Rhizome fleshy. Leaves 3-5 cm wide, grey-green, straight, tapered at tip. Stems 60-120 cm tall, 1-2 branched. Spathes 3.5-5.5 cm, herbaceous with brown papery tip. Flowers 2, 8-10 cm wide, blue-violet; early spring. Perianth tube about 2 cm long; falls 6-9 cm long with claws veined brown and yellow beard; standards erect, broad, 5-8 cm long.

Of Garden Origin in E Mediterranean.

Rarely grown except as the cultivar 'Florentina' which has white flowers with a blue tinge; source of orris root, the powdered dry rhizome which is used for perfumery. Syn. I. florentina.

I. pallida Lamarck, Dalmatian Iris from W Balkans has a fleshy rhizome. Leaves 2-4 cm wide, greyish, sword-shaped, tapered at tip. Stem 15-120 cm, 1-2 branched. Spathes 2-3.5 cm, papery and translucent. Flowers 3-6, pale lilac-blue, about 10 cm wide, fragrant; spring. Perianth tube to 1 cm long; falls 5-8 cm long with yellow beard; standards 5-8 cm, erect. Syn. I. dalmatica hort. 'Argentea Variegata' has leaves striped cream.

I. reichenbachii Heuffel from SE Europe has a fleshy rhizome. Stem 10-20 cm tall, simple or 1 branched. Leaves flat, 10-15 mm wide, erect, evergreen. Spathes green, keeled. Flowers 1-2, 5-6.5 cm wide, dull yellow or purple, veined darker; spring. Perianth tube 1.5-2.5 cm, falls bearded with gold- or purple-tipped white hairs.

Source: Cooke, D. (2005). Iridaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.