page_title: Iris japonica
section_title: Taxonomy
hierarchical_section_title: Iris japonica / Taxonomy
context_page_description: Iris japonica is a native of China and Japan. It is a species in the genus Iris, in the subgenus Limniris and within the Lophiris section. It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, with pale blue, lavender or white flowers with an orange or yellow crest. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.
context_section_description: It has the common names of 'fringed iris', 'Shaga' (in Japan), and butterfly flower (in China).
  It is written as 蝴蝶花 in Chinese script, and known as hu die hua in Pidgin in China. It is written as シ ャ ガ, 射干 in Japanese script.
  The Latin specific epithet japonica refers to from Japan, even though the plant is thought to have originated in China.
  Iris japonica was first named by Carl Peter Thunberg, (the Swedish botanist) in his 1784 publication, 'Flora Japonica'. It was introduced to Europe in 1792 from China, by Thomas Evans of the East India Company. It was then first published and described by Thunberg in 'Transactions of the Linnean Society of London' (Trans. Linn. Soc. London) Volume 2 page327 on 1 May 1794. The species description was published in Curtis Botanical Magazine in 1797. Iris fimbriata was later classified as a synonym of Iris japonica.
  It has received an Award of Garden Merit from the RHS.
caption: Iris japonica illustration in Curtis Botanical Magazine, 1797
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