Iris bucharica

Here's a funky little species of Iris to add to your spring collection: Iris bucharica or Juno Iris.  I saw this last week just outside the Smithsonian castle, in the rose garden.  There's no mistaking the genus, Iris - since these plants have the characteristic standards (the upright petals) and falls (the hanging petals).  But the species had me a bit stumped -- particularly due to way the leaves stack on each other -- almost like palm fronds. 

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After browsing through some books, I finally found it -- Juno Irises are several species of Iris, all of which have bulbs (as opposed to the rhizomes of the more common Iris germanica or Iris sibirica). They are native to hot, dry climates, particularly Afghanistan, though the species name bucharica means "of Bukhara", which is in Uzbekistan.

 

In any case, either area indicates that these plants do not like to be wet.  Some sites online recommend covering the plants during rains in the spring, as they are that fussy about wet feet.  Generally the foliage dies off in late summer and returns in the spring.