Black Iris in Late Afternoon Light

Sino-Siberian Iris, Beardless Iris

Private estate gardens, June, 2015

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Herbaceous perennial with creeping rhizomes. Leaves linear and grayish green, to 70 cm long. Flowering stems 25–50 cm, hollow. Flowers reddish violet to very dark violet, almost velvety black, 6–9 cm in diameter, outer tepals usually with golden yellow stripes. Deliciously fragrant. Flowers in June to July.

Iris chrysographes is easily cultivated and requires a fertile soil which does not dry out during the growth period. Grow in full sun. Propagation by seeds or division in the spring. Cultivars must be divided. For cooler areas plants do best if planted in the spring. Some cultivars are grown, mainly "black" flowered clones under names as 'Black Beauty', 'Black Knight',] 'Black' (syn. 'Black Form', an invalid name), 'Ellenbank Nightshade', 'Stjerneskud' and 'Kew Black'. 'Rubella' is purplish violet. Iris chrysographes has been used in a number of hybrids with other species.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.