Spathe: The papery covering surrounding emerging buds. It turns brown and protects the ovary as it develops.
Standards: The upright petals of the iris flower.
Falls: The lower petals of the iris flower that may either hang down or flare out.
Beard: The fuzzy "caterpillar" from which bearded iris get their name. They are found at the base of the falls, tucked in towards the center of the flower. They are also found on the inside of the standards of some species of aril irises.
Haft: The hafts are the base of the falls and standards where they begin narrow near the center of the flower. In older cultivars and some species the hafts of the falls are often marked with veins and lines. Flowers so marked are sometimes referred to as being "hafty" and it is often considered a fault unless it pleasantly adds to the distinctiveness of the flower.
Pistil: The female reproductive structure of a flower which in iris consists of ovary, style-arms and stigma.
Ovary: The ovule-bearing part of the pistil at the base of the iris flower which develops after fertilization into the seedpod containing seeds derived from the ovules.
Style Crest: The flared end of the style arm, usually split into two projections and often serrated.
Style Arm: Three style arms rest above the anthers; may be the same or contrasting colors as the iris flower.
Stigma: The part of the pistil that receives the pollen. In the iris, it is a lip projecting from the under side of the style arm, below the style crest.
Stamen: The. male reproductive structure of a flower consisting of a filament, and an anther containing the pollen grains. They rest between the style arms and the falls.
Anther: Stiff, fuzzy stem-like appendage holding pollen grains, located under the style arm.
Signal: On some irises there is often a signal consisting of a bright contrasting spot of a different color that may surround the beard.
Crest: Instead of a signal or a beard the crested or Evansia irises of the Lophiris section have a ridge or cockscomb of petal like material called a crest.
Space Age Iris: These irises have horns, spoons or flounces extending out from the end of the beard
Horned: Horned iris have petal extrusions below the beard that curve up and away from the fall to form a pointed horn.
Spoons: Spoons are long stringy filaments that extend out from below the end of the beard and are tipped by small, cupped petaloids.
Flounces: Iris with flounces have multi-petaled fan shaped appendages without beards that arise from the center of the fall.
