Rhizomatous plant 20-30 cm. Leaves linear-lanceolate, somewhat arch-like, curved-decumbent, 40 cm x 0.4-0.6 cm. Flowers blue-violet, solitary on short peduncles (10-20 cm). V - mid spring to mid autumn, in St. Petersburg April-October. Fl -May-June for 2-3 weeks. Fr - August. P - by seed and division. For group planting and the rock garden. Does well in sunny places and in semishaded places. Z 4.

Siberia (southern regions), Central Asia (Tien Shan), northern Mongolia and northern China. Meadows, forest margins, grassy and stony slopes.

I. ruthenica is close to I. uniflora Pall. ex Link growing in Siberia (Transbaykal area), the Far East (Amur River basin, Primorskiy region) and northeastern Mongolia. On steppe and stony slopes. I. uniflora differs in the shorter, thick, coriaceous, reddish leaves. Z 4. New.