Iridodictyum

a plant genus of the family Iridaceae, usually considered to be part of the Iris genus. Plants of the Iridodictyutn genus are perennial herbs with a bulb, a short, underdeveloped stem bearing one flower, and a bundle of thin roots that do not branch out and that die during summer dormancy. The leaves are narrow and grooved, or they may be tetrahedral or octahedral. The flowers are large, 5–7 cm in diameter, with a hexapartite corolla; there are three stamens; the style is trilobate. The ovary is inferior and trilocular, and it has many seeds. There are approximately ten species found in Transcaucasia, Middle Asia, Asia Minor, and Southwest Asia. The early-blooming species are used for cliff gardens and forcing. They are propagated through bulbs and seeds. (The seedlings blossom in the third, fourth, or fifth year.)