This is Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata). It is native to this area.
![Dwarf Crested Iris have really short stems - Wild Irises in Pisgah Forest – Things to do near Meadowbrook Log Cabin](https://www.meadowbrooklogcabin.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wild_irises.jpg)
Dwarf Crested Iris have really short stems, only one or two inches. It is three or four inches tall to the top of the flower. It has a faint fragrance.
![Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata) - Wild Irises in Pisgah Forest – Things to do near Meadowbrook Log Cabin](https://www.meadowbrooklogcabin.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wild_irises-2.jpg)
This is the most common color, but I have seen them darker purple or paler, almost blue or nearly white. I’ve been told they can be pink, too, but I’ve never seen it.
![Dwarf Crested Iris in Pisgah National Forest - Wild Irises in Pisgah Forest – Things to do near Meadowbrook Log Cabin May](https://www.meadowbrooklogcabin.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/north_mills_river_recreation_area-7.jpg)
You can find this in the meadow areas up in the forest.
![Dwarf Crested Iris on the side of the gravel road that connects Mills River Recreation Area with the Blue Ridge Parkway. - Wild Irises in Pisgah Forest – Things to do near Meadowbrook Log Cabin May](https://www.meadowbrooklogcabin.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/north_mills_river_recreation_area-6.jpg)
These were on the side of the gravel road that connects Mills River Recreation Area with the Blue Ridge Parkway.
They sell Dwarf Crested Iris and hybrid variations.