Iris tenax - Toughleaf Iris

Description

A beautiful little Iris native to Oregon and up into Washington.  The flower is a deep royal purple with a white striated throat and yellow nectar guides.  Though the one we stock is a deeper purple, this species is really variable and the flower can range anywhere from a pale creamy yellow into deep violet, with different phenotypes hailing from different populations.  This Iris tends to grow in meadows and forest clearings and would like to live in a similar mild situation in your garden.  Would be lovely near a path in some dappled sun or shade, and would live happily alongside Festuca or Carex sp.  There is also a subspecies native to the California side of the Klamath-Siskiyou range called Iris tenax ssp. klamathensis, which tends to range from creams to yellows with deep plum striations and a winged ovary.