Dear all' Just to sort out Mark's Iris miscellany. He mentions a number of choice species that fit under a variety of divisions in the genus Iris. The Oncocyclus, I sari, is a section of the subgenus that includes all bearded iris, subgenus Iris. Likewise the I. lutescens in the same subgenus is in a different section, Iris. A very different subgenus, Limniris, includes both the section Lophiris for all the crested species including the native Iris cristata. This species can be extremely variable in the wild and numerous color selections and forms have been made-all very lovely. The section Limniris also include a wide range of 'beardless' irises including 16 distinct series. One of these is the series Chinenses which had been poorly represented in cultivation until the past few years. The most common species is the very small, I. minutoaurea, but it is now possible to purchase I. koreana, I odaesanensis, I rossii and others. Also in cultivation but not yet commercial is the smaller still I henryi and the larger I speculatrix. A varied and fascinating lot. Mark's mention of Iris cycloglossa points up yet another subgenus Scorpiris, a true bulbous group normally called the Junos. Here's a brief chart to put these in perspective: Genus Iris Subgenus Iris (Bearded iris) Section Iris I lutescens Section Oncocyclus I. sari Subgenus Limniris (Beardless iris) Section Lophiris (Crested Iris incuding I tectorum) I. cristata Section Limniris (Beardless Iris) Series Chinenses I. koreana I. odaesanensis Other series include the Louisiana, Siberian, Pacific coast natives and many more Subgenus Scorpis (Junos) I. cycloglossa I. wilmottiana alba Confused yet? Knowing who's who helps to get a better guess on how to grow these very distinct species. Thanks for the pictures. Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 E-fax 419-781-8594 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +