Abbreviations for different types of Irises:
MDB	SDB	IB	MTB	BB	TB

Abbr.	Definition
Median	All bearded iris classes (SDBs, IBs, BBs, and MTBs) between 8 and 27.5 inches.
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, generally blooms after SDBs and before TBs.
MTB	Miniature Tall Bearded, 16 - 27.5" tall, the flower is no more than 6" combined width + height, generally blooms with the TBs.
BB	Border Bearded, 16 - 27.5" tall, blooms with the TBs.
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	Arilbred, an iris hybrid that is part aril and part bearded iris.
AM	Aril-med/Arilbred-med or Aril-median/Arilbred-median, shorter AR or AB irises that are crosses between Aril/Arilbred & dwarf or median irises, and that also meet the height requirements for classification as a median 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.

Part	Definition
Standards (S)	The upturned three petals, (technically called sepals) that surround the three style arms.
Falls (F)	The downturned three petals, (correctly called petals) that possess beards. These may also be horizontally flared or flat instead of downturned).
Beards (B)	Elongate groups of fuzzy hairs in the middle at the upper base of all three falls.
Space Age (SA)	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.

VE = Very Early

E = Early

M = Midseason

L = Late

VL = Very Late

Term	Definition
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.