Japanse iris is an herbaceous perennial rhizomatous plant in the Iridaceae (iris) family. It is an evergreen crested iris from Asia that can be used in the semi-shady woodland garden as a ground cover. It will spread quickly to cover an area. The showy blooms appear in April- May and range from white to pale blue to purple. It is tolerant of a wide range of soil and pH types and needs good drainage in part shade. This drought-tolerant plant is generally avoided by deer and rabbits.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 10 in. - 1 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (1-3 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Arching; Clumping; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Rosulate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Sword-shaped green basal leaves are 12-20 inches long. Margins are entire and the leaves are arching. Upper side is somewhat glossy and underside light dull green
Flower color
Blue; Purple/Lavender; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower shape
Saucer
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Pale blue to purple to white 2-inch flowers with yellow or orange crests blooms April to May. The showy blooms are similar to orchid blooms. It has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals (outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals