The English Iris, Iris latifolia, also known as I. xiphiodes and I. anglica, is a common and attractive iris

Iris (plant)

Iris is a genus of 260-300species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species...

 of the Pyrenees

Pyrenees

The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...

 and Northwestern Spain. It is widely cultivated for its beautiful flowers.

The English Iris grows to a height of 50 cm
The plant flowers in June or July, producing two or three deep blue flowers with yellow marks in the center of the lower petals. Flowers are six-petaled and 12-13 centimeters in diameter.

Leaves are stiff and sword-shaped, approximately 60 cm long, and dark green to teal in color. Leaves begin growth in early spring, before the snow has entirely melted.

The English Iris is a bulb

Bulb

A bulb is a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf bases. The leaves often function as food storage organs during dormancy.A bulb's leaf bases, known as scales, generally do not support leaves, but contain food reserves to enable the plant to survive adverse conditions. At the center of the bulb is...

ous iris, as opposed to a rhizomatous

Rhizome

In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...

iris. The bulb has a thin, dark brown skin and grows 10- 15 cm deep in the ground.