I was recently given several Iris to add to my collection. I'm wondering what the best way is to identify each one by name?

Moved to Iris forum

! "Best way" will depend on who you ask , as everyone has a slightly different method, but, here's my take on the process: And, I'm going to "pretend" you know *nothing* about irises, so...just jump ahead to where you need to !
1st, you need to know *what type* of iris you're trying to ID...i.e. tall bearded, siberian, minature dwarf...whatever, so.....there are lots of places to get general iris information , and most growers' sites have a section devoted to this:
http://www.irises.org/About_Ir...
this one is from the American Iris Society

2nd you need to know if you are looking for a "self" (standards and falls of the same color and tone), a bi tone(standards and falls of the same color, but DIFFERENT tones), again, many sites have info on this:
http://www.chapmaniris.com/id4...
this page is from Chapman Iris

3rd spend some time looking at pictures ! Most vendor's sites have TONS of pix to look at....some even divlde the iris into different sections...selfs, blends,whatever, and a few further divide into different colors...Blue Jay Iris has a pretty good selection of plants, divided into "sections" that make searching easier
This site also has a real good search engine for iris....you can search by "characteristics"....height, color, whatever.

3th post some pix (which you've done !) and somebody (often several somebodies!) will jump in and offer suggestions as to what it might be

4th now, you have a "tentative" name for your plant, and, while it MAY be, and probably IS what was suggested.....the only way to be SURE is to acquire a sample of the suggested iris from a reputable source....a vendor, or a friendly forum member...and grow it along side of your "unknown" iris (also called a NOID { no i.d. = noid }, and if everything *matches*....color , height, shape, bloom time, etc.....you can then say you have a true match.

the whole process *can* be quite time consuming...and at times quite exasperating....but it's a fun process, and a great learning experience, as well. You'll make lots of "iris buddies" along the way, too !!

Have fun !!

Thanks for the info. I have some knowledge of Iris but it can be overwhelming trying to identify all of these. There are approximately 40 different ones to look up. I'm going to give it a try though! Thanks for your help.

Leah, over the years I bought lots and I mean lots of no id iris. Just wanted them because they were pretty. I didn't care about the names, because I was into roses at that time. Then I found this forum. Over the last few years I've identified one and possibly one more. I'm still growing a few test plants for a few others too. I have one no id Iris that is a much loved blue self that I've spent a ton of money buying test iris to compare it against. So far it's still a no id. what I want to say to you is that if you stick around the iris forum you will find and probably buy so many beautiful iris that have names that your no ids might end up in a bed of there own. Mine are in three no id beds. I still love them, and wish I knew their names, plus around bloom time I still look at similar iris, hoping, but have given up buying iris to check IDs. Just my opinion.
Plus check back with me around July and I can send you a few named varieties to get you started.

Very good advice Arlyn.

Barbara, I have had the same experience with the same results. I have quit purchasing possible matches as I have too many of almost alike irises to find places for. Unless an iris has some unique characteristics it is very hard to find an I.d. for it.

Leah, is there iris gardens in your area you can visit during bloom time. If so this is a good way to view a lot of irises that may potentially be a match. Also, I would recommend you join the iris society in your area. In the spring many of the members open their gardens to other members for tours. Some members have huge iris gardens. Good luck with your quest and have fun.

If I have one that is a NOID and I really like it, I try to find a named one that is just like it, or very much like it. If the new one grows well, and I like it but it's not exactly the same as the NOID, I just keep it and dump the unknown one. Exceptions include unique historics or of course my World Famous Red NOID!

tveguy3 said: World Famous Red NOID!

@tvguy3, still no definitive ID on that one? Mine is getting ready to bloom.

Would love to see a pic of the World Famous Red Noid!

Here it is, the World Famous Red NOID Last shot you can see it in a clump.

http://www.historiciris.org/in...

Very interesting, but since I am most interested in showing my iris, I havc a no noids rule.

A lovely article Arlyn! Great support for these lovely historics.

I have a NOID and can't seem to find out what the heck it is....it is a little more on purple side rather than blue with a slight whisper of pinkish...not much on the falls , a TB, self with white at the throat of the falls...you can see the color of the beard in the pic, faint scent...I am stumped! Thanks, Catt

Looks like one of my famous blues NOID, Catt... I think some folks thought it might be 'Victoria Falls', but there's not enough white.. 'Bethany Claire' looks closer. 'Sugar Blues' was another possibility...

I wonder how many of these NOIDs are seedlings that someone created, never registered, but they go passed along.

That is why I do not try to I.D. every Noid I have Tom, unless it has distinctive features and originally had an I.D. Then I know it had a name at one point. Some people just forget names or are away from the garden several seasons and lose the name. Those are worth pursuing.

If I get a NoID I admire from someone else, or it grew in my garden, it is likely a seed fallen from a seedpod that was overlooked. Especially the older ones around abandoned home places. Those are tough survivors and likely are from a bee pod.

I tried to I.D. this little NoID I call 'Beverly's Gift', as she bought it named, but still never got a match. I am happy to grow it as a NoID.



Another NoID that I know once had a name. There are simply thousands of possibilities for a match and I am not comfortable calling it by a name because it is 'close enough'. And to buy all the close lookalikes is space and funds prohibitive.



A lot of the modern irises are so distinctive that finding a name is quite possible but unless it has unique features a NoID may never be positively ID'd.

I sure do like my NoID's.