Leaves 3-5 cm wide, curved, glossy. Stem 35-60 cm tall, leafy. Spathes green. Flowers 4-7, 7-8 cm wide, mauve to pale lilac or rarely white; spring. Perianth tube 5 cm long; falls oblong, winged, the blade with a white ridge surrounded by yellow zone; standards ovate, 2-3 cm long.

C Asia.

I. bucharica Foster, Bokhara Iris, from Afghanistan, Tadjikistan has leaves 2 ranked, to 20 cm long, curved, channelled, glossy green with white edges. Stem elongating to 30-45 cm tall as flowers open. Spathes green. Flowers 3-7 in leaf axils; spring. Perianth tube about 5 cm long; falls about 5 cm long with yellow scalloped ridge flanked by green or brown-purple blotches; standards much shorter, horizontal, cream or white. Style branches white with large crests. A golden-yellow form was known by the misapplied name Iris orchioides of gardens, not Carriére.

I. persica L., Persian Iris from Turkey and Iraq has leaves to 1 cm wide, tapering, green above, grey below with white margin. Stem very short. Flowers 5-6 cm wide, translucent pale lilac or dull yellow; late winter. Perianth tube 6-8 cm; falls winged, the blade with a bright yellow crest; standards horizontal, 1.5-2.5 cm long.

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.