Iris flowers are a mathematical group of flowering plants that go to the genus Iris , which include around 300 metal money and grand of cultivar . The name “ Iris ” come from the Hellenic goddess of the rainbow , and the flowers are often tie in with the colour of the rainbow , except for red . Iris is one of the most diverse and well - get it on groups of garden flower in the world .

As a genus , irises have magnetic declination in their source systems , with rhizomatous and bulbous type represented . leafage of all flag are fizgig - shaped , with variation in distance , width and gloss . Flower human body are divide into three independent type , which include bearded , smooth-faced and crested . Complex flower body structure are made up of standards – good petals – and falls – horizontal or downwards - pitch petals .

The falls serve as landing platforms for pollenate insect , help to conduct them into the center of the flower . The standards are the three good petals of the iris prime . They are usually narrower and more tumid than the falls . The standard can be various colors , often contrasting with the waterfall . Some flag peak have a “ beard , ” which is a row of fuzzy hairs on the declension , provide a landing place berth for pollinators .

Iris plant life come in various size , ranging from 6 inches to 4 ft tall , and bloom in a throng of semblance , including shades of jaundiced , purple , lily-white , and even black . They have a lightheaded , sweet aroma that is alike to that of violets .

Depending on the species , irises are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 11 . Dutch irises ( Iris xiphium hybrids ) , hardy in USDA zones 6 through 9 , are the most popular with florists , but many gardeners have even glossy types useable to them in their flowerbeds . Because buds on the same stem incline to open up in succession , the prime can last one week or longer in water , though the design of the fragrancy will transfer as the first blooms wither and new ones open .

History of Iris Flowers

The name “ iris ” comes from the Hellenic word for “ rainbow , ” reflecting the broad range of colors in which these flowers flower . In Greek mythology , Iris was the messenger of the gods and the personification of the rainbow . She act as a contact between heaven and earth .

The consumption of iris as a garden plant life dates back to 1469 B.C. The iris ’s shape was the stirring for the “ fleur - de - lis ” allegory , which was adapted by the powerful Frankish King Clovis I in 500 A.D. , watch over his changeover to Christianity . The fleur - Diamond State - lis eventually became the recognized national symbol of France .

The fleur-de-lis was introduced to North America by early European settler who bring the bulbs to the novel human race . Iris heyday line have been hound to Virginia , where medulla were probably planted in the 1600 ’s .

The world success story of the iris probably start around 1479 B.C. , when King Thutmose III of Egypt had appropriate Syria where iris grew in neat richness . Being a gardener as well as a warrior king , Thutmose ensured that irises should be immortalize in sculpture at the Temple of Amon at Karnak , as well as in the garden of Egypt .

Classifications or Types of Iris Flowers

Bearded Irises (Iris germanica)

exemplar

Siberian Irises ( Iris sibirica )

Nipponese Irises ( Iris ensata )

Louisiana Irises ( Iris hexagona )

Dutch iris diaphragm ( Iris x hollandica )

Reticulated Irises ( Iris reticulata )

case

Spuria Irises ( Iris spuria )

Pacific Coast Irises ( Iris douglasiana )

Yellow Flag Irises ( Iris pseudacorus )

Crested Irises ( Iris cristata )

Dwarf Bearded Irises ( Iris pumila )

Roof Irises ( Iris tectorum )

Aril Iris ( Iris subgenus Iris )

Intermediate Bearded Iris ( Iris x )

Beardless Iris

These do not have a whiskers or crest on the free fall . representative include Nipponese Iris , Louisiana Iris , Pacific Coast Natives , Siberian Iris , Spuria Iris hybrids , and Species Iris ( wild iris ) .