I think Irises are some of the hardest of plants to identify, I've posted about a half dozen over the years and even though they are very different from each other the only answer I ever get is Siberian. You might try on the Iris forum although you might need patience as it's a slower forum. Good luck!

It sounds like some form of Libertia or New Zealand iris (really an iris relative). Often these are a bright coppery-orange color in leaf and with white flowers, but there's a couple of newer introduction on the market that have gold or multicolored foliage. Needs really good drainage.....as with many other NZ plants, doesn't really care for our wet winters Here is a link that might be useful: Libertia images

You're very welcome Lia. I love some of the historics like this one. My personal preference are beardeds whose falls drape (not horizontal) and I especially love lavender-blues and pinks. I think what makes you draw in your breath is the iris you should have. One year 'Victoria Falls' grew to 6 feet in three different gardens around town. We couldn't believe it. Hasn't done that since. I think technically 30 years qualifies an iris as an historic unless that was successfully changed. Lots of opposition. Antique and mid century were not adopted by HIPS to my knowledge. http://www.historiciris.org/

I like that idea, xiangirl! I have two iris in my garden that are No IDs. One of them is called "Ashley's Gold" because it was given to me by an Ashley and the other is "Clint" for my uncle who gave it to me. Neither had their original names. I have been able to identify Clint now, it's Batik. But I still have the label on it that says "Clint". The other one, we will likely never know. We can make some guesses but without provenance, it's only a guess.