Iris sanguinea Seeds | Blood Iris
LATIN NAME: Iris sanguinea
COMMON NAME: Blood Iris
Plant Profile
The blood iris is a clump-forming beardless iris of wet meadows and stream sides in northeastern Asia, from Siberia and Mongolia through China, Korea and Japan. It grows fifty to ninety centimetres tall, with narrow, upright, sword-shaped leaves and stems that carry two or three flowers in June.
The flowers are violet-blue to purple, with a small yellow and white signal on the falls and a darker veining, and they are held well above the foliage. A white form, f. albiflora, occurs in the wild and is common in cultivation. The plant spreads by a stout rhizome into a dense clump, and in its native range it grows in ground that is wet in spring and dry in late summer. It is one of the parents of the Japanese iris hybrids.
Science & Biotechnology
The species is closely related to Iris ensata, the Japanese iris, and the two sit together in the series Ensatae of the beardless irises. Iris sanguinea differs in its smaller flowers, its narrower leaves and its tolerance of drier ground in winter, and where the two ranges meet they intergrade, which has made the naming of some populations difficult.
The plant grows from a stout rhizome that produces a fan of leaves each year, and the old rhizome dies back behind the new growth, so the clump moves slowly forward across the ground. Its seed capsule is large and three-angled, and the seed is flattened and brown. In Japan the species has been grown in gardens for centuries and is one of the parents of the ensata hybrids, which are among the most prized of all irises.
Uses & Benefits
Blood iris is planted at the edge of a pond, in a bog garden and in a damp border, where its upright leaves and June flowers make a strong vertical accent. It is more tolerant of ordinary garden soil than the Japanese iris, which makes it a useful plant for gardeners who want the look without the wet ground. The flowers are good for cutting, though they last only a few days.
In China and Japan the rhizome has a place in medicine, and the leaves have been used for thatch and for cordage. The Japanese iris hybrids, which descend partly from this species, are the basis of the iris displays held in Japan in June, where the flowers are shown in pots and in flooded beds, and where a single bloom can be the subject of a whole garden visit.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed in autumn and leave it outside through winter; the seed needs cold and should not be allowed to dry out. Soak it for 24 hours before sowing in a gritty, moisture-retentive mix, and cover with five millimetres of compost. Germination comes in spring, sometimes unevenly.
Prick the seedlings out into deep pots and grow them on in a cool frame, keeping them wet. Plant out in late summer or spring, with the rhizome just at the surface, in soil that holds moisture but does not stagnate. Water well in the first season and in dry springs. Divide the clumps every four years, after flowering, and replant the vigorous outer rhizomes. In a border, give it a spot where the soil does not dry out completely.
Our Take
A wet-ground iris that will also grow in a border, with upright leaves and violet flowers in June. Divide it every few years.
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