I discovered 2 different plants (same cultivar) yesterday that had only 2 sets of petals (standards and falls) and one other cultivar with 4 sets! This one is pale blue with darker blue beards - a good name for it would be "Blue Cross" doncha think? ;>) Is this something that persists or just weather related? I know daylilies have a variation called polytepals that often comes back.

weather

Discovered some more anomalies. 3 falls, 2 standards, 1 style arm. I have been doing detail studies of irises in watercolor, and this is sure making for easier understanding of how the parts fit together!

Were do you live? Tough winter? Some irises are more prone to developing odd numbers than others.

Sometimes at the end of the bloom season you will get this same anomaly due to immature plants blooming. My friend Bob has this happen alot in his garden; saw "Song of Norway" with four sets of standards and falls and another on the same stalk with just two of each.

And then there are those (like May Allison), that always have "odd numbers".....Arlyn

"Song of Norway" looks and sounds like the 2 and 4 petaled one I have also! Just don't remember ordering it, but it could have been a bonus. It is one of my long-time survivors.