Dear all; I have tried to comment on a variety of Qs in the past few days. Check out Irises by Brian Mathew (out of print) or Iris of China by Waddick and Zhao (Timber Press) for details. > They look rather bamboo like. Regards Alberto Iris watti is sometimes called the Bamboo Iris because of its large tall stems. ________________ How hardy is Iris wattii? Jim Shields Frost free for good bloom, but might be real vigorous in slightly cooler climates. ________________ I have a piece that was given to me by Les Hannibal. It grows a tuft of leaves on top of thin, upright, "bamboo-like" stems. The flower looks just like the image you posted. Ken Kehl Might be Iris confusa Iris japonica and I confusa share so many physical, genetic and biochemical traits that some scientists have suggested that they be renamed I japonica var japonica and I japonica var erecta. ________________ Jerry Flinthoff; Yes there are times when japonica can get a scraggly sort of stem and like all 3 of these the flowering stem emerges in fall/winter so frosts can readily do them in. I japonica can react to various extremes by growing very short and almost grasslike. Ihave seen pots of it labelled as Acorus because of this. In a very protected site here (Zone 5) it can survive for years, never bloom and look unlike its more normal self. Yes there are very few introductions of I wattii and the 'Johnson Clone' is of a dubious nature. ________________ Joyce; Iris japonica and I confusa rarely produce seed and mosat p[eople conclude they are sterile triploids. It is actually far more complex than that and each of these species exchange genetic materials from cedll to cell so that chromosome counts vary wildly. In Sichuan a couple researchers have founf a few fertile plants of both as well plants with n number from near haploid to near tetraploid with a variety of odd numbers all around an expected diploid number. Most are aneuploids (which are also sterile. Fertile clones are very rare. Apparently so are true triploids. Iris wattii is fertile and has been used to produce a variuety of delightful hybrids mostly in New Zealand. ________________ And incidentally there is a wonderfully variegated form of I japonica 'Aphrodite' that can grow like a weed, but rarely blooms except in the best situations. A choice ground cover for mild climates. Commonly seen in large greenhouses and conservatories. Best to all 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 +