INFO: Iris Lingo
- To: i*@Rt66.com
- Subject: INFO: Iris Lingo
- From: t*@Lanl.GOV (Tom Tadfor Little)
- Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 09:40:17 -0600
Iris Lingo
1. The Parts of an Iris Plant
The RHIZOME is the large, fleshy, undergroud stem. The leaves
emerge from the top of the rhizomes in groupings called FANS.
The roots grow down from the bottom of the rhizome. Small new
rhizomes (with fans) that branch off from the main rhizome
are called INCREASES. The increases grow over the course of a
year and eventually become large plants capable of blooming.
Ducth irises and reticulatta irises do not have rhizomes;
they grow from true bulbs like tulips.
A BLOOMSTALK (usually bearing several blooms) grows from the
center of a mature fan. The stalk may have several BRANCHES.
The small leaflets attached to the stalk that protect the
buds are called SPATHES.
2. The Parts of an Iris Bloom
The three upper petals are called STANDARDS; the three lower
petals (technically "sepals") are FALLS. The small, arching,
petal-like structures in the heart of the flower are the
STYLES; they usually end in frilly STYLE CRESTS.
Bearded irises have fuzzy, catepillar-like BEARDS, one on
each fall, leading into the center of the bloom. The
"shoulders" of the falls, on either side of the beard, are
called the HAFTS.
3. Terms Describing Bloom Shape
SUBSTANCE is the thickness of the petals. RUFFLING is a wavy
edge on the petals; LACE is a frilly, crinkled edge. FLARING
falls stand out from the center of the flower, rather than
drooping down.
4. Terms Describing Bloom Color
Most of these terms refer to bearded irises, although some
are applied to other types too.
A SELF is an iris with both standards and falls the same
solid color.
A BICOLOR has standards of one solid color and falls of a
different solid color. There are a few additional terms for
different types of bicolor: An AMOENA (pronounced a-MEE-na)
is a bicolor with white standards. Historically, amoenas all
had blue or violet falls, but today the term also refers to
bicolors with yellow, orange, or pink falls, so long as the
standards are white. A VARIEGATA (pronounced vair-eh-GAH-ta)
is a bicolor with yellow standards and darker falls, typically
brownish red or violet.
A BITONE has standards and falls different shades of the same
hue. The standards are typically lighter. A bitone in the
blue or violet color range is called a NEGLECTA.
A PLICATA (plick-AH-ta) has a light ground color and dark
veins or dots, usually concentrated at the edges of the
petals. The ground color may be white, yellow, orange, or
pink; the markings are blue, violet, brown, or reddish. A
related pattern, the LUMINATA, has the darker colors as a
marbling between the veins, with a conspicuous light area
around the hafts and the center of the flower.
Dwarf bearded irises (and medians descended from them) often
show a SPOT pattern, a dark blotch on the center of each
fall.
Aril irises (and their arilbred descendants) may show a dark
SIGNAL at the tip of the beard. It is similar to the dwarf
spot, but generally smaller, darker, and more sharply
defined. It may have a velvety texture. Arils and arilbreds
may also have VEINING and DOTTING all over the petals.
In beardless irises, the term SIGNAL refers to a brightly
colored streak located on the falls where bearded irises have
a beard.
5. The Different Types of Irises
For terminology relating to the different types of irises
(e.g., tall bearded, standard dwarf bearded, Siberian, aril,
etc.), refer to the "Irises" page on Tom Little's gardening
web site, http://www.rt66.com/~telp/garden.htm, or to the
web pages maintained by Jim Wilson and David Pane-Joyce,
also accessible from the URL above.
6. Hybridizing Terms
New iris varieties are produced by crossing (hybridizing)
existing varieties. Pollen is taken from the ANTHERS of one
variety (called the pollen parent) and applied to STIGMAS
of another variety (called the pod parent). The cross is
written with the pod parent first:
pod parent X pollen parent.
A SEEDLING is a new iris variety, raised from seed by the
hybridizer. If the hybridizer thinks the seedling is worthy
of distribution, it can be REGISTERED with the American Iris
Society (the hybridizer provides a detailed description of
iris for the AIS records), and INTRODUCED into commerce
(offered for sale to the public). A named variety is properly
called a CULTIVAR.
Seedlings from the same cross are called SIBLINGS (SIBS for
short). Crossing an iris with itself is called a SELF cross.
Crossing a seedling with one of its parents is a BACKCROSS.
CHROMOSOMES are the microscopic structures that carry an
organism's genes. Most organisms have multiple sets of
chromosomes. A plant with two sets of chromosomes is a
DIPLOID; one with four sets is a TETRAPLOID. Tetraploid
plants are usually larger, show more variations, and
have advantages in breeding.
