Iris pallida, the Dalmatian iris or sweet iris, is a hardy flowering perennial plant of the genus Iris, family Iridaceae. It is native to the Dalmatian coast (Croatia) but widely naturalised elsewhere. It is a member of the subgenus Iris, meaning that it is a bearded iris, and grows from a rhizome.
This iris prefers rocky places in the Mediterranean and Submediterranean zone and reaches sometimes montane regions at its southern range in Montenegro. It grows to a stem height of 50–80 cm (20–31 in). The leaves are bluish-green in color, and sword-shaped, 40–50 cm (16–20 in) in length, and 2.5–3 cm (0.98–1.18 in) in width. The inflorescence, produced in May/June, is fan-shaped and contains two or three flowers which are usually pale purplish to whitish.
It is cultivated as a garden plant, and commercially for extraction of essential oils from its rhizome (orris root).
The variegated cultivar 'Variegata' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[2][3]
Three subspecies of Iris pallida s.l. are recognised by some authors as species: Iris pallida subsp. cengialti,[1] (with deep purplish flowers) from Slovenia and adjacent Italy, Iris pallida ssp. illyrica,[1] from the North Dalmatian coast, and Iris pallida ssp. pseudopallida from the South Dalmatian coast.
Iris pallida, the Dalmatian iris or sweet iris, is a hardy flowering perennial plant of the genus Iris, family Iridaceae. It is native to the Dalmatian coast (Croatia) but widely naturalised elsewhere. It is a member of the subgenus Iris, meaning that it is a bearded iris, and grows from a rhizome.
