Description

This widespread California endemic is found in coastal mountains and the Sierra foothills from Monterey County north. It occurs locally in both the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range. It grows in the familiar form of a spreading clump of grass-like leaves. The leaves range in length from 8 inches or so up to two feet. The inflorescence (flower stock) can be quite short at only a few inches (hence the common name) or as tall as 18 inches so. The flower color ranges from nearly white to deep purple. One finds the ground iris in sun to partial shade in areas with little summer water. Similar to Fernald’s iris, Iris fernaldii, it is a good candidate for naturalizing in partial shade.