April, 1920 
Ol)e Slower (Brower 
57 
request that it be filled out for the 
Society’s records, if the members want 
to keep records for themselves, dupli- 
cate cards may be obtained. It is 
largely a matter of checking the proper 
terms with the flower before you ; and 
breeders, or even those who raise 
chance seedlings only, should find it of 
assistance and value. The Chairman, 
Miss Grace Sturtevant, has had the 
active assistance of Mr. A. J. Bliss, the 
English breeder, Mr. C. H. Hall, Mr. 
B. Y. Morrison and myself in editing 
this form and the results have been 
approved by many of the Iris specialists 
throughout the country. 
To condense all the necessary terms 
needed to describe each separate char- 
acter within the space offered by a 3x5 
index card has been difficult, it seems 
good, but criticism is easy and after 
actual use, improvements may be 
added. Many of the terms are self ex- 
planatory and an accompanying card 
of diagrams seemed the best method 
of carrying exact ideas of the shape 
and carriage of the segments ; through- 
out, comparative terms have been 
avoided where possible and if a certain 
variety seems commonplace in certain 
characters, checking is unnecessary. 
Other qualities offer more play for the 
imagination and few of us at first real- 
ized to the full, their importance. 
What do we ask of a fine variety ? 
First, good growth, hardiness and an 
attractive habit, which Mr. Bliss de- 
fines as “the disposition and number of 
growths and flower stalks thrown up 
by a clump.’’ Compare the compact 
habit of Monsignor to the openness of 
Caterina, or, if you agree with Mr. 
Hall that a clump should be symmet- 
rical, circular in growth, then Caterina 
is rarely of regular habit. In the flow- 
ering our interest is centered in the 
number of stalks to a plant of a certain 
age ; occasionally a first-year seedling 
will produce two or three stalks of 
bloom, that is what we term free-flow- 
ering, whereas a variety like Mesopo- 
tamia, in many localities, is a shy 
bloomer to put it mildly. The number 
of full-blown flowers out at once on a 
single stalk together with the lasting 
quality determines whether a certain 
variety is to give us color for a few 
days or much longer. Climate and 
culture may affect these things, but 
with us the delightful pink-lavender of 
Mrs. Alan Gray passes quickly, while 
Alcazar even in an unusually hot spell, 
was in full display for almost two 
weeks ; here Kochii often lasts but a 
week, yet in California it gives a scat- 
tered bloom for months. On both of 
these points and on the branching 
characteristics our records are very 
vague and yet it is the disposition and 
degree of branching that make the flow- 
ers of one variety appear crowded while 
in another they stand well apart and 
create a pleasant suggestion of ele- 
gance in the single stalk. The pallidas 
are typically short branched and near 
the top of the stem, which conduces to 
a fine massed effect, in fact the bulk of 
the old varieties show this character, 
but with Trojana and other closely re- 
lated species from Asia Minor long 
branches, sometimes nearly erect, 
(fastigiate) but often widely spreading 
have been introduced with each great 
blossom held well out from the central 
stem, apart from its neighbor, un- 
touched in its perfection. The num- 
ber of branches, the total height, the 
number of buds, under the best condi- 
tions of culture reveal the latent power 
of development. All these things in 
the aggregate affect us and influence 
our judgment, but so diverse is per- 
sonal training that only by an attempt 
to analyze them into their component 
parts can we get reliable records. 
With the flower itself we come to 
what receives everyone’s attention 
whether they note other points or not, 
yet how many appreciate the niceties 
of form and substance, texture and 
surface ! The flower taken as a whole 
rarely has a form that can be defined, 
but compare the length in comparison 
to the width of Phillis Bliss (as pic- 
tured in The Garden for June 21, 1919) 
STRUCTUREIOFiTHE IRISIFLOWER. 
A necessary reference for accurate description. 
Every member of the American Iris Society should 
know the parts of an Iris flower in order to appreci- 
ate the fine points of its description. 
with its long drooping falls to Nine 
Wells with horizontally spreading falls 
and standards forming a short pointed 
cone. The narrow segments of the 
rich but weirdly colored Eldorado 
might be contrasted with the compact- 
ness of the broad-hafted Iris King. In 
the new introductions these contrasts 
become more marked. 
Substance, texture and surface are 
closely interwoven ; the first, sub- 
stance, might be expressed as back- 
bone, at times there is a solidity, an 
impalpable appearance of thickness, 
“ body,” to quote Mr. Bliss, and often 
together with this is a surface sheen 
or luminosity that intensifies the color, 
reflects or absorbs the light as might a 
piece of satin, velvet, or velour. Pallida 
Dalmatica, Princess Beatrice has a satiny 
luster, Iris King or Perfection a bit of 
rich velvet on their falls ; sometimes 
the surface is not smooth but creped 
like a Japanese paper napkin, or 
wrinkled, cockled or even crumpled. 
These may be clearly defined or pass 
one into another with no marked 
break. Texture is a simpler character, 
showing in a variety’s ability to re- 
tain its form under adverse weather 
conditions, some wilt at the slightest 
excuse, others in rain or drought still 
hold their beauty of form. 
Color demands a full and separate 
description on each card, it is impos- 
sible to assemble on one small card 
terms of disposition, the actual hues, 
tints and shades possible in Iris. Where 
a member can compare the flower with 
a color chart so much the better. 
The description of the flower as a 
whole is rarely possible, we must more 
often describe the standards and falls 
and at times, as in plicatas, note the 
coloring of the style-branches and the 
pattern on the edges that marks our 
favorites, or, perhaps, the peculiar 
brilliance of the beard. 
The standards may be considered 
from two points of view, their form as 
a set of three, or as individuals. The 
standards of Monsignor tend to form a 
cone, in White Night there is a more 
rounded effect, and in flowers like 
Merlin, cup-shaped does not seem far- 
fetched. At times the shape as a whole 
is hidden by the character of the indi- 
vidual segments where they happen to 
be broad and ruffled or more narrowly 
frilled, sometimes there is a hint of 
vertical fluted channels, or they may 
be revolute as in Mme. Chereau when 
the edges curve back upon the midrib. 
These are what we call modifications 
of shape. Mr. Bliss selects seedlings 
with smooth rounded falls as his ideal, 
but who that has marked the fascinat- 
ing frilling of Juniata or the heavy 
frosted crepe of Zua can think of hold- 
ing only one ideal. 
The valuation that each member 
may put upon a variety is an arbitrary 
one ; sometimes based on color, per- 
haps we dislike the clouded yellow of 
Nibelungen, or the vivid contrast of 
Fro ; again it may be the pleasing re- 
lation of stalk, branching and flower 
size that gives a well-balanced effect ; 
at times perfection of form, luminosity 
of surface, fragrance, or mere oddity 
even, any or all these qualities give 
outstanding quality on the record card 
and for the garden. Only on a con- 
sensus of opinion gathered from far 
distant plantings can be formed a true 
basis for real valuation, and it is under 
“Remarks” that we ask for personal 
opinions, experience, and preference, 
unrestricted by terms. Thus we can 
judge not only the merit of a variety, 
but its popularity and adaptability to 
your cultural and climatic conditions. 
From these data cards will be com- 
piled standard descriptions that reflect 
not the opinion of one observer in one 
garden but that of many in many gar- 
dens and we hope they will be numer- 
ous enough to form the basis for the 
registration of new varieties, which, 
with the great number of new intro- 
ductions, is becoming not only desir- 
able but almost a necessity. 
Later the committee will report on 
classification, will take up the question 
of score cards and points for judging, 
