Iris cristada
This showy member of the Iris family sports a single 2.5 inch (6.3 cm) wide blue-violet flower with three broad petal-like sepals that curve downward. Each flower has three petals that are narrower than the sepals. Each purple streaked sepal has a small "bearded" yellow crest bordered with white.
The 4-7 inch (10-17.5 cm) leaves hug the stem and become larger after flowering. Each flat, lanceolate leaf is .5-1 inch (1.3-2.5 cm) wide.
This variety thrives in the moist wooded hillsides of the state. Flowers bloom in May.
NOTE: Close relative the Dwarf Iris (Iris verna) lacks the beard and has leaves less than .5 inch (1.3 cm) wide. The leaves are vertical and do not curve outward as in the Dwarf Crested Iris. Iris verna tends to grow in open woods in sandy soil.
