It has straight grey-green leaves, a 30–50 cm tall stem, and large showy flowers in late spring or mid-summer that come in shades of pink, from white, lilac, pale lavender and grey-purple.

[8] In 2006, it was found that the outer integument of I. lorteti and Iris confusa seeds contained a chemical compound, that was toxic to the germinated embryo.

Blumentahal also found that the outer integument of I. lorteti and Iris confusa seeds contained a compound toxic to the germinated embryo.

[20] The Latin specific epithet 'lortetii' is derived from Louis Charles Émile Lortet (1836–1909) who was a French physician, botanist, zoologist and Egyptologist, he had collected the iris from the Lebanese area of the Upper Galilee, during his travels to Syria in 1880.

[21] William Barbey already described Iris lortetii but the name was validly published by Pierre Edmond Boissier in July 1882.

[31] Of the endangered populations, the variety 'samaria' from the northern West Bank is particularly threatened by collection from the wild with the uprooting of its rhizomes for commercial use;[30] at one time it had primarily been a cut flower, sold to customers from the roadside.

[19] Large quantities of this plant were collected in the course of the 19th century and then exported to Europe, but the cultivated specimens would die after two seasons of flowering.

[32] These short life spans mean that freshly collected rhizomes and plants have regularly been needed to supply the flower industry.

[19] Iris populations can be threatened by Quercus calliprinos Webb (the Palestine oak) and Pinus halepensis Miller (the Aleppo pine).

[8] In some areas, grazing by herbivorous mammals has aided survival of the iris by reducing other nearby plants.

[8] As the Oncocyclus Irises are difficult to maintain in cultivation, much research has been carried out, especially at the Van Tubergen Nurseries in Haarlem, Netherlands.

Over 3,000 seeds were gathered from all the known indigenous populations, and then scientists sprouted them in greenhouse conditions with the goal of planting them in the wild later on, in the Tel Aviv University Botanical Garden.

[11] It prefers positions in part shade to full sun, in slightly acidic soils (with a pH level between 5 and 7.5) that are a mix of sand and clay.

[11] In places where it is not hardy, the plant can be stored in the late summer and fall at 23 °C, which mimics the hot and dry climate of their natural Mediterranean habitat; however, the rhizomes will lose between 30 and 60% of their weight during storage.

[40] Its description differs from Iris lortetii in several ways, such as darker standards, with brownish to purple veins on a cream coloured ground, and it blooms in April.

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

[30] Unfortunately, the cultivated specimens rarely survived more than 2 seasons, causing a continuous demand for fresh plants and rhizomes.

[19] It was also collected extensively for the cut flower industry and was sold in bunches on the side of the road, plants were also moved to decorate the cemeteries in the area.