''Iris pumila'', sometimes known as pygmy iris or dwarf iris, probably originated as a natural

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

between '' Iris pseudopumila'' Boissier & Heldreich and '' I. attica'' Tineo. It ranges from Austria through eastern Europe and the Balkans, in

Eurasian steppe The Eurasian Steppe, also simply called the Great Steppe or the steppes, is the vast steppe ecoregion of Eurasia in the temperate grasslands, savannas and shrublands biome. It stretches through Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Transnistri ...

in Ukraine, southern Russia into southern Siberia and northern Kazhakstan, and the Caucasus into Turkey. ''Iris pumila'' is distinguished by single blooms held 10–20 cm above ground level on a lengthened perianth tube, with the ovary almost resting on the rhizome on a very short stem. The flower is protected by two spathes, both of which are round in cross-section. Flower color is variable: yellow and purple or violet are the most common, but blue, cream, white, and blended colors are also frequently found. Most forms have a darker spot on the falls. Beginning in the mid 20th century, ''Iris pumila'' was bred extensively with the hybrid tall bearded irises of gardens, giving rise to the great variety of modern dwarf and median bearded iris cultivars. Another pumila hybrid is 'Iris coerulea' named by

Édouard Spach Édouard Spach (23 November 1801 – 18 May 1879) was a French botanist. The son of a merchant in Strasbourg, in 1824 he went to Paris, where he studied botany with René Desfontaines (1750–1831) and Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu (1748–1836). ...

in Hist. Veg. Phan. xiii. 50 in 1846.

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