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Flat Bamboo Orchid

Iris confusa

Also called Bamboo Iris

Flat Bamboo Orchid
Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0
Family
Iridaceae (Iris family)
Grows as
Grass, Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade, Shade
Water
Likes moisture
Safety
Toxic
Native range
S. China
Climate
temperate

About

Iris confusa ( kən-FEW-sə), also known as the bamboo iris (simplified Chinese: 扁竹兰; traditional Chinese: 扁竹蘭; pinyin: biǎn zhúlán), is a species of iris. It is also in the subgenus Limniris and in the section Lophiris (crested irises). It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, native to Western China. It has flowers which range from white to a soft lavender or pale blue in colour, with orange-yellow crests and purple dots. The plant's broad, shiny leaves are attached to bamboo-like stems. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

How to grow it

It is hardy to between USDA Zone 9 – Zone 11. It is thought hardy to −5 °C, it can be left outdoors in warm parts of the US, such as California. It is also hardy to European Zone H4. In Britain (and some parts of Europe), it is classed as Tender, so it can be grown in a pot and then over-winter in a cool greenhouse.

In Australia, it can be grown beneath shrubs used as frost protection.

Safety

Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Also handling the plant may cause a skin irritation or an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals.

Uses

I. confusa is used within Yunnan as an ingredient in Chinese herbal medicines.

Other Iris plants

Iris acutiloba subsp. lineolata · Iris acutiloba · Iris adriatica · Iris afghanica · Iris alberti · Iris albomarginata · Iris alexeenkoi · Single Bract Iris · Iris antilibanotica · Stool iris · Iris arenaria · Iris assadiana

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Iris confusa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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