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Iris virginica shrevei, commonly named, Iris shrevei, or
the Southern Blue Flag Iris, is native to Missouri and
found wild throughout Northern America. This perennial
plant is 2-3 feet tall.
This Southern Blue Flag Iris features violet blue flowers
with falls that are crested with yellow and white. Unlike
the species, the flowers of shrevei are fragrant. The
flowering stalks are branched and up to 3' tall. Each
stalk produces a few leafy bracts and 1-3 flowers. The
violet-blue flowers are up to 3.5" across, are
consisting of 3 sepals and 3 petals. The blooming period
is late Spring to early Summer, and lasts about a month
for a colony of plants, although individual blossoms are
short-lived.
It produces clumps of vertical evergreen leaves that are
sword-shaped and up to 2.5' tall. These leaves are pale
bluish green to green and up to 1" across near the
base, with smooth margins and parallel veins.
Each flower is replaced by an oblong capsule. This
capsule is about 1.5-2" long and 0.5" across,
and contains rows of tightly stacked seeds. The plant
spreads by means of its modified stems, rhizomes, which
are located below the soil surface.
Hardiness zones 4-9, (-32°C/-25°F, -5°C/25°F) in
Winter. The preference is wet to moist conditions,
partial to full sun, and a rich organic, slightly acidic
soil. In light shade, this plant often fails to flower,
and it tends to decline in abundance if conditions become
too dry.
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