Iris pumila, sometimes known as pygmy iris, probably originated as a natural hybrid between Iris pseudopumila Boissier & Heldreich and I. attica Tineo. It ranges from Austria through eastern Europe and the Balkans, Ukraine, southern Russia, and the Caucasus into Turkey. Beginning in the mid 20th century, Iris pumila was bred extensively with the hybrid tall bearded irises of gardens, giving rise to the great variety of modern dwarf and median bearded iris cultivars. Another pumila hybrid is 'Iris coerulea' named by Édouard Spach in Hist. Veg. Phan. xiii. 50 in 1846.