Louisiana Iris

By Anne Gisleson

Beautiful and ephemeral, treasured and endangered, the Louisiana iris is unique among the world's irises for its diversity of color and form and its distinct habitat. Whether curated behind walled gardens, flourishing deep in swamps accessible only by boat, vibrantly lining roadside ditches, or singled out for urban wetlands projects, the wild, native Louisiana iris is an apt symbol for wild Louisiana: alluring, mythic, perennially threatened by hurricanes, climate change, and development. Utilitarian as well as aesthetic, it filters toxins from the waters and holds together deteriorating soil; its survival is intertwined with the survival of the land itself. For more than a century it has inspired devotion, unique opportunities for study, and movements to rescue and preserve its existence.

Organized around a series of "field trips" in search of native Louisiana iris species in the wild, this book transforms scientific and historical material into lived experience while illustrating the complexity of our relationship to the land. From the glorious roadside colonies of Iris fulva (copper irises) in St. Landry Parish to the rare and endangered Iris nelsonii (Abbeville red) hidden deep in the swamps of Vermilion Parish, Anne Gisleson takes us on the journey of her encounters with this captivating flower and the people dedicated to its survival amid persistent threats from urban and rural development, climate change, and hydrological alteration.

The stories told in Louisiana Iris underscore the interconnectedness of people, plants, and place and capture the irises' changing and endangered habitats, from swamps and open fields to gardens and neglected spaces. In particular, the wild Louisiana iris's appearance in gardens exposes surprising, inspiring, and unsettling histories. From the ghostly reemergence of the royal purple irises of the destroyed free Black town of Fazendeville, to the hidden swamp garden of Creole traiteur Edmond Riggs, to Edgar and Edith Stern's grand estate of Longue Vue in New Orleans, the iris plays a role in these expressions of our relationship to the living world and to each other. Ultimately, Louisiana Iris encourages a broader reflection on conservation and the future of fragile landscapes.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807187429
• ISBN13: 9780807187425
• Release Date: March 2027
• Publisher: LSU Press
• Length: 176 Pages