Zigzag Iris

Iris brevicaulis

native · Central Texas

Zigzag Iris is a perennial wildflower native to Central Texas that grows 1–2 ft tall and 1 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and medium water, and handles clay soil. Blooms white, yellow, blue and purple in Mar–Apr. Evergreen — it holds its leaves through winter. Deer rarely browse it. Good for birds.

Wet ground only. A wetland plant: it needs standing water or saturated soil — a pond edge, creek bank or rain garden, not a dry upland bed.

Will it grow in your yard?

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The facts

5 sources

Type: Perennial wildflower
Sun: Full sun to part shade (3–6 hrs of direct sun)
Water: Medium
Height: 1–2 ft
Spread: 1 ft
Bloom: Mar–Apr · white, yellow, blue, purple
Foliage: Evergreen
Soil: Takes clay · recorded on clay, loam, moist
Deer: High — deer rarely browse it
Wildlife: Supports birds

Where it grows

No Level IV record in the launch area yet. Recorded in these Texas ecoregions:

Gulf Coast Prairies and MarshesWestern Gulf Coastal Plain

2 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Also grows here — hard to find. Native and recorded growing in Central Texas, but not on the grower stock lists we read. Sourcing varies: some are stocked widely, others you will have to hunt for.