Iris unguicularis
| Iris unguicularis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Iridaceae |
| Genus: | Iris |
| Subgenus: | Iris subg. Limniris |
| Section: | Iris sect. Limniris |
| Series: | Iris ser. Unguiculares |
| Species: | I. unguicularis
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| Binomial name | |
| Iris unguicularis | |
| Synonyms | |
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Iris unguicularis (syn. Iris stylosa), the Algerian iris, is a rhizomatous flowering plant in the genus Iris, native to Algeria, Greece, Turkey, Western Syria, and Tunisia. It grows to 30 centimetres (12 in), with grassy evergreen leaves, producing pale lilac or purple flowers with a central band of yellow on the falls. The flowers appear in winter and early spring. They are fragrant, with pronounced perianth tubes up to 20 cm (7.9 in) long.
This plant is widely cultivated in temperate regions, and numerous cultivars have been selected for garden use, including a slightly more tender white form 'Alba', and a dwarf variety I. unguicularis subsp. cretensis. The cultivar 'Mary Barnard' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.