The identity of the plant first described by Carl Linnaeus as Iris florentina remains unclear, as of December 2021. In horticulture, it has been treated as a white-flowered variant of Iris × germanica, under names such as Iris germanica nothovar. florentina, Iris × germanica var. florentina and Iris × germanica 'Florentina'. Iris florentina has also been treated as the correct name for the true species also known as Iris albicans Lange.
Iris florentina
Iris florentina flower in late April.
Painted illustration of Iris florentina by Sydenham Edwards for Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1803
An 1897 botanical image from Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen
Iris × germanica is the accepted name for a species of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae commonly known as the bearded iris or the German bearded iris. It is one of a group of hybrid origin. Varieties include I. × g. var. florentina.
Image: Iris Germanica 2012 2
Image: Deutsche Schwertlilie (Iris × germanica) im Garten
Irises by Vincent van Gogh,1890
Clonal colony