Iris histrioides

It is similar in form to Iris histrio, but with flowers a deeper shade of blue,[2] and shorter stem.[3]

It has bulbs which are coated with a solid brown fibrous network.[4]

It has leaves that grow up to 40–50 cm (16–20 in) high,[3][5] and are squarish in cross section, thicker than in other Reticulatas.[3] They appear after the flowers have bloomed or sometimes as they open.[3][4][6]

It has a very very short stem.[4]

The flower is about 6–7 cm (2.4–2.8 in) tall.[5][7][8]

It blooms in early spring, normally January,[5] or February.[4]

It has flowers that vary in shade from bright blue to violet.[4][7][9]

Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals (outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals (or tepals), known as the 'standards'.[10]^:17 The falls have a yellow signal, with many black spots,[4][7][8] also they have a yellow ridge.[7][8] The flowers can last up to a week on the plant, depending on the weather.[4]

It is sometimes known as the 'Orchis Iris',[12][13] ‘winter iris’,[14] or 'Harput iris',[2] after the Turkish city of Harput.[15]

It was first published as Iris reticulata var. histrioides and described by G.F.Wilson in Gardeners' Chronicles ser.3 Vol.9 n page 117 in 1891.[11] In 1892, in the 'Journal of Horticulture' Vol.III Issue 24 on page 121, Samuel Arnott republished it as Iris histrioides.[16]

The specific epithet histrioides, refers to resembling Iris histrio.[4][17]

Iris histrioides was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 3 April 2003, then updated on 1 December 2004.[18]

It is native to Europe.[18]

It was on the 1997 IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants.[20]

It is a hardy species,[8] to between USDA Zone: 5 - 8.[21] It is hardier than Iris histrio.[3] But be planted in well-drained soils, to protect from summer rains, which will rot the bulb.[4]

It is suitable for a rock or gravel garden or front of border.[22] It likes rocky soils that dry out completely in summer.[4]

Once the bulb has been planted, it can take many years to reach flowering size. Also it has the habit of the main bulb splitting into many bulblets, that can take many years to reach flowering size.[23]

Grows well outside but also good in the alpine house. This species is represented in cultivation by several cultivars.[3]

• Iris Angel Tears' (blue with a honey mark on white ground with a small yellow vein),[8]
• Iris 'George' (purple),[19]
• Iris 'Katharine Hodgkin'(light blue standards, pale yellow falls, a 1960s hybrid of Iris histrioides and the primrose-yellow Iris winogradowii),[24]
• Iris 'Harmony' (light blue, a hybrid between I. histrioides and Iris reticulata),[19]
• Iris 'Joyce' (deep blue falls and sky blue standards),[25]
• Iris 'Lady Beatrice Stanley' (dark blue or pale-blue flowers and a mass of dark spotting on the falls),[19][26]
• Iris 'Major' (royal blue),[19][27]
• Iris 'Pauline' (light blue, a hybrid between I. histrioides and I. reticulata),[19]

• 
  Iris histrioides f. major
• 
  Variety 'Gerorge'
• 
  Variety 'Katharine Hodgkin'

• Iris histrioides var. sophenensis also, from Turkey is deep violet-blue with little veining or spotting, narrow petals and a yellow ridge.[28]

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.[29]

Iris histrioides and Iris persica L. have been used as food ingredients in Turkey.[30]

• Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource on www.skud.info). 2012 (Kulturvaxtdatabas)
• Davis, P. H., ed. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands. 1965-1988 (F Turk)
• Mathew, B. The Iris. 1981 (Iris) 175-176.

• Media related to Iris histrioides at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Iris histrioides at Wikispecies