Muddymitts said: Which is confusing because in the example of horses given -- regardless of whether a horse is a Tobiano or an Overo -- he/she is STILL a paint. The designations are an indicator of which type of paint. And yes -- genes do determine which kind of paint a given horse is -- but an experienced person can look at the horse and know.
If I restated your question like this - "regardless of whether an iris is a Plicata or an Emma Cook - it is still an iris. The designations are an indicator of which type of iris" would that provide some clarity? Not sure if I'm explaining this well at all.
An experienced person can in fact look at an iris and (usually) tell whether it is a Plicata or Emma Cook. Failing that, you can always look back through its ancestry. Clothed in Glory and Designer's Art are both examples of the Emma Cook pattern, you can tell by how the pigment is applied to the petal edges.
