This is an extremely adaptable iris with foot-long, strap-like, arching, attractive gray-green leaves. The 6-inch-wide lavender-blue blossoms with dark blotches are somewhat flattened. The plant gets its common name, Japanese roof iris, not only from the flower shape but also from the historical fact that it was grown on thatched roofs in the Orient. It is more shade-tolerant than most irises. Its unusually shaped flowers set this iris apart