A Glossary of Bearded Iris
- Amoena
- White standards, colored falls.
- Anther
- Stiff, tiny stem like aperture under the style arm.
- Beard
- A line of fuzzy hairs at the top portion of the falls
- Bicolor
- Stands are a different color from the falls.
- Bitone
- Standards and falls different shades of the same color, falls usually darker.
- Blend
- Combination of 2 or more colors, smoothly or unevenly mixed
- Falls
- The lower 3 Petals of the flower.
- Flounces
- Appendages extending from the tip of the beard like little petals.
- Glaciata
- A pale color from plicata breeding with no plicata marking. (bloom color category).
- Hafts
- The top part of the falls, where it connects to the rest of the flower.
- Halo
- A rim of color around the petals, usually contrasting to the main color, not found on plicatas.
- Horns
- An extension of the beard turned upward like little spears.
- Luminata
- Style arms and hafts are white or yellow, remainder of the flower is washed with color, with paler veins.
- Median
- An iris in the following classifications: Border Bearded (BB), Intermediate Bearded (IB), Miniature Tall Bearded (MTB), or Standard Dwarf Bearded (SDB).
- Mid-rib
- The stiffened mid-section of the standards holding them upright.
- Neglecta
- Blue or purple bi-tone, the standards being the lighter tone.
- Peppering
- A plicata patterning that looks as if you shook a pepper shaker of contrasting color over an iris with a yellow or white background color.
- Plicata
- Striped, dotted, or stitched margin color on lighter ground color.
- Rebloomer
- An iris that blooms in any other season than/after its normal spring bloom period, usually in the summer or fall; also called Remontant.
- Reverse Amoena
- A more rare combination of colored standards and white falls.
- Reverse Bi-tone
- When the standards are the darker shade.
- Rhizome
- Brownish, potato-looking, fleshy portion of the plant that grows at or just below the surface of the soil.
- Self
- Standards and falls are the same color.
- Signal
- A patch of contrasting color at the tip of the beard.
- Space Age
- Iris with flounces, horns or spoons.
- Spathe
- The papery covering of the emerging bud which eventually covers the ovary of the iris as the flower emerges from bud stage.
- Spoons
- Appendages at the end of beards looking like small spoons.
- Spur
- A short side stem which may or may not be near the top of the stem or stalk.
- Standards
- The 3 upper petals of the flower.
- Stigmatic lip
- A lip like petal under the style crest which receives the pollen.
- Style Arms
- The small stiff segments just above the beards.
- Style Crest
- The upward curving of the top of the style arm appearing plain, serrated or fringed.
- Substance
- Thickness of petals.
- Variegata
- Yellow standards, reddish colored falls.
