Description
This Quebec Blue Flag Iris $3 fine silver coin is the second in a 13 coin series that features the floral emblems of Canada. While Iris versicolor can be found in marshes and along shorelines in central and eastern Canada, it has special meaning in the province of Quebec. This violet-blue wildflower is synonymous with wetlands, rivers and lakes in La belle province, where the provincial emblem blooms between late May and early July. Mintage is limited to 4,000. HST/GST exempt.
Quebec was one of the first four Canadian provinces established by the British North America Act (Confederation) in 1867. This coin’s reverse features a colourful depiction of the blue flag iris, which gained official status as the floral emblem of Quebec in 1999.
The Design:
The reverse design by Canadian artist Lisa Thomson-Khan features a stylized floral pattern on the outer ring, while the inner core features a colour portrait of the official floral emblem of Quebec, the blue flag iris (Iris versicolor). The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.
Quebec Blue Flag Iris:
Blue flag grows from 60 to 90 cm tall at maturity. Several, purple-blue blooms appear from the end of May to early July. The flowers can be up to 10 cm across and have three showy sepals that gracefully curve down. They have a splash of white and yellow near the centre and purple veins. There are three paler petals nearer the centre, which are upright. Several large seeds are formed inside a large brown capsule. Blue flag leaves are long, sometimes up to 3 cm wide and 80 cm tall.
