yellow walking iris
Trimezia steyermarkii
It earns its 'walking' moniker because when new plantlets form at the tips of the flower stalks, their weight bows the stalk to the ground where they take root, effectively stepping across the forest floor.
- Scientific name
- Trimezia steyermarkii
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Asparagales › Iridaceae › Trimezia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Humid forest understories, moist woodlands, and shaded riverbanks.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela
- Size
- 60 to 90 cm (24 to 36 inches) tall
- Lifespan
- Perennial (indefinite lifespan through continuous clonal propagation)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation and deforestation in its native Central and South American ranges, though widely preserved in cultivation.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to touch, but do not ingest any part of the plant as the rhizomes and leaves contain compounds that can cause mild digestive upset. Safe to observe up close. If sap contacts sensitive skin, wash the area with soap and water.
Trimezia steyermarkii is a species of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, native to southern Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and Venezuela. Plants are up to 150 cm tall, with rhizomes up to 2–4 cm long and 2–3 cm wide; leaves are lanceolate, 60–150 cm long by 2 cm wide; flowers are yellow with brown spots. In countries like Colombia and Venezuela one of common names that is often given to this plant is "Hand of God" because of the three flower...
Photo: Esteban Poveda, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/a2642dc2-d8e0-4448-85fb-9c39f51ec454.md