AIS Histories

Under construction - In Process Page

The American Iris Society is composed of geographical Regions each of which has individual Affiliates (clubs) supporting meetings and sharing iris knowledge and irises. AIS is also supported by groups (Sections and Cooperating Societies) dedicated to types of irises. This page is a working page that serves as starting point for finding the history of these organizations and including them in the Iris Encyclopedia.

The 100 Years Bold!, Supplements 1-4 and an Addendum published in 2020 and 2021 are a great source of histories of all types. AIS Emembers and Full Members have access to this in the AIS Special Publications area of the Digital Library. Table of Contents: Supplement 1; Supplement 2; Supplement 3; Supplement 4; Addendum.

Regions

Jody Nolin "AIS Regions Through the Decades", Supplement 3, pp 162-165 (2020)

1. AIS Region 1 Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Newfoundland/Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island
2. AIS Region 2 New York, Ontario, Quebec
3. AIS Region 3 (no website) Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware
4. AIS Region 4 Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and District of Columbia
   1. AIS Region 4 came into being in 1959, so 2019 will mark the Region's
      60th Anniversary. The 1999 Newscast featured an article done by Roy
      Epperson on the history of Region 4 for it's 40th Anniversary. Addition-
      ally, there are Affiliate Histories included in that Newscast. We would
      like to mimic and update that Newscast format for our Spring 2019 re-
      lease to commemorate our 60th Anniversary. Susan Grigg and I are co-
      leading an effort to gather historic information about the Region to
      accomplish that and to prepare a feature to be submitted to AIS to run
      in the AIS Spring 2019 Bulletin. To achieve this information, all mem-
      bers of AIS Region 4, past and present will be engaged in collecting and
      providing information. We will be posting a copy of the 1999 Newscast
      on our Region 4 Website for everyone's reference and Susan and I will
      be providing further guidance and coordination of the effort via email
      thru the Affiliate Presidents. From https://wiki.irises.org/pub/Hist/Info2018Region4BulletinMarch/2018_March_V61_N1.pdf
5. AIS Region 5 (no website) South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Puerto Rico
6. AIS Region 6 Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.
7. AIS Region 7 Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi
8. AIS Region 8 Minnesota and Wisconsin
9. AIS Region 9 Illinois
10. AIS Region 10 (GNOIS website) Louisiana
11. AIS Region 11 (no website) Idaho, Montana and Wyoming
12. AIS Region 12 (no website) Utah
13. AIS Region 13 Washington, Oregon and Alaska, British Columbia, and Yukon
14. AIS Region 14 Northern California, Nevada and Hawaii
15. AIS Region 15 Southern California and Arizona
16. AIS Region 16 Discontinued after November 2010, apportioned to Regions 1, 2, 13, and 21 (was Canada)
    1. Canadian Iris Society - History
17. AIS Region 17 Texas
18. AIS Region 18 Kansas and Missouri
19. AIS Region 19 Discontinued after November 2010, added to Region 3 (was New Jersey)
20. AIS Region 20 (no website) Colorado
21. AIS Region 21 Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, NWT, Nunavut, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
    1. Two histories of Region 21 from 1970 and 1975 AIS Bulletins were combined in the Region 21 Bulletin 147 (2010 Spring/Summer) pp 21-27 as "Living Past".
22. AIS Region 22 Arkansas and Oklahoma
23. AIS Region 23 New Mexico
24. AIS Region 24 Discontinued after November 2025, added to Region 7 (was Alabama and Mississippi)

Affiliates - Current and Historical

Connecticut Iris Society Ruth Bennett "Connecticut Iris Society & Elizabeth Park Conservancy 50 Years of Community Service", Supplement 1, pp 77-79.

Greater St Louis Iris Society Mobot Garden https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/our-garden/notable-plant-collections/iris

Jim Morris "St, Louis and Iris History", Supplement 2, pp 104-109

Sections and Cooperating Societies

Aril Society International (ASI) Tom Waters "History of the Aril Society International", Supplement 3, pp 232-239.

Historic Iris Preservation Society (HIPS) Cathy Eger "The Historic Iris Preservation Society (HIPS) Preserving Yesterday's Beauty", Supplement 4, pp 310-312.

Society for Louisiana Irises (SLI) Patrick O'Connor "Society for Louisiana Irises", Addendum, pp 414-419.

Society for Pacific Coast Native Irises (SPCNI) Ken Walker "Society for Pacific Coast Native Irises", Supplement 4, pp 324-325.

Species Iris Group of North America (SIGNA) Will Plotner "The Early History of SIGNA" Supplement 4, pp 330-332. Reprinted from SIGNA 74, pp 3744-3746.

Spuria Iris Society History page. A more detailed history of the Spuria Iris Society is Darol Jurn "The Spuria Iris Society", 100 Years Bold!, Supplement 4, pp 307-309 (2021). AIS Emembers and Full Members have access to this in the AIS Special Publications area of the Digital Library.

Tall Bearded Iris Society (TBIS) Judy Keisling "Tall Bearded Iris Society History", Supplement 4, pp 296-298.

---

---

-- WayneMesser - 01 Sep 2026