Wed 27 Apr 2022

Flower facts you may not know about irises

Of all the blooms you will find at your local florist, irises are bound to always grab your attention. They are bold in both shape and colour. They can be added to mixed bouquets or you can enjoy them all on their own. Here are some interesting flower facts that you may not know about irises.

Name and origins

The name of these flowers comes from the goddess, Iris who was the Greek goddess of the rainbow. Another one of the most interesting flower facts is that these blooms are available in various colours including a red-brown colour. Each bloom has six lobes. Three of which are inner petals with three outer sepals. The three petals stand upright and they are referred to as standards while the sepals are usually pointed outwards and referred to as falls. Irises produce fruit which is in the form of a pod and this pod contains seeds.

Cultivation

Another one of the most interesting flower facts when it comes to irises is that sometimes the standards and falls have different colours. The falls might even be ruffled which gives the flower amazing texture. Irises that are cultivated can be divided into three main groups: aril, bearded and beardless. Aril irises have a white cup around the seeds, bearded irises have hairs in the centre of the falls and beardless have no hairs.

Toxicity

One of the most important of all flower facts to remember is that there is an element of toxicity to irises. They are mildly to moderately poisonous for animals as well as humans. Usually this type of poisoning is not fatal but it depends on the amount that is consumed as well as the part of the plant that has been eaten. The rhizomes are known for being the most toxic of all.

These flower facts will not only allow you to appreciate irises even more, but they will also insure that you, your loved ones and your pets are safe. If you want to grow these blooms in your garden, you should make sure that you place some kind of fencing around them or make sure that your pets cannot reach them when you’re not looking.