Iris atropurpurea

Iris atropurpurea, the coastal iris, is a species in the genus Iris, it is also in the subgenus of Iris and in the Oncocyclus section. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Israel. It has glaucous (blue-green), linear, falcate (sickle-shaped) leaves. Between February and March, it has between 1 and 2 flowers, in darks shades from red-brown, burgundy, dark purple to blackish purple. They have a darker signal patch and yellow beard tipped with purple. It is rarely cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions, due to it needing very dry conditions. It is a geophyte, with stout rhizomes, that are stoloniferous, forming long thin stolons, or secondary roots deep into the soil. The rhizomes are flush with the surface of the soil, so that they can feel the heat of the sun. They can form wide clumps of plants. It has glaucous and linear leaves, that are falcate, The grass-like, leaves can grow up to between 6–11 cm (2–4 in) long, and between 0.5 and 0.8 cm wide. They are similar in form to Iris iberica (another Oncoyclus section iris). It has a slender stem or peduncle, that can grow up to between 15–25 cm (6–10 in) tall. The stem has green, lanceolate spathes (leaves of the flower bud), which are 7.6 cm long. The stems hold between 1 and 2 terminal (top of stem) flowers, blooming early spring, between February and March. In the UK, it flowers in May, In cultivation, it flowers later, between April and May. Compared to Iris atrofusca and Iris hermona, it has floral longevity of (4.8 ± 1.3 days). The flowers are 8 cm (3 in) in diameter, come in shades from orange, red-brown, dark burgundy, to purple, dark purple, or blackish purple. The flowers buds are usually black. Like other irises, it has 2 pairs of petals, 3 large sepals (outer petals), known as the 'falls' and 3 inner, smaller petals (or tepals), known as the 'standards'. The narrow, falls are oblong shaped, and measure 3.6–6 cm (1–2 in) long and 2.5–4 cm wide. They are usually a darker shade of colour than the standards. They do not have veining, due to the dark colour of the petals, but they do have a blackish, or darker signal patch, and in the middle of the falls, a row of short hairs called the 'beard', which are yellow, with purple tips. The rounded standards, are incurved, paler than the falls and measure 5–5.8 cm (2–2 in) long and 4.5–6 cm wide. They also do not have veining, due to the shade of the petal.