Iris Halophila Var. Sogdiana

This Sogdian form of Iris halophila differs from the yellow-flowered type in its cool blue-violet to grey-lilac blooms. Branched stems carry several flowers in early summer, the falls marked with darker purple veins and a yellow basal claw, above fans of narrow, sword-like foliage. Its range extends from Iran and Central Asia towards western China, where it grows in damp meadow steppe, gravelly slopes and beside rivers or reservoirs. Exceptionally hardy and moisture tolerant, it is an unusual blue spuria iris for bog gardens and sunny pond margins.