It is a rhizomatous perennial, with a wide distribution range from Europe to Russia to China, via Mongolia and Kazakhstan.

It has sword-shaped leaves, a short stem and yellow flowers with an orange beard.

[2] It has bluish-green,[2][4] gray-green,[7][8] or light glaucous green,[9][10] sword shaped or lanceolate,[3] basal leaves.

[15][16][17] The stems have 2–3 spathes (leaves of the flower bud), which are lanceolate and are (scarious) membranous at the top of the leaf.

[9] It has styles that are shorter than the petals,[11] about 2.5 cm long, which have short narrow crests.

[9] After the iris has flowered, in August,[4] it produces an elliptical seed capsule,[2] which is about 3 cm long.

[9] As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.

[25] The Latin specific epithet humilis refers to low growing or dwarfish.

[8][26] It was first published and described by Johann Gottlieb Georgi in 'Bemerkungen einer Reise im Russischen Reich' (Bemerk.

[23][27][28] Georgi described from specimen plants from near to Lake Baikal, (it was called originally Iris flavissima).

It was later changed (due to Georgi's earlier publishing) and re-classified as a synonym of Iris pontica Zapal.

[29] It is native to a wide distribution area, including temperate regions of Asia and Europe.

[10][11][23] However, some or most of these plants could be Iris arenaria, which also has a distribution area in central and eastern Europe.

It is found within the Siberian region,[17][18][23] of the Russian Federation,[13][17][20] in the states of Buryatia, Chita, Irkutsk, Magadan, Primorye and Tuva.

[30] It grows in calcareous sandy and stony (or rocky) areas,[7][9] including (mountain and hill) slopes,[5][6] meadows,[5][6] steppes,[3][5] and on the edges of birch forests,[3][5] or pine forests,[2] and beside river banks.

[2][4][5] Many populations of Iris humilis exist in protected reserves including, Azas, Baikal-Lensky, Baikal, Barguzinsky, Sokhondinsky and Ubsunur.

[16][19] It has average water needs during the growing season,[16] The leaves can be damaged by rust fungi.

[14] To grow in the UK, William Rickatson Dykes recommends to plant the iris, on a 5 cm layer of sand, over garden soil with added leaf mould (or compost).

[15] Like many other irises, most parts of the plant are poisonous (rhizome and leaves), if mistakenly ingested can cause stomach pains and vomiting.