Border Bearded Iris 'Faux Pas': Keppel's 1989 Deliberate Mistake

'Faux Pas' is a border bearded iris (BB) cultivar hybridized by Keppel and registered in 1989. The French term for a social blunder suggests a cultivar that breaks the rules intentionally—perhaps a clashing color combination, an unconventional pattern, or a form that defies the "correct" aesthetic, yet succeeds brilliantly.

Cultivar Details

• Family: Iridaceae (eye-rid-AY-see-ee)
• Genus: Iris (EYE-ris)
• Cultivar: Faux Pas
• Hybridizer: Keppel
• Registration Year: 1989

Keppel's wit shines in this 1989 BB name. 'Faux Pas' may be a "mistake" that turned into a masterpiece—a color break that was initially considered a flaw but proved to be stunning, or a pattern that ignores convention to create something uniquely beautiful.