Iris aucheri

Iris aucheri grows to 25 cm (10 in) tall, with crowded lanceolate (lance-shaped) leaves, producing several flowers in late winter or early spring.

The flowers may be white, pale blue or dark blue, with a yellow splash on the falls. It has a violet-like scent.

The Latin specific epithet aucheri commemorates the 19th century French botanist Pierre Martin Rémi Aucher-Éloy.[4]

It was first described as Xiphion aucheri by Baker and then published as Iris aucheri by Sealy in Kew Bull. page 562 in 1950.[5][6]

There is a known variant Iris aucheri var. fumosa which was published in 2017.[7]

It is native to temperate Western Asia, in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Jordan.[5][8]

Iris aucheri is cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens for its showy flowers. It requires neutral or slightly alkaline soil in a sheltered, frost-free spot, or it can be grown in an unheated greenhouse or conservatory, in the UK.[9][10]

It is hardy down to USDA Zone 6.[8] In the UK, it has been given a hardiness rating by the RHS of H4: −15 °C (5 °F) (hardy in most locations).[11]

This plant species has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[11][12]