Though often called English Iris for its prevalence as a favorite in England and exportation to the European continent Low Countries from there, this species is native to Spain and France and has had several previous names. It is one of the larger showy iris with the 3 inner erect standards of 1.5 - 2 inches tall and up to 2 inches wide. The 3 outer falls are also large at 2 - 3 inches long and 1 - 1.5 inches wide. The blueish-purple and sometimes pale blue, white or even yellow blooms are held at the top of 15-inch stalks in twos to three in late June. The strap-like leaves are up to 20 inches tall in a knife shape spreading at the base as a fan. A perennial herbaceous herb, this plant likes full sun and should be kept damp during the growing season. This plant is great for use in beds, borders, and rock gardens. It can be naturalized by spreading bulbs and should be cultivated by division. When planting, bury the bulbs 8 inches to the base and spaced 6 inches apart at 6-10 bulbs per sq. ft. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: 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 drainage
Frequent Standing Water | Occasionally Wet
Available space
Less than 12 inches
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Linear
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Strap-like, overlapping at base, oriented in one plane
Flower color
Blue; Gold/Yellow; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower shape
Irregular
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
1-several flowers at the top of a naked stem, 6-parted with 3 outer, spreading or pendent "falls" and 3 inner, erect "standards", variously colored, blooms in late spring
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit type
Capsule
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
Northwest Spain, Pyrenees and France
Play value
Attractive Flowers
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Container; Naturalized Area; Pond; Small Space; Woodland
Landscape theme
Rain Garden; Rock Garden
Design feature
Border; Mass Planting
Garden tags
#poisonous #rock garden #blue flowers #purple flowers #naturalizes #wet soils tolerant #riparian #pond margins #small spaces #bulb #problem for dogs #problem for cats #problem for horses #full sun tolerant #spreading #container plant #contact dermatitis
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Slugs and Snails Found on Flowers and Foliage; Narcissus Bulb Fly; Potato Aphid on Ornamental Plants
Problems
Contact Dermatitis; Poisonous to Humans; Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses
Resistant to
Wet Soil
Propagation
Division
Poison severity
Low
Poison parts
Roots; Sap/Juice; Seeds
Poison symptoms
CAUSES ONLY LOW TOXICITY IF EATEN. SKIN IRRITATION MINOR, OR LASTING ONLY FOR A FEW MINUTES. Nausea, salivation, vomiting, abdominal pain, lethargy, diarrhea, elevated temperature following ingestion; skin irritation upon contact with seeds, rootstock, or cell sap.
Toxic principle
Pentacylic terpenoids (zeorin, missourin and missouriensin), Irisin, iridin, or irisine