Dose everyone use the Iris Encyclopedia for ID for an iris you are not sure of? I have one called Dream Seeker that opened this morning that I wasn't certain about it. It wasn't on the data base or several other sources so I finally went to the IE. Bingo...there it was.

The AIS Encyclopedia?

The AIS wiki/ iris encyclopedia/on line check list, is generally my first stop . There are some problems , occasionally, but it gets better every day. They are adding some new features that will be very nice ,also. All of the on-line data bases ( here, Cubits, etc.) are handy to have, and often have pictures other than those on the AIS site, and are very useful, but, I still think the AIS site gives the best, most complete ,info. Arlyn

My only problem with the Encyclopedia is using it to identify a Noid. Unless you have a good idea of the name it is very hard to search for a possible match. I wish there was a way to break down the possibilities by color. I have a Louisiana noid but it would take days to open every listed Louisiana iris to see if it's a match.

I cannot ID an iris from a picture. Even when a friend emails me a photo taken in her garden. I will see a picture and say that looks like it but if I come across it growing in her garden I know immediately either yes or no. I do like the pictures on the AIS site as I get really tired reading all the names of colors like wisteria blue, horizon blue, delphinium blue, etc.......and what is horizon blue anyway?

I use the ATP database first and then move to the AIS twiki. If I still need a picture, I will go to other web sources to try and find a picture.

Yup -- me too, Greg. Except my second move is to the Cubits database -- then AIS.

I have seen a lot of posts about Cubits in threads in the last couple of days. Not sure what Cubits database is?

http://cubits.org/irisforum/db... check it out!...Arlyn

In many ways I like the Iris Encyclopedia but the other day I wanted some info about a specific iris and I was amazed and disappointed to see how very different the pictures of that cultivar were.

I understand how you felt, Paul! I think some of the "differences" are "camera', some "cultural"( I was told by Jim Hedgecock, of Comanche Acres Iris, and a noted hybridizer ,that several times he couldn't recognize his own iris, because in some climes, and some soils, color can be VERY different), and some ,I think, are just the wrong iris ! But, they do the best they can, and they are getting better all the time. I've had lots of trouble this last week with the Wiki being very "slow", and with lots of "computer lock-ups" when using the " e " section, esp. the bulliten library, but I see tonight, it's down for "significant updates".....Arlyn

I just clicked on the Iris Encyclopedia and a message came up that they were trying to make improvements on Wikki which would take 5-8 Hrs. It will be interesting to see what changes are made. The Iris Encyclopedia is painfully slow.