It is written as 西藏鸢尾 in Chinese script and known as 'xi zang yuan wei' in China.

It is occasionally commonly known as 'Clark's Iris'.
or 'Tibet iris'.

The Latin specific epithet clarkei refers to Charles Baron Clarke who had collected herbarium specimens (of the iris) in 1875.

The iris was found in Tonglo, India in 1857 by Dr Y Thompson and also in 1868 by Dr T. Anderson.

It was first published and described by Baker in 'Flora of British India' (London) in July 1892.
Later he also published it in Handbook of the Irideae Vol.25.
in Aug–Nov 1892.
Unfortunately Baker had made a mistake, when he first described the iris, he had based his description of the plant, using a sketch drawn by Joseph Dalton Hooker (within Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Herbarium).
Hooker had found the plants in Tonglo in India and at Yakla in Sikkim (at an altitude of 10,000 ft above sea level).

Baker had misread a faint penciled note on the side no beard or crest, which he read as beard and crest (missing the no).
This meant he classified the plant as within the Pseudoevansia Group of plants.
Later, in 1907 more plants and seeds from Tonglo, arrived in the UK and the mistake was found 
In 1910, in Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Tab.
8323.
Vol.136 published by Otto Stapf, he noted that plants raised in gardens did not match the description and that it should be classified as coming from a region similar to Iris delavayi in China.
This was later classified as the Siberian series.

It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003, and then updated on 1 December 2004.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, as well as being an accepted name.
It is written as 西藏鸢尾 in Chinese script and known as 'xi zang yuan wei' in China.
It is occasionally commonly known as 'Clark's Iris'. or 'Tibet iris'.
The Latin specific epithet clarkei refers to Charles Baron Clarke who had collected herbarium specimens (of the iris) in 1875.
The iris was found in Tonglo, India in 1857 by Dr Y Thompson and also in 1868 by Dr T. Anderson.
It was first published and described by Baker in 'Flora of British India' (London) in July 1892. Later he also published it in Handbook of the Irideae Vol.25. in Aug–Nov 1892. Unfortunately Baker had made a mistake, when he first described the iris, he had based his description of the plant, using a sketch drawn by Joseph Dalton Hooker (within Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Herbarium). Hooker had found the plants in Tonglo in India and at Yakla in Sikkim (at an altitude of 10,000 ft above sea level).
Baker had misread a faint penciled note on the side no beard or crest, which he read as beard and crest (missing the no). This meant he classified the plant as within the Pseudoevansia Group of plants. Later, in 1907 more plants and seeds from Tonglo, arrived in the UK and the mistake was found 
In 1910, in Curtis's Botanical Magazine, Tab. 8323. Vol.136 published by Otto Stapf, he noted that plants raised in gardens did not match the description and that it should be classified as coming from a region similar to Iris delavayi in China. This was later classified as the Siberian series.
It was verified by United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service on 4 April 2003, and then updated on 1 December 2004.
This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, as well as being an accepted name.
Iris clarkei