Iris xiphium, commonly known as the Spanish Iris, is an 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...

 native to Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 and Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

.

It is bulbous and bears handsome blue and yellow flowers, though they are not so large as those of I. xiphiodes. This species is also known as the Small Bulbous-rooted Iris. The Spanish Iris is favoured by florists for its striking colour combinations. This species has several varieties popular in horticulture, among them var. lusitanica whose flowers are yellow all over.

It is among the hardier 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 irises, and can be grown in northern Europe. It requires to be planted in thoroughly drained beds in very light open soil, moderately enriched, and should have a rather sheltered position. It typically flowers in May and June, but not always.

Hybrids

A popular hybrid (Iris tingitana x Iris xiphium) is known as Dutch Iris or Iris x hollandica
.