Pigmentation in iris hybrids: occurrence of flavonoid pigments in six cultivars of Iris germanica

Six cultivars of Iris germanica L. were found to contain similar pigments, whether the flowers were red, purple, blue, yellow, or white. All had one anthocyanin and a number of other flavonoids in common. All contained mangiferin. The anthocyanin, delphanin, was unstable on extraction and chromatography. Color differences could not be accounted for by differences in occurrence of any flavonoid substances. There is evidence for complexing of the anthocyanin pigment in vivo.