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Iris paradoxa is a small rhizomatous perennial iris from the Caucasus and northwest Iran, known for its unusual flowers where the upright petals are larger than the drooping ones. Grow it in full sun with well-drained soil and a summer drought, as in an alpine house or rock garden.
Iris paradoxa is a species of flowering plant native to western Asia. It has large upright petals and smaller lower petals, which is unique amongst most iris forms. They come in various shades from white, lavender, mauve, medium purple, violet, dark purple to black. It has a black or purplish black beard on the lower petals. It comes from the region of Transcaucasia, and is found in the countries of Iran, Turkey, Armenia and in Azerbaijan.
I. paradoxa can be easily grown in an alpine house, or they can be placed in rock gardens, which should have a summer drought. They grow well in full sun with mildly acidic to mildly alkaline soils (of ph levels between 6.1–7.8). The flower and stem (if removed from the plant) may have a shelf life of two to three days. Irises can generally be propagated by division, or by seed growing.
I. paradoxa has been listed with Iris orientalis and Iris spuria subsp. musulmanica as halophyte (salt-tolerant) plants.
Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (including rhizome and leaves), if mistakenly ingested, it can cause stomach pains and vomiting. Also handling the plant may cause a skin irritation or an allergic reaction.
Males of Xylocopa valga (a type of carpenter bee) have been observed pseudo-copulating on the reduced, velvety petals of the plant in Leriksky area, near Gosmaljan, Azerbaijan.
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 paradoxa 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.
