Long-tail iris (Iris rossii) is a small, beardless rhizomatous perennial with grass-like leaves and one or two purple-violet flowers in spring, native to Japan, Korea and northeast China. It is rare in cultivation and suits sunny, well-drained spots such as rock gardens and xeriscapes.
Family
Iridaceae (Iris family)
Grows as
Grass, Perennial
Light
Full sun, Shade
Water
Water sparingly once established; it tolerates drought well and resents soggy soil.
Soil
Well-drained, fertile soil or gritty mix; rock garden or scree conditions suit it.
Temperature
Hardy in cold temperate climates; exact limits not given in sources.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: Rhizome and leaves are poisonous if eaten, causing stomach pain and vomiting; handling may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction.
Native range
NE. China (Liaoning) to Korea, SW. & S. Japan
Climate
temperate
About
Iris rossii, the long-tail iris, is a beardless iris in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and in the series Chinenses of the genus. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial from Japan, Korea and China. It has narrow, grass-like leaves, short stems and 1 or 2 purple-violet flowers.
How to grow it
Iris rossii is hardy in the US and the UK, but is rare in cultivation.
It likes to grow in well-drained and nutrient rich soils.
Safety
Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous or toxic (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.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Iris rossii 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.