Greetings, first post here. Daylilies are my specialty, I know a little bit about them. Regrettably, while I like iris, what I know about them could probably be compressed onto the head of a pin. I'm almost OCD about labeling my daylilies and hosta but hadn't gotten obsessed with the iris labels until a couple of years ago. I bought a few - only about 20 - mostly TB, labeled them and listed them in my db here. So most didn't bloom last year. This year, one with what we would call a "Broken pattern" or splotches and stripes with daylilies has bloomed. It seems distinctive, but it does not match the pattern or description at all of any that I purchased. I usually cringe when someone asks for an ID with a daylily, knowing there are nearly 90,000 registered daylilies and it's nearly impossible. I realize it's almost to that extent with iris, but hope springs eternal. I'm posting the picture I took yesterday in hopes that someone might grow and recognize this one so I can proceed with my OCD habit of labeling ! Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Check Kasperek irises in the data base, you might find in.

Thank you for that lead. It does indeed most closely resemble one called 'Bewilderbeest' which I definitely didn't order! Hmmm.

Julie ~ to the Iris Forum!

to the iris forum, julie.

do you remember the vendors? you might check their websites to see if they carry that iris? or check your packing slips, and do a process of elimination, to see what you should have gotten? or maybe this was a bonus iris?

just a few questions to ponder, to help with your identification search.😃

Thanks, Daphne. The vendor does indeed carry
'Bewilderbeest.' This was not listed as a bonus, so it must have "sneaked in". That's OK. I like it.

It seems like Bewilderbeast to me. It is fantastic looking whatever it ends up being.

Hope you can find the ID for it. Perhaps you can even contact the vendor? May could have been a... false ID bonus?

By the way, welcome to the iris forum of you haven't been here already! We don't live that far apart.

It looks like Bewilderbeast to me.. It's not uncommon for rhizomes to leap into the wrong bin.. and some vendors are better than others at preventing that..

Welcome to the iris forum, Julie. I immediately thought of 'Bewilderbeast' too.

floota said:Greetings, first post here. Daylilies are my specialty, I know a little bit about them. Regrettably, while I like iris, what I know about them could probably be compressed onto the head of a pin. I'm almost OCD about labeling my daylilies and hosta but hadn't gotten obsessed with the iris labels until a couple of years ago. I bought a few - only about 20 - mostly TB, labeled them and listed them in my db here. So most didn't bloom last year. This year, one with what we would call a "Broken pattern" or splotches and stripes with daylilies has bloomed. It seems distinctive, but it does not match the pattern or description at all of any that I purchased. I usually cringe when someone asks for an ID with a daylily, knowing there are nearly 90,000 registered daylilies and it's nearly impossible. I realize it's almost to that extent with iris, but hope springs eternal. I'm posting the picture I took yesterday in hopes that someone might grow and recognize this one so I can proceed with my OCD habit of labeling ! Thanks in advance for any assistance.

They DO look close.

I'd definitely purchase a true ID of Bewilderbeast and grow it next to your noid to see the differences. To me, your noid and Bewilderbeast look exactly alike, but it is always better to grow the true ID just in case your Bewilderbeast lookalike, isn't actually Bewilderbeast.

I really like it though!

I know that is usually the case, to obtain, hopefully by trade, one of the variety that is true to name. But I can't think of another that is close in appearance to Bewilderbeast, which was also my first reaction. Since the seller carries it unless someone knows of a look-alike, I would bet that is the true name. Are many of your other purchases going to bloom? Usually when an error is made the plants alphabetically are very close so if you ordered (for example) Belle Fille and it was next to Bewilderbeast, that could be how the mixup occurred. When the others bloom if you do not have Belle Fille, I don't think you would have to obtain another plant to be sure.

I used to think Bewilderbeast was unique too , but on another thread, it may have been Brad's shots of seedlings and new intros, there was one that looked very much like Bewilderbeast. So getting a comparison rhizome is still a very good idea.

You have some good "tips & leads", already, so all I can add is that a "broken color" iris is rather a "strange duck" to ID, because, by their very nature, each blossom is quite unique in "pattern", so bud count, height, season of bloom, and color intensity should be compared, as well.