Smooth-leaved iris, or rabbit-ear iris, is a water iris from East Asia that blooms best standing in a few inches of water. It isn't native to the US, but gardeners grow it in ponds and water gardens. In Japan it's called kakitsubata.
Appearance
- Leaves
- Narrow, upright, strap-shaped leaves without the strong midrib most irises have.
- Flowers
- Flowers about 4 in (10 cm) across, usually blue to violet, with a single narrow white line on each drooping outer petal.
- Flowering time
- Late spring to early summer, sometimes reblooming in fall.
Look-alikes
Japanese IrisIris ensata
Japanese iris has a yellow blaze at the base of each outer petal and usually blooms a little later, in early to midsummer; smooth-leaved iris has a single white line and lacks the strong leaf midrib of other Asian irises.
Why they get mixed upBoth are purple Asian irises of wet ground, and both are sometimes sold as 'Japanese iris.'
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Marshes
- Pond edges
- Water gardens
- Range
- Native from southern Siberia and northeastern China through Korea to Japan. In the US it is grown in gardens rather than found in the wild.
- Preferred conditions
- Shallow standing water about 2–8 in (5–20 cm) deep, or constantly wet soil; full sun for the best flowers.
Growing it
- Care
- Hardy in USDA zones 5–9. More dependent on water than other Asian irises. The variegated form 'Variegata' is a popular pond plant.
- Toxicity
- Mildly toxic, mostly the roots and seeds; it can sicken cats, dogs, and horses and is listed as toxic to cattle.
Name and classification
- Varieties and forms
- Japanese gardeners have bred it for centuries. The best known form in Western gardens is the white-striped 'Variegata', which holds the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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