Description
Iris stenophylla is an excellent dwarf species, owing allegiance to Iris persica in its size and floral shape, but of a very different colouring.
It is much more tolerant of water and considerably easier to grow than persica (which can be a bit recalcitrant at times). These are nursery-raised plants grown outside. The allisonii subspecies has more leaves than the type and a distinctive flower colour, these being palest blue-violet strongly marked in imperial purple towards the tips of the falls which have a strong, well-defined, orange yellow crest, the purple and yellow areas being separated by a white zone. Argued by some to be distinct and by others to be within the range of the typical plant. Whatever your take on the fluid nature of taxonomy, this is the plant called allisonii.
No more difficult than species such as maracandica or aucheri, this enjoys a well drained, loam soil in full sun with summer dryness, but no extreme “bake” is needed. Don’t however grow it in peat-based composts (or similar).
