Iris spuria L.

Clumps very leafy, dark green. Rhizome 2–3 cm diam. Leaves c. 1 cm wide, < stems. Stems 60–90 cm high, unbranched. Flowers 2–3 or solitary, blue-purple, to 12 cm diam., shortly pedicelled; tube short; segments c. 5 cm long, outer with short orbicular blue limb, dark blue-veined, abruptly contracted to a much longer but narrower yellow claw, inner narrow-oblong, purple-blue. Style-branches pale violet, curved horizontally outwards. Capsule ovate, beaked.

[From: Healy and Edgar (1980) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 3.]

Flowering: Nov.–Dec.