It is a rhizomatous perennial plant, from Turkey and Greece, with white flowers with a yellow mark or blotch.

[13][21][22] The stems have two or three spathes (leaves of the flower bud),[3][5][12] which are papery (in form) and 9–12 cm (4–5 in) long.

[20] The falls are spreading, arching downwards, with a large egg-yolk yellow central area.

[2][3][5] The standards are erect, spatulate (spoon-like), with a yellow centre section surrounded in white.

[3][7][20] Because Iris ochroleuce was published later (by Carl Linnaeus in 1771[14]), it is deemed unacceptable under the International Rules of Nomenclature.

[31] The Latin specific epithet orientalis refers to 'eastern' but sometimes is also translated as 'from the Orient'.

[3][4][27] It is found in Turkey,[6][7][9] and within south-eastern Europe, in Greece,[13][26][29] and Aegean Islands,[15][26] (Lesbos and Samos).

[9] It was once found by Pierre Edmond Boissier in the marshes to the west of Smyrna, in Greece.

[3] It has been naturalized in California, Connecticut, Missouri (in the US), along roadsides,[2][19] and in old farms in Southern Italy,[7] and in Yugoslavia.

[10] It has also naturalized in the UK, found on the edges of woodlands and in grasslands of the New Forest and around Abbotsbury in Dorset.

[34] Iris orientalis grows on saline marshy lands,[3][8][17] including damp meadows,[4][9] and ditches,[9] or irrigation channels.

[4] It can take several years to start flowering again after being moved,[9] but once settled, it can develop into a large round clump.

[14] It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

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

[36] Iris orientalis has been extensively used in creating various hardy cultivars, due to its 'tough' nature.

[4][20] A well known cultivar is 'Shelford Giant',[7] an extra large clone,[9][17] which was found near Ephesus (in Greece).

[9][37] In early summer,[37][38] it produces yellow and white flowers,[38] that are 6–8 cm in width.

[27] Iris orientalis has had the following registered American cultivars: 'Canari', 'Copa D'ora', 'Ochroleuca Double', 'Ochroleuca Ephesus', 'Ochroleuca Gigantea', 'Ochroleuca Innocence', 'Ochroleuca Queen Victoria', 'Ochroleuca Reflex', 'Ochroleuca Snowflake', 'Ochroleuca Sulphurea', 'Ochroleucha Warei', 'Rocky Mountain Park', 'Yellow Crest'.