Common name: Tall Bearded Iris
Iris germanica L. APNI* Synonyms: Iris x germanica var. florentina APNI*
Iris x germanica L. APNI*
Description: Clump-forming evergreen herb to 120 cm high; fleshy rhizomes at soil surface, 3–5 cm diam.
Leaves in fan-shaped clusters, sword-shaped, 30–50 cm long, 2.5–4 cm wide, apex acute, surfaces glaucous.
Scape 1- or 2-branched; cymes 2–5-flowered; spathe bracts ovate, 3–5 cm long. Flowers usually white, sometimes blue, violet, yellow or multicoloured, shortly pedicellate. Perianth tube c. 2 cm long, funnel-shaped; lobes obovate, emarginate, 6–8 cm long, margins undulate; outer lobes recurved, bearded with yellow hairs on midvein; inner lobes erect or incurved, glabrous. Style branches broad-spathulate.
Capsule ovoid, trigonous, 4–5 cm long; seeds globose, angular, c. 5 mm diam., wrinkled, brown.
Flowering: September–October
Distribution and occurrence: Widely grown as a garden ornamental in temperate districts and naturalized locally on roadsides and wasteland; inland to Mendooran district. Native of Eur. & W Asia.
NSW subdivisions: *CC, *CT, *ST, *NWS, *CWS
Other Australian states: *Vic. *Tas. *W.A. *S.A.
A garden plant cultivated in Europe since classical times and probably derived by hybridization of species from the eastern Medit. region (I. pallida X I. variegata).
Text by T. A. James & E. A. Brown (1993); edited KL Wilson (Jan 2014)
Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 4 (1993)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data
***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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