These stately flowers, as evidenced by their depiction in Egyptian palaces, also enamored Egyptian Kings. The Egyptians were likely influenced by Greek mythology and used the iris to symbolize their connections to heaven.
By the middle ages, France took up the gauntlet and began to use iris flowers to symbolize royalty and power. In fact, it is the iris that inspired the fleur-de-lis, the National symbol for France.
In the United States, the iris is the birth flower for February, the flower for the 25th wedding anniversary and the state flower for Tennessee.
The roots of the Iris plant have been used medicinally to treat skin infections, syphilis, stomach problems and dropsy. Today the roots are still used to purge the liver. Some alternative medicine uses include using yellow iris to treat dandruff and white iris to treat asthma and bronchitis, as well as use as a diuretic.
The delicate fragrance of iris flower is used in cosmetics and perfumes while the iris flower is used as a compress to treat acne. The roots of the iris contain the fragrance. These roots are dried and ground to produce a powder called orris root. Orris root is used in herbal remedies and as a fixative in potpourri or dried herbs to preserve their fragrance.
