ID Iris bulb

[Cfred72]

Excuse me for asking the question again ... Does anyone have an idea of what Iris it is?
At first, I thought Iris reticulata. Is it possible that it is Iris histrio?

[David Nicholson]

Fred, am I right in thinking that the pictures above are the same ones you posted in Reply 63 in the Iris reticulata-2017 thread? If so did you take a look at my reply to that in Reply 66 and did you look at the Link I provided to Peter Nyssen's Web Shop?

It is very difficult these days to be specific on any of the small retic. type plants because they are such a crazy mixed up bunch largely because over many years they have become mixed up by the trade and mis-named, as well as there being a large number of hybrids and again these have often been mis-named by the trade.

So, it is probably easier to say what a plant is not rather than what it is, but let's have a try, and here I wish Lesley was reading this thread because I'm sure she has forgotten more than I ever knew in Iris identification . First of all are the leaves of your plant quadrangular in shape (having 4 angles and 4 sides)? It is difficult to tell from your picture but if they are not quadrangular then they are neither histrio nor histrioides, also, in the main the flower colour in histrio and histrioides is pale blue (your plant looks more purple but I accept this could be as a result of the light when they were photographed) although there are some darker forms ie: histrioides 'George' see Peter Nyssen's picture. Both histrio and histrioides have yellow ridges.

If I were guessing, and I am, your plant looks very similar to Iris reticulata 'Pixie-again see the Peter Nyssen's picures.

[Cfred72]

Hello David,

In fact on the site of Peter Nijssen, I did not find anything resembling it. Indeed the first photo was already posted. The thread having been quickly buried back, I created a new subject.

Iris Harmony, I have it in the garden, here it is in first photo

In second picture, I place Pixie. I have it too.

In third, George Histrioïdes

In the fourth picture of the Iris unknown to me.

In fifth a view of several (right: Pixie, behind: George, left: unknown

[Cfred72]

The stems are well four angles and four sides.
I do not know if I put extra pictures if it can help ...?

[David Nicholson]

Fred, I have sent a note to Lesley to see if she can help.

[Cfred72]

Thanks David.

Even though I do not have a cultivar name, already know if it's reticulata or histrio would please me.

It is true that most images of histrio is light blue (except George)

[tonyg]

At first sight I thought your mystery iris looks like 'J S Dijt'  -  now I have looked it up on google I still think that is possible.  Narrower petals, taller leaves at flowering and widely available like Harmony and Pixie.

Not like any Iris histrio that I have seen.

[Cfred72]

Yes, Tony, that could be what you're saying.

[Lesley Cox]

David, you are generous in suggesting I could help with Fred's ID problem. Maybe 10 years agoI could have but like in the UK and I suppose elsewhere, all the reticulatas we have are now so mixed up and are being supplied under wrong names that I am as confused as anyone. Our wholesalers having obtained stock from Holland are offering new names but usually with old varieties and sometimes the reverse.

In Fred's pictures, most of which I find are too big  to be really helpful, the only one I am absolutely sure of is in the second batch (reply #2) the form at the bottom right of the last (5th) Photo is 'Harmony.' Others I'm just not sure about and some like 'Pixie' for instance, are released here but are not true to description. 'Alida' is being supplied as 'Cantab' and so on. The whole situation is frustrating the hell out of me. I bought 3 packets of "mixed" retics a few days ago and the picture on the packets were af 4 or 5 mixed reticulata forms but the shop advertising said they were (or included) 'Sheila Ann Germaney' and 'Katharine Hodgkin.' I await spring hopefully but suspect when it arrives I'll be having a major rant at the garden centre (not responsible) and their wholesaler. Actually our Consumer Guarantees Act makes the last supplier (the garden centre in this case) legally responsible in that they must refund if not correct and then go to the wholesaler to get their refund and have the problem fixed but.........either way, we the consumers still don't have the bulbs we ordered.

[Lesley Cox]

'J.S.Dijt' is one of the reddish purple forms (nothing blue about it at all) and has a richly coloured very strong orange signal stripe. I don't believe Fred's form for ID can possibly be 'J.S.Dijt.' Nor is it any form of histrio which does vary but always within a range of pale blue and with regard to the amount of darker spotting on the falls. 'George is not a form of histrio but a selection or perhaps a hybrid from histrioides or h. 'Major' and again is reddish purple. It is worth noting that with 'George' and with histrioides and winogradowii the leaves are barely showing at flower time,specially near the beginning of flowering. For that reason I don't think 'George' as shown by Fred is correct either though it's hard to tell from the photo (#5 in Reply 2) which foliage belongs to what he says is 'George.'

'Harmony' too has short or little foliage at flower time due to its histrioides parentage (reticulata x histrioides or possible vice versa). Another look at the same photo says to me that 'George' may be correct, judging from the length or absence of foliage.

Of golly I have missed the Forum recently, having been playing about on Facebook. Time I got my priorities right!