Beardless & Crested irises.
Beardless irises.
Rhizomatous irises.
These are divided into sections based on their place or origin.
Commonly cultivated are the Louisiana irises and their hybrids.
Growing from rhizomes the sword-like leaves form basal fans.
They can form very large clumps covering up to 1 m.
Inflorescence spikes can be 1 to 1.5 m high.
Flowers can be up to 18 cm across.
The original Louisiana species are either reddish-orange or bluish-purple with one white.
Hybrids and cultivars include pink, yellow, rust and combinations of these.
There are often yellow areas on the base of the falls.
Siberian irises and their cultivars are also fairly common.
Spikes to 1.2 m high hold up to 5 flowers.
Flowers are mostly blue, violet or white.
Many have yellow areas (signals) or white lines at the base of the falls.
Crested irises.
Irises growing from rhizomes but with no beard.
They have a longitudinal ridge or crest on the falls.
Divided into many groups the flowers can be blues, mauves, white and yellow.
Some are patterned in different colours.
J.F.
