A rare rhizomatous perennial iris from mountains of Iran, Turkey, Central Asia and the Caucasus, with grey-green sickle-shaped leaves and one white or cream flower veined purple or brown. Grow it in well-drained, slightly alkaline soil in full sun, ideally in a hot sand bed under glass.
Family
Iridaceae (Iris family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly and keep the soil well drained, since the rhizome rots in wet soil.
Soil
Well-drained, sandy or gritty soil, neutral to slightly alkaline (around pH 7).
Temperature
Hardy in cold winters in the UK; protect in a greenhouse in colder regions.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: Rhizome and leaves are poisonous; ingestion can cause stomach pain and vomiting, and handling may cause skin irritation or allergy.
About
Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Iris. It is a subspecies of Iris acutiloba, and is a rhizomatous perennial, from the mountains of Iran, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan. It has narrow, lanceolate, or falcate (sickle-shaped) leaves, which are grey-green and glaucous. It has a slender straight stem holding one terminal flower. The flowers, come in shades of white, cream, or creamy white and have veining that is purple or brown, or a mixture of both. It is heavily veined or streaked in purple or brown, with a dark purple-brown, spot on 3 of the outer petals and brown, dark purple, or black short beard. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, unless grown in a greenhouse.
How to grow it
It is rare in cultivation, but thought to be one of the easier Oncocyclus type irises to grow.
It prefers to grow in well-drained soils, or if grown in a greenhouse, within a hot sand bed.
Safety
Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), and if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Also, handling the plant may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.
Where it grows
It is native to temperate central Asia, in the region of Transcaucasia.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.