It has narrow and linear light green leaves, short slender stem and pink-purple flowers.

[3][4] The rhizome is covered in the remains of light brown or grey dead leaves.

[3][4] The radical leaves are light green,[4] narrow, linear, with 2–3 prominent veins.

[3][4] It has a triangular shaped ovary,[3][4] a 1.5–2 cm long perianth tube that is between 0.5–1 mm in diameter, and yellow anthers.

[4] After the iris has flowered in late June and early July,[4][6] it produces an oblong-oval seed capsule,[2][3][4] which has a small nose or sprout.

[3][4] Inside the capsule are brown, wrinkled and reticulate (resembling a net) seeds.

[3][4] As most irises are diploid, having two sets of chromosomes, this can be used to identify hybrids and classification of groupings.

Iris ivanovae is native to central Asia, including U.S.S.R., China and Mongolia.

[14] It is found in Russia, within Siberia,[4][6][10] Buryatia (republic) (including Trans-Baikal,[3]) and Chita Oblast regions.

[3] It is threatened due to grazing by cattle during late summer and the autumn-winter time.

[3] It also does not produce much seed, due to the climatic conditions of its habitat, so only spreads vegetatively (by the rhizomes).