I MAY have finally ID'ed my mystery Iris!... but I'm not sure.



Some of you may recall that a few years ago this big, beautiful, sweet-scented iris that came from the bed of a pick-up truck at a local plant swap captured my heart and got me to purchase oodles more iris. Since then, I've wondered what cultivar it was, and after a lot of speculation, I ordered an Iris I thought it could potentially be based on a picture and the knowledge that my iris was likely an older, more common variety from somewhere in this general area.

Well....

I purchased Pallida Dalmatica from Old House Farms in Ann Arbor and...

Both irises bloomed at the SAME exact time (to the day), and are only two of three varieties in my garden that are in bloom right now (out of the 50-75 varieties that I own)... which is encouraging.

... And they are the same exact color! Take a look!:



... And they both have a sweet smell (my mystery Iris might be infinitesimally more fragrant, but it's hard to tell)

... And both my mystery Iris and pallida dalmatica have the paper husk buds and the same-looking foliage.... And 4-5 bud count per stem.

... The fly in the ointment?...

They are two very different heights!



... Is this a deal breaker, or is it still possible they are the same? (One is in a smaller pot, smaller rhizome, could that have any impact on the height?) I'm not sure if there were other differences in their growing since both were randomly potted and put in a spot in a garden bed to overwinter.

Another comparison photo of the blooms:

They look awfully similar so with a gun to my head, I'd say they are the same. Growing irises in pots have given me highly variable results, usually poorly compared to the same in the ground. So I no longer grow any, even the SDBs, in pots. You could plant both in the ground, side by side, this summer and see how they compare next spring.

Ivor,

Thank you for the input!

They ought to be in-ground prior to winter, it's just that we moved this past fall and had to move our garden, hastily, with us. I barely had enough time to get things over to the new house in pots, but I definitely didn't have time to plant anything, unfortunately. If they bloom at the exact same time again next year with more similar heights, I think I'll have to call them the same plant.

Dnd, second year blooms after they are in ground and getting the same treatment should tell the tale. Also take careful note of their beards. Often an iris looks like an exact match but the beard is different. So far, so good.

I applaud your efforts to grow a look-a-like in order to establish an ID. I like the 'scientific garden approach' rather than the 'guess what' one. Once you get blooms out of both in-ground plants you will have your answer.

Pallida Dalmatica has that sweet grape-like scent which I love. Lighting conditions in photography can change hues & shades of color. Your 2nd photo looks like identical blooms. Here are a couple of mine taken in varying circumstances showing different appearances of the same cultivar. Like Bonnie said I applaud your efforts to grow a look-a-like in order to establish an ID.I also commend your diligence. Hope this might help.

Thanks, Leon!

Yesterday, my noid Iris had a slightly sweeter and grape-ier scent (that was one of the things I loved about it so much when it first bloomed in my yard a few years ago!).... Today, it's the opposite, the pallida Dalmatica had the grape-ier scent. It's odd, but it really makes me believe that these two are the same, and maybe the age of the bloom is what determines the strength of the scent?...

Dnd-
It could be. I enjoy the fragrance of them.