Abbreviations
for different types of Irises:
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 |
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 |
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