Viewing post #1212343 by LynNY

KentPfeiffer said:The Iris Database handles color a couple of different ways.

The "Bloom Color Description" field is basically a copy of the hybridizer's description of an iris when it was registered with the American Iris Society. I believe AIS encourages hybridizers to use the RHS color charts when describing an iris flower, but most do not. Altogether, I've seen at least a dozen different color classification systems used by various hybridizers and many, including a number of famous hybridizers, don't use any classification system at all.

We also have a "Bloom Color Classification" field in the database, which is essentially a simplified color chart included as a search aid. For, example, if you searched the "Bloom Color Description" field for for yellow irises, you wouldn't find those irises described by hybridizers as "lemon", "mustard", or any of the other synonyms for "yellow". But, all of those lemon, mustard, etc. irises could found by searching for Yellow in the "Bloom Color Classification" field (or, more accurately, will be once the Iris Database is fully updated).

Thanks, Kent though the system described above doesn't clarify the issue for me. I know that the database uses what the hybridizers write - it's their terminology that I'm looking for a color chart to match to. What I'm looking to do is differentiate opera from ovation, lemon from citruline, azure from sky and so on.

Here for example is the description for "Light My Path" the picture posted with by the vendor doesn't show any difference in t he color of the standards and falls yet it says:

(Joyce Ragle, R. 2003) 34" tall, Midseason Bloom. S. pale amaranth rose; style arms light orient pink; F. light orient pink, white in center veined orient pink, haft medium orient pink; beards shrimp red, base white, few light blue hairs at end; ruffled; slight sweet fragrance. Lauer 2004.