The
bearded iris flowers have six petals. Three of the petals,
called standards grow up, while the remaining three, called
falls hang down. The bearded iris flower gets its name from
the falls, which have a ‘beard’ of fuzz down the
center. The bearded iris flowers bloom in the late spring
through early summer. Some bearded iris flowers will even
re-bloom late in the summer, which lasts long into the fall
months. This second bloom is not as showy as the first one.
Beardless
iris flowers come in many different forms. One type of beardless
iris flower, the Spurias, is tall and has blooms that often
resemble orchids. The colors range from white and yellow through
blue. A second beardless iris flower is the Siberian, which
are mostly blue and need cold and wet conditions to thrive.
A third beardless iris flower is the Japanese, which usually
has huge, ruffled blooms that are flat. Most beardless iris
flowers will bloom after the bearded iris flower blooming
period is over.
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other varieties of iris flowers are clumped together in a
class called aril irises. Aril iris flowers are bearded, but
not classified with the bearded iris flowers because they
are so different. The beards are rather sparse, and generally
nothing more than a fuzzy strip on the oncocyclus. Though
the aril iris flowers are extremely beautiful and colorful,
many of them are not able to grow in the United States, save
for the hottest, driest climates.
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