Bloom Season
VE - Very Early
E - Early
M - Midseason
ML - Midseason Late
L - Late
VL - Very Late
RE - Reblooms

Amoena - White standards, colored falls
Anther - stiff, tiny stem like aperture under the style arm.
Aril iris - AR - oncocyclus and regelia are grouped together under this term
Beard - Thick bushy hairs on the upper part of each of the three lower petals (falls)
Bearded iris - Border Bearded-BB, Intermediate Bearded-IB, Miniature Dwarf Bearded-MDB, Miniature Tall Bearded-MTB, Standard Dwarf Bearded-SDB, Tall Bearded-TB
Beardless irises - Siberian-SIB, Spuria-SPU, Louisiana-LA, Japanese-JI, Pacific Coast Native-PCN, Species-SPE.
Bicolor - Light to medium standards, darker contrasting falls
Bitone - Two tones of the same color
Blend - Two or more colors blended together
Bloom Time - Blooming period; in relation to the same type of iris
Branch - Lateral extension of the main bloom stem that produces additional flowers.
Crest - Instead of a signal or a beard the crested or Evansia irises of the Lophiris section have a
ridge or cockscomb of petal like material called a crest
Crown - The crown is the point where the fan of leaves attaches to the rhizome
Diploid - A diploid is a plant having the usual two sets of chromosomes in each cell. Tetraploid: An iris that is tetraploid has double the number of chromosomes, that is four sets instead of two. Almost all of our modem bearded hybrids are tetraploid, only the MTB's are still largely diploid. An iris that is tetraploid has thicker wider heavier leaves, the flower parts are thicker and larger and because the petals are thicker the color is often deeper and brighter. The plant is not usually much taller but is stiffer and wider.
Falls - Three downward curving lower petals (sepals) of the flower.
Fan of leaves - exactly that; each fan of leaves means there is one iris rhizome underneath that fan.
Flare - Fall having an outward horizontal curve.
Flounces — Appendages extending from the tip of the beard like little petals
Form - Structure or position of the petals that determines a flower's overall shape.
Fluting - gentle dips and rises in the petal edges
Glaciata - (bloom color category) a pale color from plic breeding-no plic marking
Hybridizer: Name of the person who created the iris
Height: the height of the stalk as designated by the hybridizer (can vary depending on conditions and locale).
Horns - Long pointed growths protruding upward from the ends of the beards.
Hafts - The upper part of falls that connects to rest of flower; shoulders next to beards.
Haft marks -veining on the hafts; sometimes considered unsightly
Halo : a rim of color around the petals, usually contrasting to the main color, not found on plics
Increase - New fans growing from the side of the rhizome.
Lace - Very frilled or crimped serrations on the outer edges of the petals.
Luminata - Wash of color in falls with paler veining; clear unmarked area on hafts; usually paler edge to petals
Median - an iris in the following classifications: Border Bearded, Intermediate Bearded, Miniature Tall Bearded, Standard Dwarf Bearded
Midline stripe - a stripe of usually contrasting color down the middle of the falls
Mid-rib - the stiffened mid-section of the standards which hold them upright
Neglecta — Blue standards, darker colored falls
Ovary - The ovule-bearing part of the pistil at the base of the iris flower which develops after
fertilization into the seedpod containing seeds derived from the ovules
Peppering - found on plicatas-as if you shook a pepper shaker of contrasting color over an iris with a yellow or white background color
Pistil: The female reproductive structure of a flower which in iris consists of ovary, stylearms and
stigma
Perianth Tube - The bases of the petals join together into a tube that surrounds the style and extends down to the ovary. Some species, such as I. unguicularis, have very long perianth tubes that replace the stem and extend down to the ovary which is at ground level.
Plicata —(also plic) Stippled or stitched margin color on lighter ground color
Rebloomer — Iris that blooms in any other season in addition to its normal spring bloom time; also called remontant
Reverse Amoena - (bloom color category)darker standards and white or tinted white falls.
Rhizome - Thick bulb-like underground stem having roots and leaves.
Ruffles - Bouncy, wavy or rolling form applied to the petals.
Self — An iris of one color
Shoulders - the areas on the arching upper middle part of the falls on each side beyond the haft area
Signal - A spot pattern of different color on the falls just below the beard.
Space ager — Iris with flounces, horns or spoons
Spathe - Leaf-like covering over the base of the flower (ovary).
Spoons - Horned-like growths with small petaloids protruding from beards.
Spur - a short side stem which may or may not be near the top of the stem or stalk
Stigmatic lip - the lip like petal under the style crest which receives the pollen.
Stippled - Dotted, peppered or dashed.
Stitching - may go with "peppering", as if one had buttonhole stitched around the edges of the falls or all of the petals. "Stitches" may be so close together as to look like a thin or thick solid rim around the petals.
Stalk - Tall stiff stem that terminates in flowers.
Stamen - Small match-like protrusion just beneath stylearms; flower's male reproductive part producing powdery pollen.
Standards - Three upward arching petals of the flower.
Stem - also called the stalk, that which holds the flower upright. May be straight or gently S-curved
Stigma - Lip-like growth near end of the stylearms; flower's female reproductive organ.
Stylearms - Small stiff segments in flower's center shielding the base of the falls; holds female reproductive organ (stigma).
Style crest - the upward curving of the top of the style arm. The style crest may be plain, serrated or fringed.
Styles - The part of the pistil that rises from the ovary and bares the stigma. In the iris, it branches into three flat arms, that may or may not be the same color as the petals.
Substance - Thickness of the petals; stiffness that determines durability of petal.
Texture - Surface sheen or finish of the petals (e. g.: velvety, satiny)
Variegata - (bloom color category)yellow or near-yellow standards with deeper falls color, which may be either varied or solid tones of brown or purple. Variegatas are normally yellow over maroon.
Variegata — Yellow standards, reddish colored falls
Wire-edge - a minute rim of color around the edges of the petals.
Year of Introduction - the year in which the iris was first publicly offered for sale.
Year of Registration - the year in which the hybridizer registers the iris with the AIS.
Zonal -a white or light area around the beards in the middle of the falls.

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