Wild Iris – 17th August 2009
The dramatic, large and showy yellow flowers of the yellow iris or yellow flag may well have gone over by now but the characteristic broad, tall leaves are still dominant. The plant develops dense patches or areas of the sword like leaves that are up to 15 mm wide and, sometimes, over a metre tall. The bright yellow flowers shown in the photograph seem to have a golden glow that was captured by G. Clarke Nutall in his “Wild flowers as they Grow”. “The marsh seemed lit up with these bright lamps of gold under the shadowy willows and dark alders”. If the flowers are outstanding so are the dramatic looking leaves that have inspired many writers and poets. Variously described as “grey sashes of the long leaves” to miniature swords. Indeed one of the country names “segg” from the Anglo-Saxon means “short sword”.
These leaves have been put to a very wide range of uses, perhaps unparalleled compared with other leaves. One of the more practical uses was for thatching as in Orkney, for example, they were used to bulk out the reeds for thatching. The St.Kildans on the island of Hirta went one further as at one time their thatch was entirely composed of the leaves of yellow iris. This is not surprising as there was little else on the archipelago they could use for thatch. Scottish children had their own use for the leaves as through a slit in the leaf the tip was threaded through to form a “seggie” boat that could be sailed on water. The leaf could also be placed between thumbs and blown through to make a loud squeak, hence another local name of “cheeper”. Yellow iris was well known to the old herbalists although its use for medicinal purpose seem to be almost confined to Scotland and, in particular, the Highlands and also the Islands.
These, the largest of the native irises, occur throughout the Highlands and Islands, including the Northern Isles. It is normally a plant of lower altitude but can grow at over 400 metres in favourable sites. Part of its success is its ability to grow in a wide range of places, albeit normally wet sites. These include wet meadows and woods, margins of lochs, lochans and slow rivers. It also occurs in coastal burns, shingle, upper salt marshes and raised beaches. It reproduces by seed and by vegetative spread. There is a mystery surrounding the yellow iris in recent years in the Highlands. The traditional show of the flowers that can “make” a scene or landscape seems to have gone. The leaves seem to be as vigorous as ever but the impressive flowers seem either to be weak and small or, sometimes, even non existent and this year has been no exception. From a wildlife point of view the beds of leaves hide the secretive nests of the corncrake, snipe and redshank. It is also the food plant of the caterpillars of at least seven moths but, unusually, instead of feeding on the leaves four of them, including the rush wainscot, feed on the stems.
With such a widespread use for practical purposes, medicinal, culinary and folklore it is not surprising that there are many names for this plant. ,The local names include flag plant, flagger and duck’s bill. Scots name included seggen and water-skeg. One of the two Gaelic names is bog-uisge meaning “rainbow” whilst the other, seilisdear, has two other spelling but all three mean “plant of light”. The photograph was taken in a boggy area on the Essich road south of Inverness.