Iris orientalis - Turkish Iris

Iris orientalis, often called Iris ochroleuca, is a tall and particularly luminous steppe iris that grows in more or less moist soils. It bears white, fine and airy flowers, whose sepals bear a large golden-yellow mark. It does not have the beard of Iris germanica, nor the distinctly aquatic nature of the marsh iris. Its flowering occurs in June-July, on sturdy stems that dominate narrow foliage. Plant it in a moist bed, heavy enriched soil, or on a damp bank.

The steppe iris is a perennial plant with fleshy rhizomes. It belongs to the Iridaceae family and is part of the Spuriae series iris, a group of beardless botanical iris, generally later-flowering than the large Iris germanica. This species grows naturally in north-eastern Greece, the eastern Aegean islands, and western to central Turkey. It frequents moist meadows, clayey to marshy soils, or very wet soils in spring. The plant is hardy but does not tolerate dry soil in summer. Its foliage is semi-evergreen in winter depending on the climate. It forms a clump of leaves and reaches 80 cm to 1 m in height when in flower and occupies 40 to 60 cm on the ground. The rhizomes slowly extend at the periphery, without producing distant suckers. The leaves are long, narrow, sword-shaped, deep green and slightly glaucous. The flowers open at the top of the scapes, in small groups; the buds open successively. Each measures 8 to 10 cm in diameter and consists of erect, white and fairly narrow petals, and larger, trailing sepals that bear a large golden-yellow signal. After flowering, capsules containing the seeds form.
The old name Iris ochroleuca remains very common in horticulture. This Latinised botanical adjective comes from the Greek ochros, pale yellow or ochre, and leukos, white; it describes the flower well, white on the petals and broadly marked with golden-yellow on the sepals.

Plant Iris orientalis in groups of three young plants, spaced 45 to 50 cm apart, to achieve a tall and visible clump without cramping the rhizomes. In moist soil, associate it with Iris sibirica ‘Moon Silk’, white with yellow spots, and with Iris sibirica ‘Ruffled Velvet’, purplish violet. In the background, place for example a Euphorbia palustris ‘Walenburg’s Glory’. Nearby, the Persicaria amplexicaulis ‘White Eastfield’ with white spikes will take over in summer.