Rhizomatous herb. Roots swollen tuber-like, white fleshy as well as fibrous roots attached to flat rhizome, densely covered by remains of old leaves. Leaves 10-45 cm long, 2-5 mm wide, strongly ribbed. Peduncle (stem) 10-30 cm tall, often branched. Bracts slender, acuminate, keeled, generally 2-flowered. Pedicel c. 2.5 cm long. Flower 4.0-5.0 cm long in diameter, pale bluish-lavender to deep reddish purple. Falls c. 5 cm long, c. 2.5 cm wide, blade broadly lanceolate; haft with deeper reddish purple veins and a central ridge which is brownish yellow at base, yellowish to pale mauvish-white on blade; standards narrowly lanceolate, bent outwards and downwards like falls; tube 2.5-6.0 cm long. Filaments white slightly violet tinged, anthers cream coloured, violet-tinged at the base. Ovary 3-sided, each side slightly concave. Styles broadly lobed, pale-violet, toothed at edges, crest triangular erect, exceeding falls and standard, whitish or yellowish orange at tips, stigma deeply bilobed. Capsule 2.5-3.5 cm long, trigonal, grooved at sides, tip pointed. Seeds dark brown small, round, aril as large or larger than seed.

Diuretic, aperient, deobstruent and purgative (root); sedative type of effect on the heart (e.g.. reduces force of the contraction and the heart rate).

Irisolone and irigenin (rhizome); irisolidone (plant)

In the treatment of bilious obstructions, chest affections and applied externally to small sores and pimples (root).

Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.