A bulbous species with leaves 4 angled, emerging with flower, ultimately to 40 cm long. Flower solitary, 5 cm wide, bright yellow; late winter. Perianth tube 3-6 cm long, sheathed by two leaves; falls 3-4 cm long, broad ovate blade with orange centre stripe and green dots on claw; standards reduced to bristles 3-5 mm long. Style branches with irregularly toothed crests.
Difficult to grow as the bulbs break up into tiny bulblets after flowering, and these can take several years to again reach flowering size.
Most, if not all, I. danfordiae grown in Australia are an un-named triploid clone.
C Turkey.
I. histrioides (G.F.Wilson) Arnott from N Turkey is a bulbous species with leaves 4-angled, emerging after flower, to 50 cm long. Spathes papery. Flower solitary, 6-9 cm wide, light blue; late winter. Perianth tube 6-10 cm long, sheathed by two leaves. Falls with yellow crest surrounded by dark blue dots.
The Reticulata group of cultivars are selections or hybrids with I. bakeriana Foster, I. histrioides (G.F.Wilson) Arnott and I. winogradowii Fomin, including: 'GEORGE' Flowers plum purple, falls with darker veins and yellow signal. 'HARMONY' Flowers medium blue, yellow crest, white-edged signal on falls. 'J.S. DIJT' Flowers red-purple, orange-gold crest, mottled mark on falls. 'NATASCHA' Flowers cream-white, yellow signal on falls. 'PURPLE GEM' Flowers have dark purple falls with large dark-veined white signal; standards violet.
Source: (2005). Iridaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
