Need help identifying an Iris?

Question

I started these irises from seed that I traded for. The person that I traded with called them Iris setosa, but I am certain that that is NOT what they are. This iris is hardy to at least Zone 3, it is about 18" tall, and flowers in early to mid spring (June) and it sets seed easily and is fairly easy to start from seed. Here are some pictures
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v485/randiliana/Flowers/?action=view¤t=IrisSetosa1.jpg
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v485/randiliana/Flowers/?action=view¤t=irissetosa2.jpg
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v485/randiliana/2007flowers/?action=view¤t=DSC02966.jpg

Thanks, Justme. I live in Saskatchewan, Canada. And yes, most of the flowers in my albums are out of my own gardens. Some are wildflowers. I am fortunate to live on a farm so have tons of room to work with.

Angel, I had a look at the Dutch Iris, and while there are some similarities, the petals of my Iris are a lot smaller. So I don't think that they are the same.

Answer 1

It looks like a Dutch Iris. Take a look at this one:
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3F_adv_prop%3Dimage%26fr%3Dush-ans%26va%3Ddutch%2Biris%26sz%3Dall&w=500&h=375&imgurl=static.flickr.com%2F36%2F107865105_f10bae585a_m.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fmginfl%2F107865105%2F&size=87.8kB&name=107865105_f10bae585a.jpg&p=dutch+iris&type=jpeg&no=4&tt=4,855&oid=0862231216700bb8&fusr=Marty9146&tit=Dutch+Iris+Variation1&hurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fmginfl%2F&ei=ISO-8859-1&src=p

This is Iris Setosa:
http://www.twofrog.com/irissetosa.html
I've found another Iris Setosa that doesn't have markings as dark as the first picture, but there still seems to be more on Setosa than on your picture:
http://www.badbear.com/signa/signa.pl?Display+Iris-setosa+24+10
I not sure you have Iris Setosa because the markings are really different & not as distinct on yours. Yours doesn't have the dark black lines on it.
As I look at your 3d pic I see some resemblance to this next Iris & yours, but I still can't see the same markings on yours. Setosa:http://www.badbear.com/signa/signa.pl?Display+Iris-setosa+24+20

Here's some more Iris Setosa, as you can see here, there some really different versions:
http://www.badbear.com/signa/signa.pl?Iris-setosa
I wish I could be more helpful, but I can't give you a clear yes or no here. Sorry.

P.S. I just noticed that the three petals on top of yours are indeed shorter than Dutch Iris. Maybe yours is Iris Setosa...because the three top petals are also short in both. Maybe the markings don't make any difference in this catagory.

Answer 2

I don't know what type of Iris it is but I did want to comment on your photo album. If all those flowers are in your yard, your yard must be a neighborhood attraction! They are beautiful. I have flower gardens but they haven't matured enough to be so abundant as yours appear to be. What state do you live in?