Hi Dennis and Jim,
Thanks for those observations. They show how plastic and adaptable (over evolutionary time) some of these bulbs can be. Ours never develop the big bulbs that are mentioned for Mexican varieties, and would probably not survive six months of drought. I'll try it once and see what happens. This also illustrates how important it is to know the exact origin of the individual plants we grow. Not just who sells it to us, but which natural gene pool was it drawn from.
Is there any source for the native Mexican form and its various color forms?
Jim, I am sure you are right about the origin of the name. Yes, el tigre always means "jaguar" here in Latin America. And the pattern is very evocative of the jaguar. I will follow your lead and call them Jaguar Iris. By the way, their common name here is Flor de un dia, which translates to "one-day flower".
Best,
Lou