#iris ensata

[rumeko]

graceful June

[meyershire]

Japanese Iris

[the-poisongarden]

Today in the poison garden:

Japanese water iris (iris ensata)

This tiny iris with big showy blooms is native to Japan, China, Korea, and Russia where it has been valued as an ornamental flower for the past 500 years, possibly much longer. Today many varieties are available. Iris ensata is a perennial that likes full sun and moist, boggy, slightly acidic soil. It’s a good plant for pond edges or soggy parts of your yard. Hardy in USDA zones 4-9.

Caution: Irises contain multiple toxins that can cause skin irritation if the plant juices touch skin or mucus membranes and cause abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea if ingested. The rhizomes contain the highest concentration of toxins. Iris poisoning is not deadly to humans, just very unpleasant, but they can cause serious illness or death to pets and livestock if ingested.

[kyotodreamtrips]

Japanese Iris (花しょうぶ) in the Karakuen Garden (華楽園) in the precincts of Hokke-ji (法華寺) in Nara City, Japan.

[faguscarolinensis]

Iris ensata / Japanese Water Iris at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[metasattva]

Spring - Summer 4 seasons in the neighborhood, Japan

[ayanos-pl]

城址公園の花菖蒲が見頃になってきた。

花菖蒲園の見張り役。

[los-plantalones]

When these irises bloom, I am reminded why purple is the color of royalty.