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Family: Iridaceae (eye-rid-AY-see-ee) (Info) Genus: Iris (EYE-ris) (Info) Species: sibirica (sy-BEER-ah-kuh) (Info) Cultivar: Caesar's Brother Hybridized by Morgan; Year of Registration or Introduction: 1932
Hardiness: USDA Zone 4a: to -34.4 °C (-30 °F) USDA Zone 4b: to -31.6 °C (-25 °F) USDA Zone 5a: to -28.8 °C (-20 °F) USDA Zone 5b: to -26.1 °C (-15 °F) USDA Zone 6a: to -23.3 °C (-10 °F) USDA Zone 6b: to -20.5 °C (-5 °F) USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 °C (0 °F) USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F) USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F) USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F) USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F) USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
Danger: Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction
Bloom Color: Purple White/Near White
Bloom Time: Late Midseason (MLa)
Foliage: Herbaceous
Other details: Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater This plant is resistant to deer
Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Patent Information: Non-patented
Propagation Methods: By dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets)
Seed Collecting: N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed
On May 10, 2009, dreamgreen from Weaverville, NC wrote:
This is one tough & persistant iris. Beautiful too. I transplanted my Caesar's Brother from a field that was an old home site. The house was torn down in the 1950s but this iris remained and bloomed among blackberry vines and tall grass with no care for half a century! It is identical to the other 'Ceasar's Brother' irises that I have grown for years. It was hybridized by Morgan and was the Morgan award winner in 1953.
On Apr 18, 2009, Joan from Belfield, ND (Zone 4a) wrote:Editor's Note
Rhizomes (thickened roots) and rootstocks, fresh or dry, of all Iris species and cultivars are poisonous if ingested. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and elevated temperature following ingestion. Some resources claim the toxic principal (irisin, iridin, irisine) only cause low toxicity if eaten.
Skin irritation can develop upon contact with seeds, rhizomes, rootstock, or cell sap.
We tend to err on the side of caution in PlantFiles, and the danger notation in the details above is to warn gardeners, parents, and pet owners to look further for more information.
On Feb 26, 2009, pinballer3 from Brighton, CO (Zone 5a) wrote:
This Iris has thrived in alkaline clay soil with drip line watering in summer for four years. Last year, there were 8-10 blooms on each clump. The plant gets full hot sun on a southern slope in summer but is shaded by the house in winter. Looks like its time to divide them now, as the centers are just now thinning out. This is a hearty plant with spring flowers that always get compliments!
On Apr 26, 2008, konijntje from Douglasville, GA (Zone 8a) wrote:
This plant has been a phenomenal success under the most oppressive conditions. We have a steeply sloping concrete driveway which channels rivers of water down to the bottom any time we get a Georgia cloudburst. This leaves the bottom of the drive flooded and filled with the soil the water brought down with it. We dug a swale at the edge of the yard next to the driveway bottom to drain the water and silt out of the drive, which it does. However, this swale area goes from one awful condition to the other (arid clay in the unrelenting full sun most of the time to swamped and silty after a rain). On the advice of the folks at Triple Creek Flower Farm (see DG Garden Watchdog) last September, we planted several miscanthus and several Caesar's Brother iris in that swale after adding moderate soil amendments and covered it with round egg rocks. We didn't touch it with water or anything else in the months since. The foliage has flourished since late winter and this week (April 25) the startlingly beautiful deep midnight blue blooms are opening in heavy profusion on elegant, slender stalks. If it can perform so well in this situation, I can't imagine what it would do somewhere nurturing. Thanks to Triple Creek for their helpfulness...it has turned an ugly problem area into a purposeful, lovely focal point.
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