I don't know what that is. It could be a fungus, a virus, or just damage from insects or trauma from winds.

I'm pretty sure it's not wind damage, because it hasn't BEEN windy here. When there's wind here, things hit my roof (old oak out back) and everything shows a bit of wear. This is all on its own in oddness. My guess is it is fungus/virus damage, because I checked pretty hard for an entry hole from bugs and saw nothing. It's just so weird.

And I'm so bummed about it - I really wanted to see those flowers, darn it all!

Could it possibly be cold/weather related?

You can try cutting them off above the damage and bringing them indoors to let them bloom in a vase. Sorry.

I did do that, and put them in a tall drinking glass to better support them in their wobbly state. The next morning, the stem pictured above had totally folded over the side of the glass! The nursery I bought it at suggested that I cut open the stem to see what I could find inside, but he said it this morning, and the stem went in the trash days ago... There was nothing visible in the cut ON the plant that I could see, but I also didn't take it down all the way to the leaf. Darn it. Next time it happens (if it does) I absolutely WILL do that. I'm dieing of curiosity as well as annoyed as hell!

I do think it's something buggy, or fungal/viral, rather than cold. (I was mid-response this morning when my power went out for 10 hours!) It hasn't been below 40 at night for over 2 weeks, and all the irises came through the winter just fine. No drought (I water...), no cold, no care issues that I can see. I think, if it were a care issue, other things in the bed would show signs as well, and everything ELSE is happy as a darned clam! So, here's hoping I never see it again...

I have 1 tall bearded iris, Fireside Glow, that does this every year for some reason. The flower stalks are very tall, rather thin. The first year it happened I thought it was a fungus because of the excessive rain, but it happens every year to some extent. It does last well enough to flower, beautiful orange blooms. I think it must just be a weakness in the iris itself & it will be leaving my garden. No other iris around it are affected.

Ngraham - that's both good to know, and REALLY frustrating. I sure hope China Dragon doesn't do this every year. Gah. Do you have other orange irises that don't have this issue? I fell in love with the nursery's picture online of this one, and I WANT to see it, but the bloom only showed color at the edge (1/4" or so) and the rest was tight green bud, so I got NOTHING out of it except a heaping load of frustration and aggravation! I'll give it another couple of years and see how it does, but it too may get the Goodbye Kiss...

I do have a couple other orange iris that I got more recently, & they are not showing that problem. I love the orange color of Fireside Glow, but not this habit. Crackling Caldera is nice, & so is Olympic Challenge & Orange Pop.
Hopefully yours is some weird quirk for this year & will be nice next year.