| The Louisiana iris, Iris giganticaerulea, was adopted as the official state wildflower in 1990. Currently, there are five recognized species of Louisiana irises: Iris giganaticaerulea, I . hexagona, I. fulva, I. brevicaulis and I. nelsonii. The number of recognized species used to be quite lengthy, but taxonomist have concluded that many iris species were actually natural hybrids. From these five species, there have been hundreds of cultivated varieties developed over the years in a myriad of colors.
The most common species naturally occurring in the Chenier Plain region is Iris giganticaurulea, commonly known as the blue flag. This species is normally found within a few miles of the Gulf of Mexico coastline due to its low tolerance for harsh cold temperatures. It will also not tolerate much salinity, thriving in freshwater marshes. This puts it in a precarious position due to the loss of freshwater marshes caused by saltwater intrusion.
The Louisiana iris flourished in the coastal freshwater marshes of Cameron Parish until the storm surges of hurricanes Rita in 2005 and then Ike in 2008. These hurricanes were particularly detrimental due to the time of year which they made landfall. Both came ashore in September, when tides are high for extended periods. Both storms also brought little rainfall, which meant that the storm surges, which inundated areas far inland, were high in salinity and then concentrated as they sat over the marshes for months.
The Louisiana iris puts out shallow, specialized root systems called rhizomes. These rhizomes are located just under the soil surface, or in organic matter, putting them in contact with the highest concentrations of salt. The effect of the two storm surges has been the virtual disappearance of the blue flag in traditional wild areas of Cameron Parish. Undoubtedly, there are a few viable plants and seeds in the wild which will grow in some fresher areas, but it may be a long time before the huge stands of blue flags return to the Cheniers.
Over the years, many visitors to Cameron Parish made collections of irises and transplanted them in home gardens outside of its native area, thus preserving the native plants. A few of these folks have been contacted and they have agreed to donate plants to the Louisiana Iris Restoration Initiative. Several locations were identified as stock sites to be planted with the donated plants. From these stock sites, plants will be moved in the future to suitable, traditional sites.
The stocking sites are at Grand Lake High School, where eighth grade science students helped in planting, and at Cameron Prairie NWR, where Americorp members, student workers and Cameron Parish 4-Hers volunteered to do the planting. Each site was planted with approximately 250 rhizomes. The plan is to expand the stocking beds into Hackberry and Johnsons Bayou in 2010. These areas are being delayed a year due to the huge surge from Hurricane Ike. Hopefully, these efforts will restore the Louisiana State Wildflower to its natural range of Cameron Parish’s Cheniers.
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