Jim McK posed a question and a statement to which he probably wasn't expecting an answer. But, I do have a couple of replies. > From: "Jim McKenney" > Subject: [pbs] Spanish iris > > "One mass distribution catalog which offered "Spanish irises" for years used > an illustration of Iris korolkowii to depict the "Spanish irises". I often > wondered what people who ordered those got: did they get Iris korolkowii > (given the price, I doubt it) or did they get true Spanish irises? " I did order the "Spanish Iris" from that mass distribution catalog. What I received were some "Dutch" irises, and rather inferior ones at that. I wasn't concerned when they failed to reappear the following year. (This was before I knew what an Iris korolkowii was.) > "The last time I ordered Spanish irises I received English irises, Iris > latifolia, (the plant long known as Iris xiphioides). Instead of the small > bulbs of Spanish irises, I got these huge English iris bulbs. No one, to my > knowledge, has successfully grown English irises here in the middle Atlantic > states." Is Pennsylvania a mid-Atlantic state? About 10 years ago, I ordered a dozen "English Irises" (from the same mass distributor, I think.) They bloomed the first year, and sent up only leaves the second year. I figured I'd never see them again, but they bloomed the third year. By year 4, they had spread into two foot clumps, each clump bearing about a dozen blooms. (In other words, they spread like a nice daffodil variety.) The bloom period was short, about a week, but the plants were beautiful. I did photograph the clumps one year. If I can find the pictures and if they are decent, and if I have time to digitize them, I'll get them on the wiki. Needless to say, I did not consider taking any of the bulbs with me when I moved to Georgia. As for what to call the Spanish Iris group, I'm in agreement with Jim W. "Xiphium" is a good term, as long as it is not italicized. It distinguishes these irises from the reticulatas and junos. Gene Eugene Zielinski Augusta, Georgia USA