Originally Published by Sandra Mason on 7/22/2000   The Greek goddess Iris walked a rainbow pathway through the sky and the flower named for her has a rainbow of flower colors. Iris is one of the oldest garden flowers. Iris is often seen as the only remnant of a long since abandoned home. Iris species Although the most familiar type of iris is the bearded iris, the genus includes 200 or more species, including some North American natives. Species are separated into two major groups...