Taxon Report

Iris tenax Dougl. ssp. klamathensis Lenz

Orleans iris

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Iris tenax ssp. klamathensis, commonly known as Orleans iris, is a perennial rhizomatous herb in the Iridaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 100 to 1400 meters. Iris tenax ssp. klamathensis is ranked 4.3, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Not very threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Iris tenax Dougl. ssp. klamathensis Lenz
Common Name:	Orleans iris
Family:	Iridaceae
Element Code:	PMIRI090Z2
USDA Plants Symbol:	IRTEK2
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial rhizomatous herb
Blooming Period: Apr-May	Apr-May
Elevation:	100-1400 (330-4595)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.3
Global Rank:	G4G5T4
State Rank:	S4
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	0
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	0
Good (B)	0
Fair (C)	0
Poor (D)	0
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	0

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Del Norte (DNT), Humboldt (HUM), Siskiyou (SIS)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Bark Shanty Gulch (4112345), Forks of Salmon (4112333), Hiouchi (4112471), Orleans (4112335), Orleans Mtn. (4112334), Salyer (4012385), Somes Bar (4112344)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	0
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	0	0 %

Notes




Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Aliso 4(1):64 (1958)

Iris tenax ssp. klamathensis profile for potential Species of Conservation Concern evaluation (2018)

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 28 October 2025].