It is a rhizomatous perennial with long bright green leaves, long thin stem and has small groups of flowers in shades of blue, from violet, to bluish purple, to lavender.

cm in diameter), greenish, branching rhizomes, that can spread to form large colonies of plants.

[2][4] Arising from the rhizomes are the basal leaves, which are yellow-green to bright green and sword-shaped.

[10][5] They overlap at the base, similar to a fan,[3][11] but some leaves grow on the flowering stem.

[3][10] After the plant has flowered, the leaves wither and die, to re-grow in the autumn (for the next season).

[10] At the top of the stem are several groups of flowers in later spring,[3][11] between late March to May (in the US),[10][5] and between June and July (in the UK).

[2][17] The flowers come in a range of shades of blue, from violet, to bluish purple, to lavender.

[27] Iris hexagona comes from the southeastern and south-central US states along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee and South Carolina.

They need 6 hours of full sunlight per day,[18]), moist, acidic soils (pH of 6.5) with a high organic and fertility content.

[30] If grown in borders, they need a mulch to retain moisture (in the soil) and to protect the rhizomes from sun burn.

[18] The ground must be prepared before planting, with the addition of a generous amount of organic matter and the soils dug to about 6 inches (15 cm) deep (to allow for new root growth).

If using a fertilizer (or feed), sprinkle in late January or February, before the plant is in flower.

If eaten, it could cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and an elevated temperature.

Normally, saltwater getting into a wetland ecosystem can destroy or damage many native plant populations.