Iris serotina

Iris serotina is a bulbous iris of the subgenus Xiphium, native to southern Spain and Morocco. Its bulb produces narrow leaves, 2 to 6 mm wide, each autumn; unusually for the group, these wither before flowering. The stem, 30 to 60 cm tall, bears two to three blue-violet flowers with veins of a deeper violet, the falls marked with a yellow patch. Unlike most Xiphium irises, flowering is late, in July and August, as its epithet indicates. Like other bulbous irises of this group, it requires well-drained soil, full sun, and dry summer dormancy.