Iris spuria ssp maritima

Iris spuria subsp. maritima is a rhizomatous perennial from the Iridaceae family, whose range covers the French Mediterranean coasts and a large part of the Iberian Peninsula, where it extends significantly inland. In Spain, it colonizes plains and continental depressions on sandy to clay-sandy soils, poor and well-drained, in open landscapes with a steppe-like character, often associated with low garrigues or dry grasslands.

It forms dense upright clumps of 40 to 60 cm, consisting of very elongated and rigid linear leaves, of a deep green, which from a distance resemble a bouquet of robust grasses. This persistent and architectural habit remains visible in the landscape well beyond the flowering period.

The flowers are a clear and bright violet-purple, borne on slender stems that barely emerge above the foliage. The falls, narrow and reflexed, bear a whitish median line characteristic of the spuria group, without any beard. The erect standards, even narrower, give the flower a slender silhouette, very different from classic bearded irises.

In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from May to June depending on altitude and exposure.

In cultivation, it requires a well-drained, poor soil, in full sun, and tolerates summer drought well once established. It is suitable for natural-style dry gardens and large sunny rockeries, but remains little known in specialized commerce.