This lovely iris is a member of the Iridaceae (Iris) family and is a perennial herb with sepals and petals united below into a tube. It has 3 petals, smaller than sepals, erect, and light violet or blue-violet. The sepals are spreading-recurved, light violet or blue-violet with a bright yellow, hairy blotch at the base. It is found in roadside ditches, marshes, and wet woods in most Indiana counties, blooming May - July.