The open plant encyclopedia
Snap a photo or search by any name to see how to care for it, where it comes from, whether it's safe, and a 3D model you can turn.
The plants people record most in your country, and ones that grow there wild.
Filter by what you want to do, shape, origin, country, care and safety.
Iris iberica
Iris iberica is a small rhizomatous perennial iris from the Caucasus and northwest Iran, grown for its single showy flower in late spring. It is an Oncocyclus iris, and the key to growing it is sharp drainage and a dry rest in summer.
Iris iberica is a plant species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus Iris and in the section Oncocyclus. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the Caucasus Mountains of Armenia, eastern Georgia, and western Azerbaijan.
It has narrow, glaucous, gray-green and sickle shaped leaves, short stem holding a single flower in late spring. Which has a pale background (white, cream or pale blue) covered with heavy veining in pale mauve, violet, dark purple, maroon or purple-brown. It has a black or dark purple signal patch and a brown or purple-brown beard. Although, it has many hybrid forms dues to its variability and has 2 known subspecies of Iris iberica subsp. elegantissima and Iris iberica subsp. lycotis. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, as it is hardier than other Oncocyclus species.
'Oncocyclus Section' Irises are generally harder to grow than 'Regelia Section' irises. I. iberica is hardy to European Zone 4, (meaning hardy to −5 to −10 °C (23 to 14 °F). This includes parts of Europe, where it can be planted in a sunny, rock garden position, in sandy soil. Although it grows best within a cold frame or alpine house. In order to protect the iris from excess moisture (especially during winter times) and also to ensure the (shallow planted) rhizomes get the best temperatures during the growing season. They can be grown in pots (especially in deep ones known as 'long toms'), but they need re-potting, every 2 years and extra feeding. Watering is one of the most critical aspects of iris cultivation. It can suffer from aphids, viruses and rots. I. iberica is affected by fungal Puccinia iridis. It is also the host plant of Mononychus schoenherrii Kolenati (a weevil that feeds on the seeds of the iris). The weevil lays its eggs within seed capsule of the iris, later the larvae feed on the seed and then pupates.
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.
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 iberica 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.
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.
