Iris Songarica

Iris songarica is a distinctive Central Asian beardless iris with narrow grey-green leaves and deep-reaching roots adapted to steppe and mountain conditions. Stems carry two or three broad flowers in violet, dark blue or lavender, often patterned with deeper spots and veins across the falls and standards. The blooms have the elegant proportions of a spuria iris but a richer, cooler palette. Native from Iran and Afghanistan towards Mongolia, it is hardy and drought resistant once established, making an unusual species for a sunny, sharply drained border.