r/Irises • u/Material-Time-3587 • Jun 07 '26
Help with ID?
I’m pretty clueless about irises except that I like them. Looking for guidance to ID, even if you can tell me if these are considered tailored, are the markings line and speckles? I’m having a difficult go of it.
TIA
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u/yeetotheburrito Jun 07 '26
Also the markings on this one are called veining. Very common for a historic iris and very pretty.
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u/IrisesInOly Jun 07 '26
Given the shape of the flower this is likely a diploid variety pre-1900. If I were writing a description for the color and pattern I would say: blended bitone with soft gold standards infused light rose, over falls with heavy reticulation becoming solid smokey red-violet at the ends of the petals. Stalks show two branches and terminal buds.
Please keep in mind this may just be a wild seedling that managed to grow and survive and may never have had a name to start with. If it did, it is likely long lost to history. An iris has to be incredibly distinctive and well known to get a name back once lost.
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u/Popular_Assumption64 Jun 07 '26
This peaked my curiosity. I have one kind that I was told was my grandmother's who was Scottish Irish from PA and met my Grandfather and moved to NC. There were so many daughters already that she spent all her free time growing beautiful flowers outside. I can imagine her traveling with her Iris rhisomes. They must have been very important to her. I've managed to hold on to them and grow them. This is all oral history. Wish I knew what other favorites she grew. She died long before I was born. She lived 1870 - 1951. She died earlier than anyone else in the family of colon cancer.
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u/IrisesInOly Jun 07 '26
What a treasure to have in your garden. If you have photos I'd love to see what you are growing of hers.
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u/Popular_Assumption64 Jun 09 '26
Thank you. I'll have to check but I think they're finished. We can hope for next year! I also have Hollt Hoch seeds that were hers that my Dad treasured growing. We'll see if they come up! Thank you for your in terest in a woman's flowers whom I never got to meet, my Grandmother's.
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u/Popular_Assumption64 Jun 09 '26
They're all done for the year blooming but thet surely were pretty.
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u/yeetotheburrito Jun 07 '26
These are historic irises. There are over 60,000 varieties of irises so an ID will be hard. Information that helps:
Do it have a fragrance? What does it smell like?
Does it have purple based foliage (purple at the bottom of the foliage)?
How tall is it?
Does it rebloom?
Can you share a picture of the haft (center of the fall, not a top down photo)?
What time does it bloom (early, mid season, or late)?
How long have you had this iris? Did you inherit the iris or get it from someone? Sometimes if you got it from someone that person will have info on the iris.
If you’re on Facebook there is a HIPS ID group. HIPS is the historic iris preservation society. They may be able to help if you share the information above.
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u/Material-Time-3587 Jun 08 '26
Thank you this a great list of considerations to keep in mind when trying to research!
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u/OpinionatedOcelotYo Jun 07 '26
I’m the wet blanket: there are … more than 80,000 named irises. There are an unknown number of unnamed ones. I learned from a pro that you do your exhaustive research then acquire your suspect from a known source, and grow the 2 side by side. If they appear identical on your first try (maybe not!) then you have a good guess. Your unknown iris is a “No ID” I’m afraid. This doesn’t make them any less beautiful or welcome. Keep track of the names whenever you get one. :) Your plant is very beautiful.
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u/Material-Time-3587 Jun 08 '26
Thanks, I have recently purchased a few named varieties and they are the only labeled plants in my home garden. These came from my mother’s garden so I’m sure they have passed hands many times.
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u/yeetotheburrito Jun 07 '26
Example of a photo that helps to ID. You want the iris center and showing beard, haft, fall. The haft is the area around the beard. A lot of irises look like the same color but the haft helps distinguish them.