Long-tail iris is a tiny East Asian iris, about 4–8 in (10–20 cm) tall, with an unusually long, slender tube — about 2–2.75 in (5–7 cm) — beneath each purple flower. It blooms in April and May on sunny hillsides in Korea, northeastern China, and western Japan. It doesn't grow wild in the US and is rarely seen in American gardens.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A small perennial that spreads by thin, tough, reddish-brown .
- Leaves
- Grass-like leaves about 0.1–0.2 in (2–5 mm) wide stay short at bloom time, then lengthen to about 12 in (30 cm) afterward.
- Flowers
- One or two purple-violet flowers per stem, about 1.5 in (3.5–4 cm) across. The have white spots or veins and a white-to-yellow center.
- Fruit
- Seed capsules ripen from June to August.
Look-alikes
Blood irisIris sanguinea
Blood iris is a much larger plant, about 1–3 ft (30–90 cm) tall with flowers 2.5–3 in (6–8 cm) across, and it blooms later, from May into summer. A purple iris only a hand's width tall blooming in April or May is long-tail iris.
Why they get mixed upSimilar purple flowers, and both grow in Korea and Japan.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Sunny hillsides
- Grassy forest edges
- Clearings in pine woods
- Meadows
- Range
- Native to Korea, northeastern China (Liaoning and Manchuria), and scattered sites in western Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu in Japan. Not native to North America.
- Preferred conditions
- Prefers sunny, well-drained grassy slopes.
Growing it
- Care
- Hardy in the US but rare in gardens. Grows best in full sun in well-drained, rich soil, and suits rock gardens. Because division is slow, it is usually grown from seed.
Name and classification
- Varieties and forms
- A form with white flowers streaked with yellow, known only from Korea, was described in 1974. It is now usually treated as part of this species.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- The species name honors John Ross, a 19th-century Scottish missionary in northeastern China whose specimens were used to name it.
More species to explore
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