Dixie iris is very rare plant in the Iridaceae family found in a range of South Carolina to Florida and Louisiana. In the wild is grows in wet, shallow, sunny areas such as marshes, ditches, swamps, and streams or riversides of the coastal areas. This herbaceous perennial grows to 3-4 feet tall and spreads 1-1.5 feet but the leaves die back after the early spring bloom and reappear in the fall for the next season. It prefers full sun however it can tolerate some shade and moist to wet acidic rich soils. Soils that are on the drier side can be mitigated with a heavy application of wet mulch to keep the soil cool and reduce evaporation. The blue to lavender flowers are more similar to I. hollandica than I. germanica in that the flowers on tall 1-3 foot stems are delicate and crisp with the three standards being narrower and shorter over the three widespread falls. The seed pod is hexagonal, but the preferred method of propagation is through the division of the rhizomes planted shallowly. It can grow in several inches of water; so are perfect for that low spot in the landscape that never drains, a bog garden or pond gardens. The rhizomes can spread easily making it good for naturalizing or planting along a border. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. It is subject to iris borers, whiteflies, aphids, thrips and the fungal, bacterial difficulties of the Iris family so the bed should be kept clean of old leaves and debris. More information on Iris .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Frequent Standing Water | Moist | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 9 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Knife-like, narrow, to 3 feet long and 1.25 inches wide basal leaves that arise from rhizomes.
Flower color
Blue; Purple/Lavender; Variegated; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Funnel; Irregular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Delicate 3" lavender to blue sometimes white flowers with 3 short, upright standards, 3 spreading, pendant falls, and yellow signals instead of beards.