It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial, from a wide region over central Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, (the former Soviet Union republics of); Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia and in China.

[2] It has a dark brown, thin, short, knobbly, tough, wood-like rhizomes.

[5][8] It has greyish-green, linear, twisted, leaves, that can grow between 20–60 cm (8–24 in) long and 1.5–2 mm wide.

[3] It has 2 to 4, pointed (acuminate), membranous, green, between 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long and 8–10 mm wide, spathes (leaves of the flower bud).

[3][6][7] They have a thin central yellow crest or mid-vein, dark veins (on a pale colour), and a band of papillose (or small hairs).

[2] In February 1997, a study was published in which 6 new flavanones, isolated from the rhizomes of Iris tenuifolia, using high resolution mass spectrometry.

[17] In 2005, it was noted that the rhizomes of Iris tenuifolia are the source of the largest number of new 2’-O-substituted simple flavanones within a single species.

[20] In 2011, 2 flavans and a flavanone, were extracted from the rhizomes of Iris tenuifolia and then tested against stem cells.

[22] In 2014, the characteristics of phenotypic plasticity and ecological adaptation of Iris tenuifolia from various habitats in Xinjiang, China, were studied.

[33] Iris tenuifolia is native to a wide region, of various temperate areas of Central Asia.

[3][6][25] Also in the middle Asian countries of (the former Soviet Union republics of); Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia.

[3][14][25] Also found in regions of Russia, including Agin-Buryat Okrug, Bashkortostan, Chelyabinsk, Chita and Siberia.

[34] It is found within central China,[9][10][14] in the provinces of Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, (Shandong[3]), Shanxi, Xinjiang and Xizang.

[6][8][13] In north east China, it is found growing on poor soils on open tree-less plains.

[11] In 2003, it was listed as an endemic vascular species of the temperate steppe region of Inner Mongolia, China, along with Stipa grandis, Artemisia frigida, Festuca ovina, Thymus serpyllum, Caragana microphylla, Koeleria cristata and others.

[9] The plant loses its foliage during the winter, as it is removed by the forces of wind, snow and other bad weather conditions.

[11] William Rickatson Dykes notes that it made no satisfactory growth and never flowered.

[29] The Iris genus has been used as a traditional folk medicine, used to treat a variety of diseases, such as cancer, inflammation, bacterial and viral infections.

[37] It was found that compounds isolated from Iris germanica have anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, anti-malarial parasite and anti-TB and other positive effects.

They have been used as tocolysis (also called anti-contraction medications or labor represents) and to treat fetal metrorrhagia.