Dutch Iris

For the first time in many years I have a patch of ground which I can put in some plants for summer.

 The first ones to bloom have been these Dutch Irises which come in some lovely colors however the porcupines once again got in and dug up a lot of the bulbs so I have only these colors left.

 The name Iris comes from a Greek word meaning "rainbow" and is a bulb found very commonly around the world. They expand from their narrow base, which in some of the rhizomatous irises has a "beard" (a tuft of short upright extensions growing in its midline), into a broader expanded portion ("limb"), often adorned with veining, lines or dots.

 Iris pallasii Fisch. var. Chinensis Fisch is the source of the anti-cancer principle "Irisquinone" effective against U14 and Lymph sarcoma and some other cancers.


In water purification, Yellow Iris (I. pseudacorus) is used. The roots are usually planted in a substrate (e.g. lava-stone) in a reedbed-setup. The roots then improve water quality by consuming nutrient pollutants, such as from agricultural runoff.