Purple flag flower, also called wild iris, belongs to a group of plants that grow mainly in Australia, but also extend north to the Philippines. There are about 20 kinds in Australia, of which 14 grow only in the state of Western Australia. The others are widely distributed over the rest of the continent. The plants are tufted, with underground stems and rather hard, narrow, grasslike leaves. The fragile flowers have three thin purple or white petals. The flowers resemble those of the common garden irises. The seeds of the purple flag flower are produced in erect brown containers that split to release them.
