Iris and some Irids 2010

[Paul T]

Fermi,

That Iris filifolia is striking.  Flowers look like a dutch iris, but on bearded foliage?  Or is that just an effect in the pic?  Rather fascinating, and unlike any iris I've seen before if so.

[Lesley Cox]

Iris filifolia, belongs to the same series as the Dutch and English irises. According to Kohlein, its flowers are a vibrant purple-red and the falls have a decorative orange spot and an irregular dark blue band on the margins. The leaves are "narrow-linear, but not as narrow as its name suggests."

You will, of course, be collecting seed from yours Fermi? whatever it actually is? (I. halophila finally starting to germinate!)

[fermi de Sousa]

Fermi,

That Iris filifolia is striking.  Flowers look like a dutch iris, but on bearded foliage?  Or is that just an effect in the pic?  Rather fascinating, and unlike any iris I've seen before if so.

Paul,
the iris filifolia is growing through some TBI!
Lesley,
it's never set seed before so it might need to be pollinated; I'll see if I egt a chance today - we're expecting a major rain event again soon! Probably before I can get home.
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Paul,
the iris filifolia is growing through some TBI!

Ah, that explains everything.

[David Nicholson]

Some beautiful Irises being shown from Australia and New Zealand in the Iris threads so I must show my minor triumph.

Iris unguicularis has flowered for me (at last!) and I think it was 2007 when it last flowered. So far only one flower but I'll settle for that. It's a lost label so if anyone can hazard a guess at a name that would be a double bonus.

[fermi de Sousa]

A couple more in our garden,
Dutch iris "Thunderbolt"


The first flower on Iris virginica is just about faded but a second is about to open


cheers
fermi

[arillady]

Ferni you just stole my thunder
Plus a couple of shots of Iris pallida ssp pallida illyrica
And lastly what is known as Manon in South Australia but may be Iris sweertii???
It is a miniature tall bearded.

[Paul T]

Pat,

Can I please ask the definition of Miniature Tall Bearded?  That looks like it is rather tall to be called a miniature, isn't it?  Or is this just a category within "tall" and there are miniature, medium and tall tall beardeds?

I have a sinking feeling that I may have asked this question before?

[Otto Fauser]

Pat , this Iris came from you a few years ago . Unfortunately I lost the label , but I remember that you sent me I .purpureobracteata .
 Could this be it ?

 Also flowering yesterday is a favourite of mine : Iris verna , which enjoys morning sun in my garden .

[Lesley Cox]

Iris verna is a real favourite here too but has finished now, the result of some hot, dry winds at the end of last week. A friend down the road has the white verna just out.

[Lesley Cox]

Paul I may have this wrong but I think a miniature tall bearded is just that, like a tall bearded but everything smaller in proportion, size of flower, height and the clump generally. It is classed with the talls because it flowers at the same time whereas other, smaller beardeds are earlier, generally, the smaller, the earlier. Min TBs are also called "Table" irises and are certainly very attractive for table or vase decoration where the true talls would be too big.

[David Nicholson]

Pat,

Can I please ask the definition of Miniature Tall Bearded?  That looks like it is rather tall to be called a miniature, isn't it?  Or is this just a category within "tall" and there are miniature, medium and tall tall beardeds?

I have a sinking feeling that I may have asked this question before?

Paul, does this help......... or hinder?

http://www.irises.org/growing.htm#Classification_Information:

[arillady]

Otto yes you are correct. It is a funny species in that the flowers seem to be tucked into the foliage on some flower but others rise about it. I have a big clump of the yellow and the blue flowering now too.

Lesley and David have given the correct info on the MTB. I like them as they are dainty. There are not many in Australia. I would like to try more from seed. One of the iris species that I put in the SA Iris show caused a bit of a stir between members. It was a species that is in the beginning of the MTB class and someone thought it should have been entered in another class but another judge said it could be in either so I was fine where I had put it - in the species section. Guess you can tell that the name is not coming to me.
Been trying to get the definiative name of what "Manon" is for years. Photos of sweertii show a similar flower but not the size!!

[Paul T]

Thanks for the info Lesley.

Thanks for the link David.  I had come across the other classes, just not the miniature tall bearded.

Pat,

Could you give some dimensions of your plant?  It sounds interesting, but I'm still trying to work out the differences.  So they're nearly the size of a tall bearded iris in spike, but the flowers are much smaller and stems are much thinner?  They sound quite interesting.  I've not to my knowledge ever seen one, but your comment on there not being many in Australia would likely account for that. 

Thanks for the info everyone.

[PeterT]

MTBs are a quite a bit smaller than TBs Paul, they can involve Iris lutescens and I think I aphylla, they are the same proportions as a TB but about half the height, therefore they are now bred with spreading falls because they are viewed from above.
The Dwarf Bearded (DBs), Border Bearded (BBs), and Intermediate Bearded (IBs) have much chunkier flowers and resemble TB flowers on short stems I think they usually involve I pumila. Each of these catagories is defined by the height the stem is supposed to reach, sometimes a plant has to have its registration changed if it consistantly produces stems too high or short for its catagory - eg reclassified from IB to TB.
There is also another catagory called the Miniature  Dwarf Bearded (MDBs) and they may involve species such as I attica and suaveolens They are even shorter than the DBs and usually shown in pots rather than cut in vases