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Botanical Family · Asparagales

Iridaceae

Saffron Family

4 speciesOrder Asparagales4+ well-known plants

The Iridaceae family (Saffron Family) is a botanical family placed in the order Asparagales. In the SASYA catalogue it spans 4 species across 3 genera. Its members are predominantly herbs. Well-represented genera include Iris, Belamcanda and Trimezia. Several members are valued in traditional medicine. Familiar examples include Leopard Flower, Blackberry Lily and wall iris.

Browse all 4 species ↓
Representative IRIDACEAE specimen
Representative specimen · Iridaceae
Key pattern

Sword-shaped or grass-like leaves arising in a flattened fan from an underground bulb, corm, or rhizome; showy flowers have three petals and three near-identical petal-like sepals, with an inferior ovary sitting below them.

Saffron, the world's most expensive spice by weight, is hand-harvested from just three tiny stigma threads inside each flower of one family member, Crocus sativus.

Identify the species

Which Iridaceae species is this?

Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Iridaceae species.

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Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?
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Purple
Yellow
Family identification method

To check whether a plant belongs to Iridaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.

Learn the full family-identification method

Typical flower & fruit

Typical of the family — flowering plants only; species can vary.

Notable members

Leopard FlowerBelamcanda chinensisBlackberry LilyIris domesticaWall IrisIris tectorumYellow Walking IrisTrimezia steyermarkii

Families that can look similar

Orchidaceae

Compare against Orchidaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.

Compare Orchidaceae

Amaryllidaceae

Compare against Amaryllidaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.

Compare Amaryllidaceae

Agavaceae

Compare against Agavaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.

Compare Agavaceae

Asparagaceae

Compare against Asparagaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.

Compare Asparagaceae

All 4 species in IRIDACEAE

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