Iris collettii - Blue Star Iris

Blue Star Iris is a small plant with very short flowering stems, 2-8 cm. Flowers are violet, 2-5 cm in diameter. On grassy hills they twinkle like blue stars. Flower tube is slender, 3-5 cm; outer segments spreading, elliptic-obovate, 2.5-3 cm, crest orange, low, wavy; inner segments erect, inverted-lanceshaped, 1.7-2.7 cm. Stamens are about 1.3 cm; anthers yellow. Style branches about 2 cm. Spathes are 3, green, lanceshaped, 2-5 cm, 2-4-flowered, tip tapering. Plants are densely clustered, with small growing point. Leaves are basal, grayish green, linear or sword-shaped, 10-27 cm x 2-7 mm at flowering, 20-35 cm x 3--9 mm in fruit, veins 2 or 3, base surrounded by brown fibers. Capsule green, ovoid, 1.5--2.5 × 1.3--1.5 cm, tip shortly beaked. Seeds black-brown, arillate. Blue Star Iris is found in E. Himalaya to S. Central China and Indo-China, at altitudes of 1700-3700 m. Flowering: May-June.