Wander Lord

Interesting on art, nature, people, history

Iris – graceful and amazing flower

Iris - graceful and amazing flower

Iris – graceful and amazing flower

Irises are popular garden flowers. They are known for their wide variety of colors and unique petal shapes. There are about 800 species of iris. They grow mostly in mild northern regions. Some irises grow from bulbs. Others grow from the rhizomes of other iris plants.
Irises have six petals that can be white, yellow, pink, red, blue, purple, brown, or even black. Irises can grow to 90 centimeters tall and usually have a strong fragrance.
Irises are known since ancient times. One of the frescoes found in Crete shows a priest surrounded by irises. The fresco is about 4,000 years old.

In Greek the word ἶρῐς means rainbow. The flowers were named after Iris, the Greek goddess of rainbow. It was Hippocrates who named the flowers in the 4th century BC.
Iris Nebula (NGC 7023) is located in the Cepheus constellation.
The roasted seeds of the irises were considered an expensive delicacy. People made coffeelike drink of them. Their leaves are rich in ascorbic acid.
Kings and nobles in Europe decorated their coat of arms with the image of the iris.
On May 5 people in Japan enjoyed irises in water gardens. This event is called Hanami. And the image of this flower is on almost all household items in the families with sons.

Attractive iris

Attractive iris


These flowers have always been appreciated not only for their flavor and beauty. They are used in the manufacturing of wine, a variety of sweets, are added to pastry; their roots are still used in the fragrance industry.
In ancient Egypt, iris was considered a symbol of eloquence. In Arabia, on the contrary, it was a symbol of silence and sadness.
In Japan it is a symbol of dignity and courage, purple and white flowers represent nobility.
Hermann Hesse dedicated one of his best stories to this plant.

Iris – graceful and amazing flower

Amazing iris

Amazing iris

Beautiful iris

Beautiful iris

Charming irises

Charming irises

Cherry Garden

Cherry Garden

Colorful iris

Colorful iris

Cute irises

Cute irises

Gorgeous irises

Gorgeous irises

White and yellow irises

White and yellow irises

Iris on the coat of arms

Iris on the coat of arms

Graceful irises

Graceful irises

Irises in painting

Alexander Voronkov

Alexander Voronkov

Claude Monet - A flower bed with irises in the garden of the artist, 1900

Claude Monet – A flower bed with irises in the garden of the artist, 1900

Claude Monet - Garden at Giverny, 1899-1900

Claude Monet – Garden at Giverny, 1899-1900

David Drummond

David Drummond

Eduard Dzhafarov

Eduard Dzhafarov

Elena Lukyanova

Elena Lukyanova

Elena Martens

Elena Martens

Evgeny Kuznetsov

Evgeny Kuznetsov

Fereshte Shishine

Fereshte Shishine

Gennady Alekhnovich

Gennady Alekhnovich

He Si

He Si

Illustration to the children's alphabet. Cicely Mary Barker

Illustration to the children’s alphabet. Cicely Mary Barker

Inna Tsukahina

Inna Tsukahina

Iris - Goddess of the rainbow. Walter Savage Cooper

Iris – Goddess of the rainbow. Walter Savage Cooper

Jacgueline Gnott

Jacgueline Gnott

Jay J. Johnson

Jay J. Johnson

John William Godward - Playtime, 1891

John William Godward – Playtime, 1891

John William Godward - Under the Blossom that Hangs on the Bough, 1917

John William Godward – Under the Blossom that Hangs on the Bough, 1917

Jose Escofet

Jose Escofet

Leon Roulette

Leon Roulette

Lina Kovalenko

Lina Kovalenko

Lovely irises

Lovely irises

Lyubov Lesokhina

Lyubov Lesokhina

Marina Podgaevskaya

Marina Podgaevskaya

Norman Prescott Davies

Norman Prescott Davies

Oleg Buyko

Oleg Buyko

Oleg Timoshin

Oleg Timoshin

Paul Jones

Paul Jones

Ramil Gappasov

Ramil Gappasov

Robert Reid - Fleur de Lis

Robert Reid – Fleur de Lis

Robert Reid - The violet kimono

Robert Reid – The violet kimono

Robert Reid - Woman on a Porch

Robert Reid – Woman on a Porch

Roman Reisinger

Roman Reisinger

Shirley Novak

Shirley Novak

Svetlana Rodionova

Svetlana Rodionova

Vincent Van Gogh - Irises. Saint-Remy, May 1890

Vincent Van Gogh – Irises. Saint-Remy, May 1890

Vincent Van Gogh - View of Arles with Irises, 1888

Vincent Van Gogh – View of Arles with Irises, 1888

Vincent Willem van Gogh

Vincent Willem van Gogh

Vyacheslav Sinkevich

Vyacheslav Sinkevich

Yuri Nikolaev

Yuri Nikolaev