The Iris hartwegii complex is within the genus Iris, series Californicae. The series Californicae has about 17 taxa and is restricted to the Pacific Coast of North America. In 1959 Lenz circumscribed the I. hartwegii complex suggesting new combinations and one new taxon. Problems persist regarding treatment of the I. hartwegii complex. Lenz speculated I. h. subsp. australis was sympatric with the progenitor I. h. subsp. hartwegii. These two species are currently separated by the Mojave Desert at a distance of 200 km. Lenz additionally questioned the phylogeny of I. h. subsp. columbiana, offering two explanations. He suggested I. h. subsp. columbiana may be ancestral to I. munzii and I. h. subsp. hartwegii, or alternatively that I. h. subsp. columbiana is a hybrid of I. munzii and I. h. subsp. hartwegii. Research by Young in the mid 1990’s proposed that all members of the series Californicae be placed in one species complex. Recent work by Wilson suggests that the I. hartwegii complex may be polyphyletic. Preliminary evidence based on RAPD’s and morphological data indicate that I. h. subsp. pinetorum may not be distinctly separate from I. h. subsp. hartwegii. However recognition of I. h. subsp. australis and columbiana are supported by RAPD’s and phenetics data.

Key words: Iridaceae, Iris hartwegii, phenetic, RAPD