Median – All
bearded iris classes (SDBs, IBs, BBs, and MTBs) shorter than 27.5"
MDB – miniature dwarf bearded, to 8" tall, the first bearded to bloom
in earliest spring
SDB – standard dwarf bearded, 8 - 16" tall, blooms in early spring
IB – intermediate bearded, 16 - 27.5" tall, blooms after SDB’s and
before TB’s
MTB – miniature tall bearded, 16 – 27.5 tall, the flower is no more
than 6" combined width + height, blooms with the TB’s
BB – border bearded, 16 – 27.5" tall, blooms with the TB’s
TB – tall bearded, more than 27.5" tall, blooms in mid to late spring
AR – or (A) - Aril Iris - this name refers to oncocyclus and
regelia species
AB – Aril-Bred - an iris hybrid that is part aril and part bearded
iris
AM – Aril-Med or Aril-Median - are shorter AR or AB iris
RE – varieties that produce more than one crop of bloom stalks in a
single growing season
HIS – Historic Iris cultivars are any iris introduced over 30 years
ago
Parts of an Iris Flower:
S- standards
– the upturned three petals,
(technically called sepals) that surround the three style arms
F – falls – the downturned three petals, (correctly called petals) that
possess beards. These may also be horizontally flared or flat instead of
downturned)
B – beards – Elongate groups of fuzzy hairs in the middle at the upper
base of all three falls
SA – Space Age iris, have something extra, beard appendages called
horns, spoons or flounces.
Spoons – Appendages extending from the tip of the beards that widen into
spoon shaped petaloids.
Horns – A protrusion or extension of the beards, often ending in a point
or may be hair covered.
Flounces – Wide, folded, often canoe or fan shaped appendages extending
from the tips of the beards.
Hafts – Areas on each side of the narrow of the falls, on each side of
the beards
Shoulders – The areas on the arching upper middle part of the falls on
each side just beyond the haft areas.
Pistil – The style arms with stigmatic lips and the ovary. The female
flower parts
Claw – The narrow base of the standard and fall, the expanded leaf-like
part is called the blade.
Ovary – The enlarged green, three-chambered structure enclosing the
ovules where fertilization occurs.
Spathes – The pair of modified green leaves that enclose the flower bud,
usually turning tan after it blooms.
Stamen – The anther plus its attachment filament. The anthers contain
the granular pollen. The male flower parts.
Rhizome - Brownish, potato-looking, fleshy root
Season of Bloom:
VE
- Very Early
E - Early
M - Midseason
L - Late
VL - Very Late
Descriptive terms:
Self
– standards, style arms and
falls are the same color, as a complete self they have the same color
beards.
Amoena – white standards and anthocyanin pigmented falls
Reverse amoena – anthocyanin pigmented standards and white falls.
Emma Cook pattern – an amoena pattern with white standards and narrow
anthocyanin pigmentation bordered falls.
Bicolor – standards are a different color than the falls
Bitone – standards are a lighter shade of color than the falls
Neglecta – blue or purple bitones with standards a lighter shade of the
color of the falls
Reverse bitone – a bitone with the standards a darker shade of the same
color as the lighter falls
Blend – combination of two or more colors, can be smoothly or unevenly
mixed
Variegata – yellow standards and maroon or brown falls
Plicata – stippled, dotted, or stitched margins of anthocyanin
pigmentation on lighter ground color
Luminata – the reverse pattern of a plicata, with darker ground color
and white edges, veins and around beards
Glaciata – these lack all anthocyanin pigments and are pure whites,
yellows, pinks, or oranges, formerly called ices.
Substance – thickness and resilient tensile strength of the flower parts
Texture – surface sheen or finish, such as velvety or satiny finish of
the petals
Diamond dusted – tiny, conical raised areas across the petal surface
that shine like diamonds in the light
Silver lining – standards and falls have raised areas on the edges that
reflects light in a shining light
Wash – obvious or definite overlay of one color on another
Infusion – faint or subtle overlay of one color on another
Sunburst – white or light streaks fanning out on the falls around, and
sometimes beyond, the beards
Spot – darker area around and below the beard on lighter or different
colored falls
Signal – an area or patch of contrasting color below the beards (usually
on arils, and some beardless varieties)
Zonal – a distinct white or light area around the beards in the middle
of the falls
Contact us by e-mail for more details.
