Ma Lin Zi

Iris lactea var. chinensis is a clump-forming rhizomatous perennial herb of the Iridaceae, native to grasslands, alkaline meadows, and forest margins across much of northern and northeastern China, Mongolia, and Korea. Tough, fibrous, persistent leaf-base sheaths surround the short, branching rhizome. The narrow, linear, slightly glaucous leaves are 20–50 cm long and 3–6 mm wide, forming dense tufts. In late spring and early summer, scapes shorter than or about equal to the leaves bear one to three pale lilac-blue to whitish flowers with darker veins on the falls. The fruit is a narrowly oblong capsule with a prominent beak, containing many flattened, dark brown to nearly black seeds with a small wing. The dried mature seeds are gathered in autumn and used medicinally.