quick guide to different classes of iris?

Hello! I didn't see this up in the sticky resource threads anywhere... does anyone know where I can find a list of the various iris species and hybrid classes, with brief descriptions and cultural requirements? (Descriptions and photos of foliage/rhizomes/overall form would be especially helpful.)

I moved into a house with a long-neglected garden, and among the surviving plants are a bunch of weed-choked, over-shaded irises of various shapes and sizes. None of them have bloomed, so I don't know what kind they are or how to take care of them. Being a relative newbie gardener, I only knew about tall bearded, Japanese, and Louisiana irises. There were some that I knew for sure weren't tall bearded (because I had grown those before), so I assumed that they must be one of the water-loving kinds and I moved them to a marshy spot on the property... where they were deeply unhappy! I see now how limited my iris knowledge was.

Anyone have any pointers for me?

Here is some very detailed info about the different iris classes.

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

To begin with, can you tell from the leaves if any of them have a rib running down the center of the leaf? That would indicate a water loving iris. if not, usually they don't like being water logged. And hold a leaf up to the light and see if you can see a pattern of lines going out from the center. That also indicates a water loving iris.

How about some pictures of the rhizomes to start?

Thanks for the link! I started there and went link-surfing... and wow. And here I thought daylilies were complicated!!

I'm starting to think that what I have are primarily some of the shorter classes of bearded iris. Several of them actually have buds on them this year (a tree that had been shading them fell over in a storm last year), so I will soon have more data. Once they're blooming, I'll take photos and measurements, and dig up a rhizome or two.

There's also a large, mysterious clump of grass-like plants that have never bloomed, either, and now I'm starting to wonder if they might be Siberian iris. They're in the sun finally, too -- no buds yet, but maybe there's still time....

You're welcome.

If your smaller (median) irises are just now getting buds, it will be awhile for the siberians. I would say late May for your area.

But please post any pictures you can, and we will try to help.

How exciting. A new house and a whole new garden of unknowns.