The cultivar Ruffled Velvet is a rich reddish-purple with velvety falls. The falls are darker and ruffled, and yellow at the base. It stands 22 inches high and blooms in mid to late season, while the thin, grass-like foliage remains a highlight throughout the summer. In 1974 Ruffled Velvet was awarded Honorable Mention by the American Iris Society, and in 1980 it won the Morgan Medal.

Siberian irises lack the beard of colored hairs at the base of each fall that other iris groups have. Typically these irises grow together in thick clumps which keep out weeds. The classic Fleur de Lys, which has been a symbol of royalty throughout history, was an adaptation of the iris flower. The name iris was taken from the Greek goddess of the rainbow to symbolize the many colors of this flower.