A Chinese iris in the Chrysographes subseries, usually dying down completely during the winter, reappearing to form a larger clump each year. The flowers are mid purple, with darker purple veins on the standards and on the falls, which have a light yellow zone.

Iris cf.bulleyana SDR4436 is probably the normal, purple-flowered form of Iris bulleyana, but it may turn out to be Iris chrysographes, in which case the markings on the falls will be pure yellow, without any pale, purple-veined region.