Subgenus Limniris is one subgenus of beardless irises, which don't have hair on their drooping sepals, also called their falls. 'Limniris' is derived from the Latin for marsh or living-in-lakes iris, or pond iris. This refers to the fact that most species can be grown in moist habitats for part of the year. It was originally described by Tausch in Deut. Bot. Herb.-Buch (Deutsche Botaniker) in 1841. Édouard Spach made changes 1846 in Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. (Annales des Sciences Naturelles; Botanique). It was divided into sections, 'Limniris', which is further divided down to about 16 series, and 'Lophiris' (also known as 'Evansias' or crested iris). They are both polyphyletic. It has 45 species, which are widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a group that has been recognized with few changes since Dykes's 1913 monograph on the genus Iris. Lawrence (1953), Rodionenko (1987) and then Mathew (1989) all tried to modify the group. Various authors have tried to classify the list in various ways. It is still undergoing study and variations. Taxonomy Section Limniris (going alphabetically) Section Limniris (going in alphabetical order) Series Californicae Pacific Coast irises Iris bracteata – Siskiyou iris Iris chrysophylla – Yellow-leaved iris Iris douglasiana – Douglas iris Iris fernaldii – Fernald's iris Iris hartwegii – Hartweg's iris, rainbow iris, Sierra iris Iris innominata – Del Norte iris Iris macrosiphon – Bowltube iris Iris munzii – Munz's iris, Tulare lavender iris Iris purdyi – Purdy's iris Iris tenax – Tough-leaved iris, Oregon iris Iris tenuissima Dykes – (Long-tubed iris) Series Chinenses (from east Asia) Iris henryi Baker Iris koreana Nakai Iris minutoaurea Makino Iris odaesanensis Y.N.Lee Iris proantha Diels Iris rossii Baker Iris speculatrix Hance Series Ensatae Iris lactea Pall. Series Foetidissimae Iris foetidissima L. – Stinking iris, Gladwin iris, stinking gladwin, gladdon, roast-beef plant Series Hexagonae (known as the Louisiana irises) Iris brevicaulis Raf. – Zigzag iris Iris fulva Ker-Gawl. – Copper iris Iris giganticaerulea – Giant blue iris, giant blue flag Iris hexagona Walt. – Dixie iris Iris nelsonii Randolph – (Abbeville iris) Iris savannarum Small – Prairie iris Series Laevigatae (which includes the Japanese irises) Iris ensata Thunb. – Japanese iris, hanashōbu (Japanese) (including I. kaempferi) Iris laevigata Fisch – Rabbitear iris, shallow-flowered iris, kakitsubata (Japanese) Iris maackii Maxim. Iris pseudacorus L. – Yellow iris, yellow flag Iris versicolor L. – Larger blue flag, harlequin blueflag Iris virginica L. – Virginia