Iris cristata, the Dwarf Crested Iris, is a beardless rhizomatous iris (genus Iris, subgenus Limniris), endemic to the eastern United States, south of where the Wisconsinan glaciation spread about 11,000 years ago.
Iris cristata is a close relative to Iris lacustris (Dwarf lake iris), the only other crested iris native to North America, which, unlike the Crested iris, is found only in small areas of the Great Lakes region that have been glacier-free for only 11,000 years.
In cultivation this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.