Japanese iris

plural Japanese irises

1. biologyA group of iris flower species native to or cultivated in East Asia, particularly in Japan, Korea, China, Russia, and Mongolia. Scientifically, the three primary species are Iris ensata, Iris laevigata, and Iris sanguinea.

   Effects of artificial illumination on Japanese iris (Iris Kaempferi) were examined.

   1956, Masatsugu Okada, Akira Okamura, Effects of daylength on flowering of Japanese iris (Iris Kaempferi), →DOI, Abstract

   3 more examples

   Though we have in Europe certain varieties which grow on comparatively dry soil, we never find the Japanese iris represented otherwise than on damp ground.

   1891, Siegfried Bing, Artistic Japan - Illustrations and Essays, volume 6, page 417

   Observations have been made over a period of 3 years on infested Japanese iris plants that were very much dwarfed and produced few flowers, but which after treatment to remove the thrips and transplanting to a new location, became vigorous.

   1937, Floyd Franklin Smith, Leonard Gordon Utter, The Iris Thrips and Its Control by Hot Water with Notes on Other Treatments, page 2

   Iris ensata var. spontanea, a wild progenitor of the Japanese iris cultivars (I. ensata var. ensata), is extensively cultivated in Japanese gardens, is distributed across mesic meadows and wetlands in Japan and East Asia.

   2024, Makiko Mimura, Marina Takeuchi, Takayuki Kobayashi, Shun K. Hirota, Yoshihisa Suyama, Hirofumi Yamaguchi, Toshihito Tabuchi, Genetic diversity in the traditional cultivars and wild ancestor of near-threatened Japanese iris (Iris ensata Thunb.), →DOI, Abstract

plural Japanese irises

1. biologyA fringed iris, of the species Iris japonica, native to China and Japan, not considered a Japanese iris species.

   Japanese Iris - Iris japonica - Other Common Name(s): Butterfly Flower, Fringed Iris, Shaga

   2025, Japanese Iris, NC State University, sourced from https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/iris-japonica/common-name/japanese-iris/, N.C. A&T State University

   Synonyms: butterfly flower