Interesting Facts and Symbolism About Irises

Irises are one of the best known and loved garden plants. They are one of the earliest blooming plants and one of the easiest perennial flowers to grow. Irises are the gem of any garden!

How much do you know about irises? Here are some odd and interesting facts about irises:

There are over 300 species of irises and they come in a rainbow of colors.

Some irises are bulbs and some irises are rhizomes. The most common bulb iris is the Dutch Iris. Rhizome irises are separated into three main groups: the Bearded, Beardless, and the Crested Iris.

Irises are perennial plants. Like old friends, irises come back year after year.
In The United States irises are also known as Flags.

In Greek mythology Iris is the Goddess of the rainbow and is the messenger of the Gods. The Greeks planted irises on women's graves in hop that the Goddess Iris would guide their souls to their final resting places.

In the ancient world the iris was a symbol of power and majesty used as the original scepter. The oldest iris symbolism comes from Egypt where the iris was a symbol for life.

The fleur-de-lis is a royal French symbol of the iris.

Fleur-de-lis means Flower of the Lily in French. Although some may argue that it means Flower of Louis for St. Louis, King Louis IX.

The fleur-de-lis is the emblem for the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is also the emblem of the New Orleans Saints football team.

The fleur-de-lis is also the emblem of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is shown on the St. Louis flag to symbolize the union of the Mississippi, Missouri, and the Illinois Rivers.

The artist Vincent van Gogh painted some very famous pictures of irises.

The rhizome root of the iris is called orris root and was used as perfumes, deodorants, and medicines in the ancient world.

In this day and age orris root powder is most commonly used for perfumes, potpourri, soaps, spice wreaths, and sachets.

Orris root is an ingredient in Bombay Sapphire Gin that is distributed by Bacardi.

Orris root is said to have magical properties. Orris root is used in Wicca for love spells, divination, and dream work. It is thought that if you carry a piece of orris root with you, you can attract a new lover. Or you can sprinkle the powdered root onto your bed sheets for the same purpose.

Snow Maiden, Pirate Prince, Gypsy Caravan, Super Ego, White Swirl, and Tarheel Elf are just a few of the interesting names of hybrid irises.

The American Iris Society (AIS) was founded in 1920.

There are numerous other iris societies like The Iris Society of Australia, The Italian Iris Society, The Russian Iris Society, New Zealand Iris Society, and The Society for Pacific Coast Native Irises.

The irises three main petals are symbolic for faith, valor, and wisdom.

Irises are gaining popularity for use in spring and summertime weddings.

SOURCES:

http://www.herbs2000.com/flowers/i_history.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_(plant)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orris_root

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_(mythology)

http://www.loggia.com/myth/iris.html