On Feb 9, 2010, at 1:12 PM, Adam Fikso wrote: > Hi, John . The Historic Iris Preservation Society has photos of > many > historics on their website. > > Worth checking for an ID. All appear to be correct within my > memory and > references. Adam Fikso Thanks, Adam, I am familiar with the Historic Iris Preservation Society, and I have grown many species and early iris cultivars. Over the years I have shared rhizomes with one of my best friends, Phil Edinger, an active member and collector and a former editor of the American Iris Society Bulletin. He is currently head of the Iris ID committee of HIPS. The cultivars pictured in the HIPS gallery are a bit more modern than those I had in mind. I am dating myself when I say that most of the varieties in this gallery were still in common circulation when I began growing growing iris as a pre-teenager. The irises I have found in old gardens in southern California tend to be much older ones--ones that have been passed along down the centuries like Iris X albicans (the Moorish grave iris), which I believe have been grown in California gardens since Spanish Missionary times, and 19th century ones like 'Crimson King' (1896?). Both are repeat-bloomers. I was just wondering if Dennis might describe his iris so we might try to identify it. John C. MacGregor South Pasadena, CA USDA Zone 9 Sunset Zones 21/23