Iris japonica

Native from China to Myanmar and in central and southern Japan, it is a perennial that spreads by creeping rhizomes which root at intervals. It grows along open forest margins and in wet grasslands. The white, pale blue or purple flowers have fringed edges and a yellow-orange crest, opening successively during spring. It is cultivated in sheltered gardens and cool greenhouses. The species received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. The cultivar ‘Variegata’ has creamy-white striped leaves. Its rhizomes are poisonous if eaten, and the sap can irritate skin. Photographed in Bogotá, Colombia.