Fern vs Iris - What's the difference?
fern | iris |
Any of a group of some twenty thousand species of vascular plants classified in the division Pteridophyta that lack seeds and reproduce by shedding spores to initiate an alternation of generations.
(lb) A plant of the genus Iris , common in the northern hemisphere, and generally having attractive blooms ().
*
*:Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarlet flames athwart the pines.
(lb) The contractile membrane perforated by the pupil, which adjusts to control the amount of light reaching the retina, and which forms the colored portion of the eye ().
A diaphragm used to regulate the size of a hole, especially as a way of controlling the amount of light reaching a lens.
(lb) A rainbow, or other colourful refraction of light.
(lb) A constricted opening in the path inside a waveguide, used to form a resonator.
For the flower both iris'' and ''irises are in common use.
1996, 2000s=2004}} * 1989, Ann Lovejoy, The Year in Bloom [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=B2WnTx8ZSXoC&pg=PA107&lpg=PA107&sig=kTR265orMNqHigdpkspkvz5gF8c] *: Is there anything more spectacular than the bearded iris in their short season? * 1996, Katherine Grace Endicott, Northern California Gardening [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=2Orl1AcbaT4C&pg=PA138&lpg=PA138&sig=sRNZY7Jc53QpEqCrkaHoFKHx7_g] *: Tall bearded iris are in bloom now. * 2004, Diana Beresford-Kroeger, A Garden for Life [http://print.google.com/print?id=0sPBOVSC2MUC&pg=PA84&lpg=PA84&sig=bEEefwPluRvCp36e6pF5AkExCKk] *: The bulbous iris are important because their early flowers provide a food source for bees and early flying insects. plural irides {{timeline, 1800s=1843, 1900s=1989, 2000s=2001}} * 1843, The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge *: In colour the irides are straw-yellow, the pupils black; forehead, nape, and back, very dark bluish-black; [...] * 1989, Robert S Ridgely, The Birds of South America [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=tRBb15pk4w0C&pg=RA1-PA374&lpg=RA1-PA374&sig=PZFkFg4LIlBDqSgZ7Z7DnYYha6M] *: As in the caciques, bills are sharply pointed and pale, while irides are usually pale blue. * 2001, John V Forrester et al., The Eye [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=CTltcMRq8_QC&pg=PA121&lpg=PA121&sig=oUK2_xiWqgcZ-USI7UBo0HxuBy4] *: Later in life brown irides are the result of heavily pigmented melanocytes within the stroma. plural irises {{timeline, 1900s=1987
2000, 2000s=2002}} * 1987, Pamela Harper, Frederick McGourty, Perennials [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=Mi5_h7ryCi0C&pg=PA109&lpg=PA109&sig=8_7tj1vGAjqwhPowAsYKQyL0QE8] *: Tall bearded irises are easy to grow but not always easy to grow well. * 2000, Kevin C Voughn, Louisiana Iris [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=4-T1HH-X1_sC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&sig=D957MQkQUZqTgY7ex8mGf0R6Wa4] *: Most iris lovers feel that Louisiana irises are now large enough. * 2002, John E Bryan, Bulbs [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=v-h4dovkqxgC&pg=PA296&lpg=PA296&sig=Oj6ubuGG706mBqxu_tKlzU90Q-0] *: All these irises are sold as dry, dormant bulbs in fall.
As proper nouns the difference between fern and iris
is that fern is (female) from the fern plant while iris is (female given name).fern
English
Noun
(en noun)Synonyms
* (Pteridophyta) (archaic)Derived terms
* (hydrozoan skeletons) * (in genus Asparagus ) * ) * ferny * male fern * (in genus Comptonia ) * tree fernSee also
* brackenExternal links
* ("fern" on Wikipedia)Anagrams
* ----iris
English
("iris" on Wikipedia)Noun
(See Usage notes)Usage notes
For the part of the eye, the usual medical plural is irides.For the flower both iris'' and ''irises are in common use.
Quotations
plural iris {{timeline, 1900s=19891996, 2000s=2004}} * 1989, Ann Lovejoy, The Year in Bloom [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=B2WnTx8ZSXoC&pg=PA107&lpg=PA107&sig=kTR265orMNqHigdpkspkvz5gF8c] *: Is there anything more spectacular than the bearded iris in their short season? * 1996, Katherine Grace Endicott, Northern California Gardening [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=2Orl1AcbaT4C&pg=PA138&lpg=PA138&sig=sRNZY7Jc53QpEqCrkaHoFKHx7_g] *: Tall bearded iris are in bloom now. * 2004, Diana Beresford-Kroeger, A Garden for Life [http://print.google.com/print?id=0sPBOVSC2MUC&pg=PA84&lpg=PA84&sig=bEEefwPluRvCp36e6pF5AkExCKk] *: The bulbous iris are important because their early flowers provide a food source for bees and early flying insects. plural irides {{timeline, 1800s=1843, 1900s=1989, 2000s=2001}} * 1843, The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge *: In colour the irides are straw-yellow, the pupils black; forehead, nape, and back, very dark bluish-black; [...] * 1989, Robert S Ridgely, The Birds of South America [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=tRBb15pk4w0C&pg=RA1-PA374&lpg=RA1-PA374&sig=PZFkFg4LIlBDqSgZ7Z7DnYYha6M] *: As in the caciques, bills are sharply pointed and pale, while irides are usually pale blue. * 2001, John V Forrester et al., The Eye [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=CTltcMRq8_QC&pg=PA121&lpg=PA121&sig=oUK2_xiWqgcZ-USI7UBo0HxuBy4] *: Later in life brown irides are the result of heavily pigmented melanocytes within the stroma. plural irises {{timeline, 1900s=1987
2000, 2000s=2002}} * 1987, Pamela Harper, Frederick McGourty, Perennials [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=Mi5_h7ryCi0C&pg=PA109&lpg=PA109&sig=8_7tj1vGAjqwhPowAsYKQyL0QE8] *: Tall bearded irises are easy to grow but not always easy to grow well. * 2000, Kevin C Voughn, Louisiana Iris [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=4-T1HH-X1_sC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&sig=D957MQkQUZqTgY7ex8mGf0R6Wa4] *: Most iris lovers feel that Louisiana irises are now large enough. * 2002, John E Bryan, Bulbs [http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=v-h4dovkqxgC&pg=PA296&lpg=PA296&sig=Oj6ubuGG706mBqxu_tKlzU90Q-0] *: All these irises are sold as dry, dormant bulbs in fall.