Botany. 87, 3: 293-301.

Hart, C.R. 1990. A new station in Door County Wisconsis USA for the rare iris-Lacustris nutt dwarf lake iris. Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences Arts & Letters. 78: 63-64.

Larson, B.M.H. 1998. Visitation of the endemic Dwarf Lake Iris, Iris lacustris, by Halictid bees, Augochlorella striata. Canadian Field-Naturalist. 112, 3: 522-524.

Orick, M.W. 1992. Enzyme Polymorphism and Genetic Diversity in the Great Lakes Endemic Iris lacustris Nutt. (Dwarf Lake Iris). Masters Abstracts International. 30-04: page 1193.

Planisek, S.L. 1983. The breeding system, fecundity, and dispersal of Iris lacustris. Michigan Botanist. 22: 93-102.

Rees, M.D. 1988. Final listing rules approved for 25 species. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 13, 9-10: 3-5.

Simonich, M.T.; Morgan, M.D. 1994. Allozymic Uniformity in Iris lacustris (Dwarf Lake Iris) in Wisconsin. Canadian Journal of Botany-Revue Canadienne De Botanique. 72, 11: 1720-1722.

Stebbins, G.L. 1935. Some observations on the flora of the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario. Rhodora. 37: 63-74.

Trick, J.A.; Fewless, G. 1984. A new station for dwarf lake iris. Michigan Botanist. 23: 68.

USFWS. 1988. Determination of Threatened Status for Iris lacustris (Dwarf Lake Iris). Federal Register. 53, 188: 37972-37975.

USFWS. 1988. Final Listing Rules. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. 13, 9-10: 4.

USFWS. 1988. Habitat loss threatens two midwestern plants. Endangered Species Technical Bulletin. XIII, 1: 1.

Van Kley, J.E. 1989. Habitat and Ecology of Iris lacustris (The Dwarf Lake Iris). Masters Abstracts International. 28-02: 0255.

Waller, A.E. 1931. The native Iris of Ohio and bordering territory. Ohio Journal of Science. 31: 29-43.

Reports

1992. Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris). Lansing, MI: Michigan DNR Wildlife Division, Natural Heritage Program. p.4.

Crispin, S.; Penskar, M. 1990. Iris lacustris; Endangered Species Manual. Michigan Natural Features Inventory. Unpublished abstracts.

Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris). Bell Museum of Natural History and the Office of Endangered Species, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. p.1.

Litzow, M. 1978. Iris lacustris Nutt: Summary of the literature. Chanhassen, MN: Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. p.6. Unpublished report.

Penskar, M.R.; Crispin, S.R.; Higman, P.J. 2001. Special plant abstract for Iris lacustris (dwarf lake iris). Lansing, MI: Michigan Natural Features Inventory. p.3.

Randall, C. 1978. Four threatened plants for the Great Lakes shorelines. Lansing: Michigan Department of Natural Resources. p.6.

Read, Robert H. 1976. Endangered and threatened vascular plants of Wisconsin, Technical Bulletin No. 92. Madison, WI: Scientific Areas Preservation Council, Department of Natural Resources. p.58.

Theses

Makholm, M.M. 1986. Ecology and management of Iris lacustris in Wisconsin. [M.S. Thesis]: University of Wisconsin, Madison. 122p.

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This profile was updated on 3/4/2010