It is a rhizomatous perennial, from the mountains of Turkestan, between Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.

It has red-skinned stolon roots and rhizomes, glaucous, long, blue-grey leaves, and bi-coloured flowers, in various shades from milky white, to blue, purple, pale lilac, lavender, and brown.

[2][3][5] At the end of each stolon, it forms a new rhizome,[2][6] creating widespread colonies of plants.

[5][8][13] They are prominently veined,[8] and semi-evergreen, disappearing after summer,[4] after the blooming period is over.

[9][10][11] The stem has (scarious) membranous, spathes or bracts (leaves of the flower bud), which are 6.5 cm (3 in) long.

[5][8][13] They are variable in colour,[4][6][14] normally bi-coloured,[20] ranging from milky white, to blue, to purple, (or pale lilac,[16] or lavender,[7]) and brown.

[4][6][14] They normally have a blue (or pale lilac,[16][21]) centre with a brown,[5][13][14] or reddish-bronze,[11][16][18] or yellow margin.

[5] It has a brown,[14] 2.5 cm long perianth tube, which is funnel shaped.

[5] After the iris has flowered, between May and July,[9] it produces an oblong seed capsule,[9][10] that is 6–8 cm (2–3 in) long.

[5] Inside the capsule, are light brown seeds that have thick white aril (coatings).

[9][10] The Latin specific epithet stolonifera derives from its thin stolon-like roots.

[25] Iris stolonifera is native to temperate areas of central Asia.

[18][20] (including near Bokhara,[2][9][17]) It is also found in Tajikistan,[5][6][25] (from the city of Dushanbe,[11] to Uzbekistan,[4][19][25] (including near the city of Samarkand[9][11][30] near the Baysun ridge,[9] and in the 'Kitab Zapovednik' (Geoological) reserve in the Kashkadarya Province,[32]) and in Afghanistan.

mentions wet meadows and stream sides,[13] also mentioned by the British Iris Society Guide,[5] but herbarium specimens do not support this habitat,[13] also the other irises in the Regelia section are also mountainside irises.

[11] It prefers to grow in well-drained soils,[4][5][12] which are rich in humus.

[2] It is thought to be one of the easiest 'Regelia' section irises to cultivate,[6] as it is more adaptable and vigorous than others.