Iris proantha has long, brown, slender rhizome that has many branches or stolons, that help it spread into large clumps.

[2][3][4] The rhizomes are surrounded by several rigid fibres which are the remnants from previous seasons flowers.

[2][3] After the iris has flowered, between May and July, it produces a globose (spherical), seed capsule, about 1.2–1.5 cm in diameter.

[8] It is written as 小鸢尾 in Chinese script and known as xiao yuan wei in China.

[10][3] It was first published and described by Freidrich Diels in the 'Svensk Botanisk Tidskrift Utgifven af Svenska Botaniska Foreningen' (of Stockholm) Issue xviii, p427 in 1924.

[8] In his original description, Diels noted that it had no appendages on the outer perianth lobes, this meant the iris is part of the Apogon Section of the Limniris subgenus.

[14] Also in 2012, the plants of Iris proantha are listed in the Hangzhou West Lake Area in Zhejiang Province.

Zhao (based on an earlier description by S.S. Chien), in 'Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica' [Chih su fen lei hsüeh pao.]

[18] It was originally published as Iris pseudorossii by S.S. Chien in Biol Lab China Association Advancem Science Sect Botany Vol.6 Issue 74 in 1931.

[19] It is written as 粗壮小鸢尾 in Chinese script and known as cu zhuang xiao yuan wei in China.

It can be found growing in forests, open fields and beside roadsides of Zhejiang, China.