Library

I have used Phil Edinger’s list many times to make identifications or prove them wrong. I’ve hunted down descriptions over and over, straining my patience and my eyesight. So I decided to compile all the descriptions I could find. Special thanks to Mike Unser, Gesine Lohr, Anne Bliss Milner, and Char Holte, for hunting down descriptions for me. All errors, omissions, and typos are mine alone. – Karen Puffer

Note: Please read Phil Edinger’s introduction to the PBF listing in the companion list posted in the Library. This is NOT a comprehensive listing of irises featuring PBF, but only those known – many more are out there undocumented, as PBF was not usually notated in descriptions. This list contains the most basic of descriptions and is intended to be the beginning of your research, not an end point.

Sources:

Bulletin 112 – Cornell Extension Bulletin
Mahan – “Classic Irises” by C. E. Mahan
Tell’s – Tell’s Iris Gardens
Wallace – Irises & Iris Gardens. R Wallace & Co

Historical Chronicles:
Bliss
Cayeux
Fryer
Sass
Sturt – Sturtevant
Wm – Williamson

Other sources are indicated in the entries by brackets:

Adonis (Lémon 1840) Lémon. S yellow F white veined red brown & bordered yellow. 16″.

A. E. Kunderd (Fryer 1917) Fryer. S yellow-bronze tinged magenta F magenta-red tipped bronze, reticulated yellow from center to base. yellow beard.

Alice Harding (Cayeux 1933) HIPS. Medium yellow, bright orange beard, strongly fragrant.

Alvares (Lémon 1854-55) Lémon. S white tinged lavender F velvety purple reticulated with white. beard yellow. 15-18″.

Alta California (Mohr-Mitchell 1931) HIPS. Tall. S deep yellow F deep yellow faintly bronzed.

Always (C.G. White 1937) Ivory, veined and spattered with bronzed red-purple, yellow at the center; heavy orange beard, large. [Millikin Iris Gardens 1937]

Anne Leslie (Sturtevant 1918) Wallace. S white tinted rose-pink, F carmine.

Anosia (Williamson 1925) ‘Wm. S brown F golden red.

Apollon (Lémon 1840) Lémon. S yellow F white at center, deep velvety red brown purple dotted yellow at top. 30″ Recommended by A.I.S. for discard.

Aristocrat (Cleveland 1920) R3M

Aurifero (Mohr-Mitchell 1927) HIPS S very pale lavender F flushed rosy lavender. Gold beard.

Autocrat (Cleveland 1920) S light blue F flaring, dark blue with veined haft. [Treholme Gardens 1928]

Avalon (Sturtevant 1918) Wallace pg 15. Light mauve F deeper shade. Tall.

A. W. Latham (Fryer 1919) Fryer. S claret-bronze F velvety purple, bronze edge, reticulated white from center to base. Orange beard. Short.

Aztec Copper (Kleinsorge 1939) Tell’s, HIPS. Smoky-violet and copper.

Azure (Bliss 1918) Bliss. S lavender, reticulated brownish violet F purple violet with brownish veins on haft.

Bacchus (1857) Y9M Variegata.

Balmung (H Sass 1939) Tell’s, Sass. Yellow plicata. S and F yellow bordered brown.

Barton Harrington (Fryer 1919) Fryer. S golden yellow F velvety brown bordered yellow. Beard orange.

Berkeley Copper (Salbach 1936) S bronze F coppery-red. [Salbach 1936]

Bianca (Millet 1912) S light yellow F cream penciled mahogany 2½ ft. [Treholme Gardens 1928, Indian Spring Farms 1928)

Bismark (Dutch 1888) S6M

Bluebonnet (Egelberg 1931) HIPS. Violet-blue bitone. Golden beard.

Blue Hill (H. Sass 1931) Sass. Clear light blue, almost a self. fragrant, white beard, silky texture.

Bronze Beacon (Salbach 1932) S golden bronze, F velvety Indian Lake. Tall. [Salbach 1934, National Iris Gardens 1939, Riverview Gardens 1935]

Byzantium (Ayres 1934) HIPS. “an improvement on Jean Cayeux… identical color, excepting … blue at the tip of the beard.”

Calcutta (Kleinsorge 1938) HIPS. Blend, cocoa-brown tones F overlaid blue with flecks of golden brown. Tall.

Camelia (Fryer 1919) Fryer (“Camelis”). S yellow F veined purple over light yellow, edged yellow. Growth weak, increase slow.

Cantabile (Williamson 1930) Wm. Amoena, F amethyst violet, white margin. Beard yellow.

Carnation (Sturtevant 1926) Sturt. Pink bicolor.

Catalosa (Farr 1923) S domed, cream flushed rose F very long, heavily reticulated white, beard yellow-orange. [Treholme Gardens 1928]

Chelles (Buster, before 1896) S golden yellow F red-purple, reticulated. [Wing Seed Co 1920]

Cherubin (Vilmorin 1911) Wallace pg 26. S very pale lilac F pale lilac veined purple.

Ciceron (Lémon 1855) Lémon. S yellow F red-purple veined. Crinkled standards. Beard fine, dense, orange. Vigorous, rapid increase.

Cinnabar (Williamson 1928) HIPS, Wm. Dark red self, velvety falls. Haft pale yellow. Tall.

Copper Cascade (Kleinsorge 1939) Copper toned self with gold tones, flaring falls. [Marble Iris Gardens 1952, Salbach 1946]

Coronation (Moore 1927) HIPS. Golden yellow. Can show purple flecking which disappears later when temperatures warm.

Cretonne (Bliss 1919) Wallace pg 26. S pale bronze-purple F red maroon with orange beard.

Dalila (Denis 1914) HIPS. IB 24″ S pale flesh white F rich red-purple with yellow beard.

Dauntless (Connell 1927) HIPS. Red with orange beard.

Dejazet (Vilmorin 1914) HIPS, Bulletin 112, Wallace pg 26. S bronze-rose F violet rose, medium height.

Dolly Madison (Williamson 1927) HIPS. Blend of mauve and grey with very bright orange and yellow center. 35″

Donna Maria (Lémon 1840) Lémon. White self tinged blue or lilac. 2 ft.

Duchess of Wellington (old, listed by Farr, 1908) W9

Dusky Maid (Bliss 1919) Bliss, Wallace pg 27. S pale buff, F deep mauve-purple with pale broad margin.

Eckesachs (G&K 1920) S light lavender-violet edged darker F velvety deep violet. [Treholme Gardens 1928]

Elaine (Shull 1925) Purplish lilac self with yellow sheen at center of falls, yellow beard. [Treholme Gardens 1928]

Elsa Sass (Sass 1939) HIPS, Sass. Sulphur yellow with a white flush at the center of the falls.

Ember (Sturtevant 1924) Sturt. Red-violet self with orange beard. S domed with waved margins F hanging straight. Tall.

Enchantress (Parker 1873) Mahan pg 70. Two toned violet.

Erin (Morrison 1930) B3

Evolution (Cayeux 1929) HIPS. S coppery bronze F same marked with a large central zone of rosy-blue. Yellow beard. Tall.

Exquisite (Parker 1874) S6M

Fabian (1858) HIPS. Small, smoky purple diploid. S lighter, very smoky F dark, yellow beard. Listed as extinct.

Fairy Queen (Salter, before 1859) Lavender-white veined violet. 2 ft. [A Study of Pogoniris Varieties, Cornell 1926 pg 149-150].

Far West (Kleinsorge 1936) Blend of salmon, gold, coral and henna. Very prone to rot, not a strong grower, rare. [Cooley’s Gardens 1937]

Fiesta (White 1936) HIPS. S Copper F apricot orange.

Flamingo (Williamson 1929) Wm. Light rosy red, yellow beard.

Florence Barr (Barr 1876) Pale blush-rose lilac. small flowers, 2 ft. [Wing Seed Co 1920]

Fryer’s Glory (Fryer 1919) Fryer. S golden bronze F velvety, maroon with light reticulations.

Gajus (G&K 1906) HIPS, Wallace pg 28. S pale yellow F purple with brown veining. 2 ft.

Gaucho (Williamson 1935) Wm. Variegata. S yellow F red.

Genevieve Serouge (Cayeux 1932) HIPS, Cayeux. S blending of soft tawny yellow. F lilac edged yellow.

Geo. J. Tribolet (Williamson 1926) Wm. S violet F velvety blackish red purple. Beard wax yellow.

Gloriole (Gage 1933) Tell’s. Light frosted blue.

Glowing Embers (Sturtevant 1923) Sturt. S tan, violet flushed F purple, orange beard, yellow throat. Tall.

Glowport (DeForest 1939) Wine-red self, no haft markings, beard bronze yellow. rebloomer. [Cooleys 1940]

Golden Majesty (Salbach 1938) HIPS. Deep yellow, orange beard.

Gold Fish (Wareham 1925) HIPS. Buff-pink little blooms with purple streaks, especially on falls.

Good Cheer (Sturtevant 1936) Sturt. S yellow F same brushed red. orange beard, tall.

G.P. Baker (Baker 1930) HIPS. S primrose F yellow.

Gypsy Queen (Salter, before 1859) HIPS. IB S golden F dark maroon with tracings of pale yellow, distinctly veined.

Hermitage (Kirkland 1931) Blend of tan and red. [National Iris Gardens 1939, Riverview Gardens 1935]

Hiawatha (Farr 1913) Bulletin 113. S pale violet to pale mauve F velvety purple.

Honorabile (Lémon 1840) HIPS. S light yellow F mahogany red on bronzed yellow ground. Vigorous with small to fair sized flowers.

Ishtar (Sturtevant 1925) Sturt. S warm buff washed gray F purple, beard orange, tall.

I. variegata (some clones) HIPS. S yellow, F chestnut.

Jacquesiana (Lémon 1840) HIPS, Bulletin 112. S coppery crimson F deep red purple. Tall.

Jeb Stuart (Washington 1932) Brownish red. S domed, do not open F very velvety, appear darker, beard deep orange. [Iris City 1940]

Joseph’s Coat Katkamier (Katkamier 1930) HIPS. Sport of “Honorabile”. S irregular mix of white and yellow, F splashed white, purple and red.

Jumbo (J Sass 1927) Sass. S violet F velvety dark purple with brown stripes on haft.

Kaleidoscope (Katkamier 1929) HIPS Sport of “Honorabile”. Broken color variegata S yellow F erratically marked red, yellow and white.

Kalinga (Kleinsorge 1934) HIPS. Cream self, closed standards, bright gold beard.

Kestrel (Morrison 1922) Mahan pg 327 Two shades of red violet.

Khedive (Barr 1884) HIPS. Violet, beard showy, dense, brilliant orange.

King Midas (Mead 1928) HIPS, Mahan pg 298 (no description), S golden buff suffused garnet brown, F red-brown. B heavy, orange.

Largo (Ashley 1931) S mustard yellow, lined and dotted brown F yellow overlaid mauve and lined with brown. [National Iris Gardens 1939, Riverview Gardens 1935]

Leander (Bliss 1920) Wallace pg 30. Reddish-violet self. IB.

Lodestar (C Hall 1925) HIPS. S Lemon chrome, F velvety claret brown with lemon-chrome border. Late.

Loreley (G&K 1909) HIPS. S amber yellow often flecked with color pattern of falls. F deep velvety purple hafts heavily veined lavender and bordered light yellow. MTB or BB. Bulletin 112: F blackish red-purple veined violet purple.

Magnate (Sturtevant 1918) Wallace pg 33. S light violet F purple-velvet of a crimson tone. IB

Magnifica (Vilmorin 1920) Wallace pg 33. S light violet blue F long, reddish-violet reticulated brown, beard yellow, sweet scent.

Malvina (Lémon 1857) Lémon. S light yellow F reddish violet veined with white.

Maori King (Ware 1890) HIPS, Wallace pg 33. S light yellow F reddish violet veined with white.

Maori Princess (Shull 1923) S Empire yellow F Burnt Lake bordered yellow. [Treholme Gardens 1928]

Mareschal Ney (Williamson 1930) HIPS, Wm. Bicolored red, central area red S red F Dahlia Carmine B deep chrome.

Marsh Marigold (Bliss 1919) HIPS, Wallace pg 33, Bliss. S pale golden yellow F deep purple brown with yellow margin. 27″.

Mary Geddes (Stahlman-Washington 1931) HIPS. S light salmon F same overlaid red.

Matterhorn (J Sass 1938) HIPS, Sass. White, cream beard, flaring falls, tall.

Meldoric (Ayres 1931) Blue-black, velvety, gold beard. [National Iris Gardens, Riverview Gardens 1935]

Miss California (Salbach 1937) HIPS. Large lilac pink. Tall.

Mithras (G&K 1910) Bulletin 112. S amber yellow, dotted brownish on claw F velvety blackish red-purple. Reticulated olive on yellow haft.

Mme Henri Cayeux (Cayeux 1924) HIPS. S reddish violet-purple F velvety, dark purple, edged lighter.

Monterey (Mohr-Mitchell 1929) Dark bronzed red-violet. Tall. [Salbach 1934]

Montezuma (Farr 1909) Wallace pg 35. S old gold spotted bronze F pale yellow margined with bronze.

Mrs. Andrist (Fryer 1919) HIPS. S white F purple heavily overlaid and reticulated darker purple. Beards golden yellow. vigorous, intermediate size.

Mrs. Cowley (Bliss 1920) Wallace pg 35. S coppery buff F deep rosy-purple. 27″.

Mrs. Fryer (Fryer 1917) Fryer. S white shaded heliotrope F purple crimson bordered lighter.

Mrs. H. F. Bowles (Perry 1923) S soft brown overlaid gold F brick red, silky, white lined base. beard golden yellow. Base of foliage is red tinged. [Treholme Gardens 1928]

Mrs. Horace Darwin (Foster 1873) HIPS, Mahan 77-78, 297 photo, Bulletin 112. White self veined purple. 24″.

My Maryland (Sheets 1930) HIPS. S Violet shaded with rose F deep velvety purple overlaid brown.

Nancy Orne (Sturtevant 1921) HIPS, Sturt. Pink-tined blend S purple lilac shaded deep buff F purple shaded yellow. Tall.

Navajo (Farr 1913) HIPS. IB S mustard yellow tinged gold F deep maroon heavily veined white and yellow, style arms yellow, beard deep orange.

Neglecta (Hornemann 1813) HIPS. collected S pale lavender, oblong. F purple, finely netted white.

Neon (Salbach 1934) S bronzy-gold F velvety red, Beard golden. Tall. [National Iris Gardens 1939, Salbach 1934]

Nepenthe (Connell 1931) S soft buff flushed lavender F same flushed rose, very long. 30″. [National Iris Gardens 1939, Iris City 1940]

Nibelungen (G&K 1910) HIPS. S faun F violet purple on bronze.

Nine Wells (Foster 1909) Wallace pg 35, Bulletin 112. S light violet ‘ F deep purple violet. Strongly dotted purple on the bronzed claw. Beard yellow orange. Late, tall.

Orloff (H.P. Sass 1937) Sass. Plicata, yellow ground, S heavily veined brownish red F stitched and dotted bronze.

Parthenon (Connell 1934) Smooth chalky white, pale gold veins and beard. Tall. [Treholme Gardens 1928]

Pfauenauge (G&K 1906) Bulletin 112. S bronzed yellow reticulated red-brown F deep velvety purple edged yellow.

Picador (Morrison 1930) HIPS. S gold F red.

Plurabelle (Cayeux 1933) HIPS, Cayeux. S golden yellow F reddish mauve, lighter on margin.

President Pilkington (Cayeux 1931) HIPS. Blend of lavender blue, buff, yellow and rose. Gold beard, tall.

Prestige (Sturtevant 1918) Sturt. S lemon yellow. F white with sharply defined veins of violet. 2 ft.

Purple Lace (Sturtevant 1922) Sturt. Deep purple blue except for the white ground beneath the lacing on the haft. Beard bluish. 3 ft.

Quaker Lady (Farr 1909) HIPS, Wallace pg 37, Bulletin 112. S smoky lavender, F lavender 2 ½ ft.

Radiant (Salbach 1936) Tell’s. S orange F coppery red. [Salbach 1946]

Rajput (Sturtevant 1922) Sturt. Bright violet self, beard orange, foliage lax, rampant increase.

Red Radiance (Grinter 1931) Velvety red self, redder than Dauntless. [Riverview Gardens 1935, Iris City 1940]

Rhapsody (Williamson 1937) Wm. S brown overlaid violet-purple F velvety violet-purple, beard deep chrome. Late.

Rhein Nixe (G&K 1910) HIPS, Bulletin 112. S pale lavender-white F purple. Beard orange.

Romany (Bliss 1919) Wallace pg 38. S pale dusky yellow, F bright red. early, 2 ft.

Romeo (Millet 1912) HIPS, Mahan pg 178, 243-44 photo. Often miss-identified. White with dark purple on falls on either side of beard, falls stained pinkish.

Rose Madder (Sturtevant 1920) Sturt. S purple with darker margin F velvety dahlia dark purple. Tall.

Royal Coach (H.P. Sass 1939) Sass. S and F yellow bordered brown. beard orange. Clear bright yellow.

Ruth Pollock (H.P. Sass 1939) Sass. Yellow ground plicata. S dotted and edged dark red brown F heavily bordered red brown.

Sable (Cook 1938) HIPS, Tell’s. Almost black. Blue-black-violet with blue beard.

Sacramento (Mohr-Mitchell 1929) White ground plicata, S heavily edged red-purple, F reticulated with the same color. beard prominent, orange. [Salbach 1934]

Salonique (Cayeux 1923) Cayeux. S clear creamy yellow F violet purple, throat veined white.

Sambucina (Natural hybrid) HIPS. S coppery-rose F rose purple veined darker. “Squalins” similar, the two not clearly distinguished.

Sandakan (Williamson 1930) Wm. Pale drab with yellowish and purple F purple. Beard deep chrome.

Sandia (Williamson 1934) Wm. Pink blend. S rosalane purple flushed yellow F rosalane purple. Beard light cadmium.

Selene (Connell 1931) Silvery white, large, heavy substance. [Riverview Gardens 1935]

Sherbert (Sturtevant 1918) HIPS. Tall. S ecru drab F dahlia purple lighter at edge.

Sherwin-Wright (Kohankie 1915) HIPS. IB, Sport of “Honorabile” Golden yellow without shadings or markings. Vigorous 2 ft.

Solana (Shull 1923) Y9L

Song Of Gold (Essig 1937) Tell’s. Clear yellow, orange beard, flaring falls. [Salbach 1946, Longfield Iris Farms 1936]

Speciosa (before 1830) B7M

Spring Maid (Loomis 1932) T.all stately pink blend, central flush of yellow [National Iris Gardens 1939]

Sudan (Bliss 1921) Wallace pg 39. S bronzy-yellow F drooping, deep carmine-violet 2 ft.

Taj Mahal (Sturtevant 1921) HIP, Sturt. Pure white most seasons.

Talwar (Williamson 1930) Wm. Red self S Rood’s violet F raisin purple.

Tancred (Sturtevant 1924) Sturt. S buff F velvety, flushed and veined with purple, rather dark.

The Black Douglas (J Sass 1934) HIPS Sass. blackish violet self.

Thorbecke (Veitch before 1897) Wallace pg 39. S white F velvety purple.

Tintallion (Sturtevant 1921) Sturt. Small flower S white F white shaded deep purple at tips 2 ft.

Treasure Island (Kleinsorge 1937) HIPS, Tell’s. Yellow with light area on falls.

Tristram (Bliss 1919) Wallace pg 39. S white, F purple 27″.

Troost (Denis 1908) HIPS, Bulletin 112. S pale purple dotted brownish red on the yellowed claw and haft. F violet-purple veined on the lower blade and fading to amparo purple on white on outer haft. Orange beard.

Vishnu (Sturtevant 1931) Sturt. Pale lavender on ground of light pinkish cinnamon. Foliage is too low.

Wabash (Williamson 1936) HIPS, Tell’s. S white F purple edged white. Tall.

White Goddess (Nesmith 1936) White, F semi-flaring. (Salbach 1946)

Zingara (Williamson 1928) (Wm does not list) Mahan pg 304, Roots v19#1 pg 23, v23#1 pg 27 photo only. Border bearded. S golden yellow F red-brown, striped gold, beard gold ending in a gold stripe.

Zuni (Ayres 1931) under the name “Pendell” in England. S tan sprinkled gold F red-brown overlaid copper. tall [National Iris Gardens 1939, Riverview Gardens 1935] Glowing red self, standards dusted gold. [Cooleys 1937]