IRIS is often the answer to the crossword clue
[Pupil’s place] or [Bearded bloom]

Though just ten days into the new year, last week felt so long and dismal I’m ready to turn my gaze to the [Spring flower] that’s also an [Eye part], the IRIS.
Almost any IRIS variety would qualify as a [Showy bloomer]. And the Volunteer State is not specific about which of the many irides in particular is the [State flower of Tennessee].
IRIS is the name of a genus of about 250-300 plants, divided into a half-dozen subgenera. The largest subgenus, also called Iris, contains the many varieties that [Blossom with a “beard”].


(images via Pamwik GinoMM)
The flower is named after the [Divine messenger], Iris. The Greek [Rainbow goddess] who links gods and humans, and links Greek to English. The word “iris,” which continues to mean [Rainbow].

The [Flower girl’s name?] is also linked to the [Novelist Murdoch].
There was a 2001 biopic about Murdoch titled Iris, directed by Richard Eyre. Somehow this totally escaped me. It makes IRIS
- [Murdoch who was played by Judi Dench],
- [Murdoch played by Kate Winslet],
- and the [Movie for which Jim Broadbent won his Oscar].

The “rainbow” nature of IRIS accounts for its use meaning the [Colored part of the eye]. Thus it’s also
- [Pupil’s place]
- [Eye opener?]
- and [Part of eye makeup?]

So while IRIS is certainly an [Apt name for a botanist], it’s also spot-on for an optometrist, or a student.
Be a doll and check this out
The iris controls the size of the black hole in the eye’s center, the PUPIL [It grows in the dark]. This [Eye part] and its homonym—the [Person at a desk]—come from the pupa, Latin for “little girl” or “doll.”
The connection is made clear by looking into another’s eye and noticing your own tiny reflection in the pupil.
Like a PUPA–the [Insect stage] for a [Cocoon occupant]–the word pupa has grown and metamorphosed. It’s at the center of PUPPY [A little husky?] and [Young boxer, e.g.] (the latter clue also works for ROO) and PUPPET [Punch, e.g.].