Hanging Iris- Botanical Name

Q: A friend gave me a plant he called a “hanging iris”. He said it should be placed in a hanging basket to bloom in spring but should be brought inside during the winter. Do you know the botanical name?

A: I’ll bet you have ^Neomarica gracilis^, commonly called walking iris. Some folks call it “Apostle’s Iris” because the flower stalk arises when the plant has twelve leaves. It is also called walking iris because the flower stem droops to the ground and roots there. The leaves and flowers look like a cross between an iris and an orchid.