The Spec·1 es I · f North Am ~15 Group 0 __,,.,.,~~ er1 ca
#41 Fall, 1988 pp. 1461 - 1500 SIGNA ~'P,E:C!ES .HUS ,.jROUP OF NO?.TH AMERICA Fall. 1988 Number 41
0FFICERS & EXECUTIVES
CHAIRMAN~ Co lin Rigby 2087 Curtis Dr. Penngrove, CA 94951 VICE-CHAIRMAN: Lee We lsh 7979 W. D Ave . Kalamazoo, MI 49009 SECRETA RY ~ Florene:? StQut 150 N . Main St. Lornoa.rd'J IL 6 0 1 48 TREASURER: GEnce l) ?b::m i 732 Be ver l !:I Place B-erkeley,., CA 94707 SEED EXCHANGE : ?hcebe Copley 5428 Mu r dock St. L ou~s~ MO 63109 ROBIN D IRE C !'OR::: Darr. Hu~~sa..il,'. 3 227 So- F u l to.i. Ave·. Tulsa., OK 74135 SLIDES CHAI Rr PAST P RESIDENT:, E L i:niTH?. .nu libe r t: Rout1:.: 3 1 :Bo>. 57 F loyd, VA 2 4091 ADVISOR'~· EOt.-liiRO:~ :fa, ... t.eH1::1·~:l! Davidson~ Jeii:uT. Witt~ J!:,ru,.-ce Richardson CONTENTS Fal l , 1988--·No,. 4i. CHAIRMAN~S H£~t ·Col ::er> Rig byi 1461 ANNOUNCEMENTS::: Y1,,acl!,~ Jl.ssues, Neu• E!{ec:.;;, S eed E 'l:'clflange 1461-62 LET'S SUPPORT OUR SEED E XCHANGE Sharon McAlliste r 1463 PROPOSAL: A SEED :BANK Sharon McAllister 1464 PROPOSAL ON IRIS SPECIES PRESERVATION .Bo b Pr i e s 1465 SEED EXCHANGE EXfERIENCES Constance Hanson 1466 IRIS BUNGE! Franll< Kal i c h 1467 THE LOUI SIANA IRIS~ BOQK REVI EW Roy Davids on 1468 BOOK REVIEl4J:~ l R!S JB.\Y FHITZ i{OHLEIN .Jeam Witt 1469 EDITOR" S HA]l.. !!.O~ 1470-1471 CHINESE lRlS CWLE:t."!f"IN-G EXPEDITION James i..Saddick 1471 SOME L I TTLE HIMALAYANS TO TRY El.a1.ne Hulbert 1472 ROBIN NOT E'S 1474 NOTES ON SPEClES G!ROwI:Nt:; ! N NElJ ZEAL AND N..=:1r i o n Ball 1475 LAWYER,S BLUES Roy Davidson 1477 DISTRIBUTION OF IRJS LAEVIGA TA IN JAPAN Ak:.ra Harinaka 1478 DWARF IRIS SPECIES {. Cont. from Spring., 88> Walter~ 1.-Jel c h 1L~80 RO Y' S MAILBO, Roy Davidson 1496 SECOND CALL FOR 6000 SPECIES SLIDES 1496 IRIS TIGRIDI A and lRIS POTANINI New Zea: and lr:ii s St1c:i ety 1497 SIGNA MEMBERSHIP :~·rA.¥ 1499 EDITOR, S COMMENTS ,Joan ·.::ooper 1500 Dues for the Sa:r,ecll e=s .i: r i:. s Gi"' ()LtP of Nor ~-h i-\mer i :::.,1. a~"e p a yable to the Secre tary: :im:iii\-t :;;. dua:ts--$3. 50 annual, $9 trier.rual . $75 lifetime; Fami l y --$4. 50 aminua~. $10. 50 trienn i al . The re .ar .e no lif- etime fami ly memberships.. S16NA i s p1_1bl i shed tt~ ~~ ·tiun~fi.!·~;: Pt-:.",r· year,. f a l 1 and s pring. Your address labe l indicates yatt>"' CA~ .... r- <:.> nt dues sta t u s . 1461 CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE Someone asked once: Where's Penn grove, I can't find it on the map. 11 Penn's Grove as it was called, started as a stage coach stop on the route that linked the ranching-farming communities of Northern California together. Later it became a meeting place for the local ranchers. A f.ew years ago, we got a new post office and a new fire station (no longer volunteer) but the town has changed little in the past several decades. The old-time inhabitants are trying desperately to keep it that way. Suddenly, Penngrove finds itself caught up in the crush of expanding towns and cities that serve as the bedroom communities of the north San Francisco Bay. Sound familiar? Suddenly, we too find ourselves caught up in a modern world, and those of us who 1i ke to garden find we no 1anger have the leisure time nor perhaps the space to carry out our interest to its fullest. We have to be more selective in what we plant and care for, planting those things that have, or can, withstand the changes that affect our 1i ves and the changes in the world around us. And when the pl ants flower, what pleasure and joy for our efforts. SIGNA is committed to the study and dissemination of the genus iris and to that purpose we dedicate the next short while. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of it. Colin Rigby October, 1988 Before Dec 31/88 $ l.50 After Dec 31/88 $2.DO Here's one Jast chance. After December 31st, all hack issues will be $2.00. If you are considering getting some back issues, NOW is the time to do it. We want to give you a final chance to buy at the old price. Order now before you find 1989 has already arrived. All back issues are available for $1.50 each. which includes postage. Also available is the Species Iris Study Manual for $5.00. Send orders to our Publications Chairman Alan McMurtrie (address inside front cover). Make cheques payable to SIGNA. 14f,2 NEW EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS COLIN RI6EY, o~r ~ e~ cna1rman , i s n o~ rea:. 1 '::.I :'\Eu.I to t~1e Exe cLtt i ve Board, aee~ SIENA s lide c na1~rn~, f.::r t~•. ,;:. !-'·,1st :-,ever.al years, but t1.se H e s ays t hat AIS is the f~~ s~ n at1cnai orga~i=ati~n he has Joined and stayed wi th WJ.thi airny \C.•(:;:rrs~ .;:;.r,·i?' '11C~ ::m•:] t:hat t hi·.s :iS- :di,,.:i-e 1~i.c1 the 111Jonder ful people !i'!: e -has 1ri-.-et ,or.t.;.~e:-~::ireo w1tr. ,r:2s:. He t,,a_s .:.or;:.,.1.es o'f SIGNA from 198 fB! so ~.~;;,s,tvi,1~eis in1ie- ,n,,~.<;;;. ,r.H·?,~.r.: .a. 1'llem,::i;,ew ;;~ ·t l e,&i~,;t t h,a It .h :1n9. S PCNI is 't!tliie (Qin .:,'!,!! 0-tlner A1S sec't.:a:a h e oelcng,s to 'but as librarian f or ~·d s lnir:.,,u::t. :ii.ir• :11 ~;;:. s«:)·t:·j:,e·b.:i: ,, r.e r,.as acce ss to ,:,111 S(l'.°'"'\ctJ on Publica tio ns. t-e t:;e.i!(Q11i9"S :Q tne Ro!:,•,;\ J Hort:1cultura.1. Soc;;e !ty and Pacific Hortic:ul-lrulf··e... ~J;s ~·;:n.ght add that he 1s cne o-f -the p,a:rtne r s in Porta b l e ti<'.1c:re:£,-.. a 'r.1'lu·n~s.:ell''':JJ· s.pe:cial1 z :ii ·ng 1n" n.e~~ me1 ~.-!\-1;1oi!d1 o·f!'· -::,h il ~~ping PCN iris i.l"' tui!:l!es. HELGA A~REWS , e :;:.,J:a,::1:s Co l in as Slid e Ch a .ir:t.a.'11'!. S ll11e is a fairly new membe..-.· o~· S ll.~~-~~~.1 -a oou-&:· three years~ b u t is def1:.n:r.. t e h; n ot new to plan ~.:-s .., Slh1re 11~-;, ,i~ i!",nrrme'f' Engl i sh tea,:'he.11~, IJ.: 1,:!'x-tboalk ij-::.--d itor, and c urrePtl:y ,~oll'' f.::s ~ts .a: nJ a nt propagator fo'!-' a nurser~~ S h e has been c:~air ~t..a.Tr., 'o f ·ti:-1re INiii:v.'.~':i.;;c!r,uset: t s c h apteY- o f· t~e Ame rican Rock Garden Societ~ andl s;ea-et:.a,r:,; "<::rt"' the Mass achuse·tt·s c ha:td"1:~r o·f the American Rhodord;;e ndb""ion SJ.:.1Jc::i.:et'i-!,i.. Althou1:h >-t e 1' b e-au"tj.fu) ,g,..a-~.e'!.'1 is not an o ff- :ici,. •1 ,J ,g ,l~IE.'1':st <;1~.1r-d:1el!:', f'~:iw t h e 1989 M·e-c1! ia1.111: i'''k~.s ·be,·.,. it wi ll be the host ~<::l~.. rl~n flOir a :wE(j ·c~!l'..e party a ftet' an opt-ior.:.al tour- .::>f" t:he Garden in t h e C~(O)t!idis. , O'.::l ~~rba.~·.a S chmieder) PHOEBE C1.)PLE'f',., ~-r 1. t:e s , ·1 f eel I h ave livre?d a lo:;J..~5.':.-.1 ~rr~ 1.d1 :r~.:-,ter~?~:;1: 1.n9 :,ite bi.~t d on't 1.,,;:1ve a lot to say aba.ut ~y;self'. fl~ ttau..~-s:ban d and I r,ad three ch.1 l jr, er. .and t h ree grand- c:hih:ir1en: .. rt-11:e d .1. Welco~ to all three of you. SEED EXCHANGE REPORT The Seed Exchange has progressed nicely in spite of what seems to have been a bad year in all parts of the country for pollination and seed set. There is,, however, a nice variety of seeds available and we are most grateful to the donors . When the seed list comes out - ~ hope by t he middle of December - you will note that the price of seed packets has been increased to forty-five cents. The prices for supplies and postage have risen sharply and, taking into consideration last years discussions and more discussions this year, it was decided to raise the price of the seed packets. Any suggestions or comments can be writte n on the ma rgins or the backs of the order sheets and will be appreciated. I hope the Seed Exchange will be a success . 1463 LETS SUPPORT OUR SEED EXCHANGE Sharon McAll ister The operation of an iris species seed exchange was one of the original purPoses of the establishment of the Species Iris Study Group of the American Iris Society. It even predates SIGNA -- the results of the 1967 Seed Exchange were discussed in Issue #1. Its original purpose was to provide a central seed source for those people Interested in growing any of the various species of iris. Of course, we've never been able to Include some of the rarest species, and only the most common have appeared every year, but overall I think It's remarkable that our various Directors have been able to compile such extensive lists. In fact, SIGNA's list has sometimes been the only source for rare species. Our first offering was a rousing success, with 59 orders received from the first 143 lists malled out and add itional lists requested. There were only 15 donors that year, but they contributed approximately 40 species and well over 600 packets were mailed out. The project grew rapidly. By our tenth sale (in 1976), we had 38 donors contributing nearly 70 species. Orders totalled 130 and 2,715 packets were mailed out. (See Jean Witt's article in Issue #19 If you're Interested in the detailed sales statistics.) The 20th sale saw a drop in the number of donors to 33, but this smaller group was able to contribute more than 70 iris species as well as a number of other Iridaceae. Orders totalled 151 and approximately 4500 packets of seed were mailed out. Although I don't have similar statistics for this year, simple Inspection of the list shows that the number of donors was only 24 and the number of species had fallen to less than 60. While I don't mean to sound alarming, I'm really quite concerned about this trend. I've considered the Seed Exchange a very important benefit of my membership in SIGNA. In addition to its basic function as a gene pool, the Seed Exchange gives me some hope for obtaining a new start if disaster strikes my garden. I think of it as a type of insurance. The more people who grow these species, the better are their ultimate chances of survival . On a more mundane level, we must also recognize that the Seed Exchange has taken on a second role. It has become an essent ial fund- raiser for our group. Without a successful· seed exchange, our dues would Inevitably rise. So let's not become complacent -- continued success depends on the participation of as many of our members as possibl e . * If the species you grow are open-pollinated, remember to gather the pods , clean the seeds carefully, bank a few for your own use, and send your surplus In to the Seed Exchange. * If you work with species that have to be hand-pollinated, take the time to set a few extra pods for SIGNA. * Send In an order, even if you had nothing to donate. Your order supports this year's fund-raising efforts, and may put you in a position to donate seeds In future years. ********* *** «* 1464 PROPOSAL: A SEED BANK We need a Seed Bank for the rarer species, not just an Exchange . If SIGNA has such a function, I'm not aware of it. The Aril Society once had an active Seed Bank, but there seem to be relatively few lef t in AS I who are particularly interested In the species. l believe that species preservation, whatever the type, has to be done through SI GNA rather than any of t he Individual Iris Sections. I think I can best show why the Seed Exchange Isn't sufficient by using t he specific example of the oncos . first, let me say that I believe t he idea of fil l ing Seed Exchange orders in the sequence received is the most equitable we can devise -- it assures that those who are interested enough to order promptly are most likely to get what they wanted. The problem Is that It can't address capability -- on ly Interest. When an Item Is in reasonable supply, seeds can be sent to a number of members and some will undoubtedl y produce enough plants to return seed to t he exchange in later years. Thfs approach falls us when a species fs rare, because then ft Is also vulnerable. If it gets into t he right hands, ft can be Increased and subsequent ly d istributed -- until at some point It's no longer rare and Its continued existence becomes more certain. But If ft doesn't get Into the right hands, the stock can be entirely lost! I'm fortunate enough to have growing conditions that are relatively hospitable for t he oncos, but I've only been raising them for 12 years so I don't claim to be the expert on this subject. I've learned t hat five distinct clones of a species Is my practical lower limit to a viable breeding colony. I've been able to obtain seedlings f r om a singl e c lone through John Holden's Auxin techni que for selfing -- but none of them s urvived long enough to bloom. A compatible pair ls sufficient to produce viable seedlings -- but when I have only two they Inevitably choose to bloom In a lternate years. It does seem, however, that once I've col lected five compati ble plants my chances for obtaining pure species seeds Is vastly Improved. So I buy plants from the few reliable corrmercfal sources I've found , obtain whatever seeds I can from my own crosses, and attempt to obtain seeds from exchanges such as BIS & SIGNA. The catch fs that this special climate happens to be in a relatively isolated area -- and this method of filling Seed Exchange orders doesn't allow for the time an Item Is In the mall. Even maki ng a specia l trip to the Post Office to get my order Into the evening dispatch of the same day I received my Seed List has not been sufficient to get my order In before the few once species on the list were still sold out. It is certainly possible that the orders that got In ahead of mine belonged to people like John Holden, who fs experienced In growing oncos from seed. I do hope that Is the case, because it would mean there's a good chance they'l l be able to return seeds to the plant sale In future years. On the other hand, ff the seeds went to someone who just thought It would be Interesting to try something different, It's unlikely that we'll see any return from t hose lots . That's one way species get lost. Sharon McAllister 1465 PROPOSAL ON IRIS SPECIES PRESERVATION Bob Pries Articles on plant preservation are usually depressing as one discovers all the plants that are barely surviving. This article should be different since I want to share with you my discovery of the N.C.C.P.G. Maybe you are already familiar with The National Council for Conservation of Plants and Gardens set up in 1978 in Great Britain following a conference organized by the Royal Hor ticultural Society. I had seen its initials before but didn't know what they meant until I read The Vanishing Garden by Christopher Brickell and Fay Sharman. Their delightful book discusses e i ghty species of endangered plants including iris. The introductory chapter gives a good deal of information about strategies for saving rare plants . The simplest and most delightful way seems to be growing them in your own garden. Of course i f you're growing a rare plant others must know you have it or it will still be lost when you pass on. In essence the N.C.C . P. G. acts as a registrar for these plants. Members maintain what are called national collections. There are six national collections of Iris species. One consists just of varieties of Iris unguiculares and is located in a home garden. Some of the 400 national collections are located on great estates and at botanical gardens . These are maintained by membership groups . There are over 5,000 members. Here in the United States there is apparently no comparable organization. The American Iris Society has the beginnings of a section which is promoting preservation, The Historical Iris Preservation Society. The Dwarf Iris Society recently initiated a survey to locate dwarf Iris cultivars and species. I propose that SIGNA also take up the task of discovering which species and their forms are being grown in our gardens. Some of you already are aware of rare forms which you grow. If at least three gardens would grow any particular form this might ensure its survival. Imagine yourself as curator of the national collection of I. aphyl la or whatever species you prefer. Some effort might be made to propagate by distribution of seed through SIGNA. Valuable information could be learned by corresponding with other curators in other parts of the country. The first step of course is to find out what is out there. Ultimately, perhaps cooperation with the N.C.C.P.G. could be arranged and a worldwide system of collections established. Wouldn't you like to be a curator of a couple of plar ts for ~he world? [We don't think Bob was volunteering for this job as he is doing this for DIS but those who are interested, especially anyone who would like to organize this operation, pl ease write to the edi tor--address inside front cover and we will see what can be arranged. J.C.] ************ Thank~ to the King County Iris Society for a donat10n of $100 to SIGNA in appreciation of our contributions to Northwest gardeners. The SIGNA Executive Board 1466 SEED FXCHANGE EXPERIENCES Constance Hansen, Lincoln City, OR Your letter started me on a long trail through my notebooks (fortunately we've been having rainy weather)--going back to 1974, when I began this particular garden. I moved up from California in the spring of 1 73, but had been growing the beardless species, especially PCNs for many years. I think many of my irises here are from the seed planted in January '74. I ordered 19 packets that first year, including Pacific Coast hybrids bright colors, (gormani x bracteata) x r ed innominata , Roy's yellow innominata, yellow-orange tenax-innominata hybrid, tectorum blue and white mix, Witt's mixed 40's, variegata, chrysographes rubella, unguicularis "Winter's Tears, 11 setosa mixed, spuri a "Plenty of Sunshine , 11 di chotoma 1 i ght lavender , and x blackberry lily. While the dichotoma and blackberry lily bloomed in 1 75, the PCNs, tectorum, setosa, and mixed 40 1 s had fl owe rs in '76, and they and many of their offspri ng are still with me over ten years later. The spurias took five years to flower. I had only one unguicularis seedling, and it had a short life . I think I can grow them now as someone gave me a blue one that bloomed this winter, and seems to be doing well. I would like to try seed of some of the various forms of this species, as told of in one of the first issues of SIGNA. I enjoy the great variety of color and pattern among the PCNs, and in 1 77 had a 1 oca 1 photographer come and take pictures of an assortment . I I ve become a little more proficient at taking pictures by now, and have a better camera, so I can take my own . One of my favorites is a seedling from seed of a variety called NATIVE DANCER, sent for in '75 ( 1 74 seed) . It starts blooming very early, may even have a flower in January during a mild winter . It's a deep bright violet, and seems to come true from seed . Iris setosa is a busy seeder, and surprises me by popping up in strange places. For two or .three years I've been trying to raise plants of Roy's KOSHO EN without success in pots. This year I have several starting to bloom from left-over seed I scattered in an open bed year before last. Maybe they just don't want to be fenced in! Pl ants from seed of dwarf setosa bloomed in '77 ( setosa canadensi s or hookeri ) . I only had it a few years, and have been trying severa 1 seed lots to get it again, but so far the seedlings look just like regular setosa, though perhaps with shorter stems . Schizostylus from seed planted in '75 bloomed the next year in the fall, and I've had some nice forms of both pink and red, and it has made itself at home in various parts of the garden. At one time I tried seed of table iris and dwarf bearded. My garden seems to be too cool for most of the bearded (it's just a short walk to the ocean) to really prosper, or maybe it's too crowded or shady, as they seem to do pretty well in some local gardens . However, I had one plant of a 1467 table type variegata that is a favorite with me. It blooms a little later than the big bearded ones, and over quite a 1ong period, due to the many buds. Then I've had a lot of pleasure the last couple of years from several irids. Si syrynchi um macrocarpum was a real surprise: buttercup ye 11 ow flowers twice as large and bright as our native S. californicum, and with a delicate brown tracery on the lower part of each petal. It' s just coming into bloom again this week. Gladiolus tristis is a lovely little thing with its pointy greenish petals and early (April) bloom . One disappointment last year was plants of seed labeled Gladiolus undulatus, which turned out to be a Crocosmia like 'Lucifer,' which I al ready had. Libbertia chiliensis has made large clumps, and is blooming now for the first time. I'm hoping it will be hardy here, as I like it much better than Sisyrynchium striatum, which is comparabl e in size and garden effect. The mixed 40' s have been very sturdy here, not taking a back seat to the siberians, and extending the blooming season. Some of the yellows are favorites of mine, as well as some nice light blues . Last year three plants from seed labeled clarkei x delavayi planted 4/2/85 bloomed : two nice yellows and one purple. I'm wonderi ng where the yellow could have come from. A plant from I. delavayi x douglasiana also bloomed but was not very exciting colorwise. ************ IRIS BUNGEI Frank V. Kalich I. Bungei, Maxim, 1880. I. bungei is a not too well defined iris species which is found in northern China and eastern Mon go 1 i a, on hi 11 sides and mountainous areas where it flowers in June. Mathew's observations were made from herbarium specimens. Here, in Albuquerque, latitude 35 degrees, altitude 5000 feet , it grows well and blooms in April. There are two flowers per stem. Standards and falls are of a bright vi o1 et co 1or. Anthers are 1i ght 1avender, whi 1e po 11 en is orange and scarce. No insects were observed pollinating this species; pollination was done by hand. Mature flowers are four inches across and the height of the plant is 12 inches. When I first received seeds of this species, there was a note attached stating, "If you live long enough you will see t hi s plant bloom . Germination period is five to seven years." The first year after planting seeds nothing appeared. On the second year , a few stalks about two inches high sprouted, and on the third year the plant bloomed. This is an interesting and little known iris species . Dykes, W. R. THE GENUS IRIS 1912 p. 34 Mathew, B. THE IRIS 1981 p. 122 ************ 1468 THE LOUISIANA IRIS, A Book Review Roy Davidson With the sub title "The Hi story and Culture of Five Native American Species and their Hybrids·" this new book, the first devoted exclusively to Louisiana Irises, does exactly what it sets out to do. And it does that with both excellence and taste. Marie Caillet and Joseph Mertzweiler and all their contributors can be justly proud of the result of their labors. The photographs are without question the most appealing part (can PUTTYTAT really be that blue?) but the text is both informative and highly readable, the line drawings most apt, the appendices, glossary and extensive listing of genera 1 references very nicely complement the text. There are 221 pages, all on glossy paper, size about 7½ x 10½ inches, bound in a very pleasant rose-red with gold lettering and mixed irises on the dustjacket with Iris giganticaerulea in its native habitat on the obverse. In addition to that history and culture, there is "much more" (as the blurb says). The scope of the subject is first nicely explained: how these irises relate to the rest of the genus, discoveries, classificati on problems, their diversity and adaptability, the natural hybrids, t he propagation, t he hybridization and its promise, the cultivation (by no less than fifteen gardeners from diverse climates throughout our own country as well as Australia, East Germany and Japan), pests and diseases (rust the worst enemy), judging and awards--all well treated. It is all there, plus us es in the landscape and in arrangements, as well as a treatment of iris photography, a compilation of pub 1i c gardens where the irises may be seen and one of societies sponsoring them, as well as a listing of Mary Swords Debaillon Award winners, now given the society's medal. Additionally still is a detailed discussion of inducing tetraploidy. This reviewer finds no criticism certainly with the book, not of its content nor appearance, and only mildly faults the subject. This group of gorgeous irises has not been a success in this cool northern garden in Puget Sound country, most unfortunately. It is his surmise that they will thrive where melons do, and that assuredly is NOT hereabouts. They obviously require the boost of warmth in early spring to get into high gear, the same as sp urias do. Toward that end I am devising a sun-trap arrangement in a peaty corner of the fully sunny meadow. It may even include tanks of water to absorb the solar energy to be released at night pl us of course a cover to be removed when buds are showing. If I am successful at this I then can have the real thing, but in the "lay-by" I am inspired by this exquisite book about them . It is certainly to be hoped that through the breeding work incorporating the tolerance of Iris brevi caul is we may a 11 have greater success in such places as do not derive the effects of insolation in ear ly spring . It may be well therefore to seek the most northerly material for breeding, and the example of brevicaulis reported in Ontario might be one way to approach that goal. (The Louisiana Iris is available from Texas Gardener Press, P. 0. Box 9005 , Waco, TX 76714-9005 for $23.95 plus $1 shipping. ) 1469 BOOK REVIEW -- IRIS by Fritz Kohlein Jean Witt IRIS by Fritz Kohlein, translated by Mollie Comerford Peters; drawings by Marlene Gemke. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1987. 370 pages . Price $40.95, including postage. This book is volume 2 of The Gardener's Handbook: a Series of Useful Books, Dr. John Philip Baumgardt , genera 1 editor, published in Germany in 1981. It covers every aspect of the genus Iris--history, culture, uses, species, and is liberally illustrated with bothcolor plates and line drawings. The first quarter of the book is devoted to the history of irises in cultivation, followed by excel lent material on the uses of the various types of irises in the garden scene. Pot culture, iris as cut flowers, fragrance, variegated foliage, raising from seed (including an interesting method for speeding germination by cutting the seeds), pests, division and planting are among other topics covered. The author's descriptions of irises in the wild in Europe and Asia are especially interesting. Shipping , public gardens, and iris shows conclude this section . Approximately the next 175 pages are devoted to species, using Rodionenko's classification , with comparisons to the Dykes-Diels classification circa 1930, and the Lawrence classification (the one used in Garden Irises). There is also a key to the various divisions of the genus Iris, which is useful in pointing up the characters on which the different groups are separ~ted. The species are described individually, group by group, with line drawings, distribution maps, growing requirements, chromosome counts, etc . The color photographs are excellent. Some newer species--especial ly those from China--are not included, so that this species text is not as comprehensive as that in Brian Mathew's The Iri s . Bulb irises (Rodionenko's genera Xiphium and Iridodictyum) are treated in considerable detail with descriptions of many named vari eti es (possibly not all available in North America). A section on iris hybridization by Dr. Peter Werckmeister follows, with a discussion of flower pigments and patterns. Chromosome counts and their significance in the various types of bearded hybrids are discussed, with a chart il 1 ustrati ng their behavior in various crosses of pogon, onco, and regelia hybrids . Embryo culture is described in detail along with future possibilities from the use of tissue culture. Tables at the end of the text cover such things as bloom dates month by month and type by type, a list of water irises, color selections in bearded, spuri a, Japanese and si beri ans; winners of iris competitions at Frankfurt, Florence, and Vienna; Dykes Medalists; lists of iris societies worldwide; lists of iris dealers worldwide; bibliography, glossary, and index . Regrettably the text suffers from a considerable number of typos, something that seems to have become inevitable in today's printing industry. There 1,170 BOOK REVIEW--KOHLEIN (continued) is a certain fuzziness of interpretation of the American Iris Society's system of bearded iris classification which could have been avoided had an AIS consultant been used along with the translator . There are some instances of awkward sentence structure, perhaps unavoi dab 1 e in a translation, but the text in general reads very well. The cultural material will be most valuable to those in cold, wet, continental climates . For its price this book is expensive when compared with WORLD OF IRISES at $15, and the latter remains the best buy for beginners. However, avid species buffs will find this book worth the price for the beautiful color plates alone, and it is instructive to see our favorite flower as viewed through the eyes of this German iris specialist. An occasional plate appears to me to be mislabeled: opposite p. 142, the upper right photo is I. lactea, not I. missouriensis pelogonus (plants so confused were, unfortunately, widely circulated); opposfte p. 182, the yellow irises in the lower photo are not what is grown in the U. S. as 'Flavescens'; opposite p. 253, the blended flower in the upper left hand pl ate seems an unfortunate choice to represent I. gi ganti caerul ea, and DOROTHEA K. WILLIAMSON seems somewhat off color--though the quality of the col or printing in general is excellent. This is a book which SIGNA members might encourage their l ocal iris societies to purchase for donation to their local public libraries if they do not wish to invest in it for their personal collections. *********·k** EDITOR'S MAILBOX It is oversimplification to believe that Iris vinicolor is "simply a cross between Iris giganticaerulea and Iris fulva." (AIS bull. 265 p. 46) Though the pl ant Sma 11 described by that name oc~urred in such a popul at~ on, th:re is no way to determine how many generat, ons and the degree of inbreed mg that had preceded hi s find. Technically we ought to write it as Iris x vi ni col or if we are alluding to the population, but if we intend torerer to the cultivar that Small passed along to gardens then it must be 11 Vinicolor" since it is a single clone. Fortunately we have good color likenesses~ the first of course the painting by Mary E. Eaton that accompanied publication of the name. Roy Davidson ************ . . .about the progress of the Index. . . I have bad news and good news . The bad--! had gotten more than ha 1f way through before having to put it aside for a while. The · good news--! no longer have to depend solely on computers at work to get the job done. This was always a bugaboo. Even though I had my own computer at work, it was at work, after a 11. This meant finding scraps of time when there or having to go back in to work in order to make use of the machine. We are now equipped at home with a state-of-the-art machine (one of IBM ' s new mid-range PS / 2s) which has made all the difference in the last month that we have had it. What I have done recently has gone many times faster, since lugging materials back and forth i s no longer an issue. The prognosis is good! Eric Tankesley-Clarke 1471 CHINESE IRIS COLLECTING EXPEDITION China is the home of over forty wild species of iris. Well over a third of these are not now in cultivation in the West and many others are represented by meager collected material s . Plans are being made and initial coordination is being conducted to determine the feasibility of a collecting trip speci fically to seek Chinese Iris species not now in cultivation and collect new materials of species from other locations. This announcement is to identify potential supporters and help to pinpoint involvement by SIGNA and AIS members as well as other horticulturi sts. It is anticipated that there will be a limit of twenty shares at a cost of approximately $250 per share with all collections being divided into equal portions. Preliminary planning suggests that rhizomes will be collected and made availabl e to all shareholders. There is also t he potential for later field assisted collections of seed to augme nt live plant collections. Possible locations being considered are northeast (Manchuria) , east central (Shanghai) and west (Sichuan) China. The trip is being coordinated and condu cted by Dr. James W. Wadd ick. Dr. Waddick has had experience in collecting wild Iris, shipping Iris internationally and has had success in importing plant materials from China. He has some Chinese contacts wi 11 i ng to support some portions of the trip and potential for assistance through USDA. However actual conduct of the trip and unqualified success cannot be guaranteed. No payment or deposit is requested at this time. Please indicate your interest in the poss i b1 e purchase of a share or shares and for further information please write to: Dr. James W. Waddick, 3233 McGee, Kansas City, MO 64111, U.S.A. We emphasize that this is very preliminary planning and tentative and we need SIGNA, AIS and other horticulturists' input to help define the specific goals of such a trip and to initiate coordination. ************ EDITOR'S MAILBOX Some years ago (SIGNA p. 340) we were directed to observe the irises in flower for hummingbird visits , and at long last such an event has been noted here in Bellevue, Washington. On 8 May on a bright day a ruby-throated hummer wa s seen darting into a red-leaf crabapple , seemingly attracted to patches of orange lichen and/or some small yellowing leaves or bracts clustered where flowers had just faded . Recognizing all this as a false signal, he withdrew but, at the moment of passing was attracted to opening flowers nearby on Grady Kennedy ' s MOUNTAIN BROOK, a medium blue-purple versicolor type flower. He worked the six or so flowers that were open and then abruptly flew off as they will . Has anybody e 1se seen iri ses being sipped by hummingbirds? Roy Davidson ************ 1472 SOME LITTLE HIMALAYANS TO TRY Elaine Hulbert FloydJ Virginia It is mostly curiosityJ and a collector' s urgeJ that have led me to plant seeds of Himalayan irisesJ and I can't in conscience urge you to do the same for any better reason. The ones I am dealing with here--Irises hookerianaJ kemaonensis (also spelled k-u-m •• or k-a-m •• ) and decora ( nepalensis) have smallJ fugitive flowers and foliage that is absent for longer than it is present. The negative virtuesJ of courseJ they do have--they take up very little spac~1 require little attentiOilJ and mat~ fast from seed. But your motive for growing themJ if you do,,. is probably going to be the fact that these are truly exoticJ really different from the familiar irisesJ and their Section Pseudoregelia and Subgenus Nepalensis have no representatives closer to us than the high country on three sides of Tibet. Also HimalayanJ of course~ are the better-known clarkei and lactea as well as some Lophiris species1 and other Pseudoregelia irises we cannot get hold of here. My three became available to me when J . L. Hudson offered seed some years ago. Supplies of seed are apparently only sporadically available1 but I have been able to reinvest several times since. Iris hookeriana is the most intriguing and most difficult of the three. I have to say right off that I have never bloomed this one and have only two seedlings to watch. Seed is notoriously hard to germinate. But if I may generalize from only two instances1 seedlings are not really delicate. I planted these out as I do nearly all new ventures in a shady I protected rock garden area1 and they have not grown as fast as they probably would with more stimulation. Their spot is the only one frequented by slugs1 and during the past season the older seedling lost all its top growth twice. I felt I had to move it1 and at last I got1 thus1 a look at its root system. Almost orchid-like: thin but fleshy and covered with fuzz. It is living with a fungus that helps it get nourishment from the soil? If so1 the move will set it back1 I ' m afraid. Roots of kemaonensis are smooth_,. but the rhizomes are of a similar shape to hookeriana'sJ knobby or knuckly rather than elongated. Comparisons between these two are particularly interesting because when observed in the wild_,. they have often been confused even by experienced plant-hunters. Collected seeds too look much alike. But planted they behave very differently1 because kemaonensis seed germinates quickly and thickly. When established plants regenerate in the spring (kemaonensis earliest)1 leaf-tips appear as three apple-green bumps of equal size1 and leaves continue to be blunt as they elongate. The butter-knife shape of kemaonensis is especially striking. If the latter is going to bloom,,. a blade will fatten for some time before showing itself as a budstalk with a bud,,. which in turn will show its spots on the reverse for a day or two before opening. (I have not observed any buds actually pushing through the ground like reticulata buds1 though others have. If spring came more quickly here in the Blue RidgeJ. that would probably happen.) The full-blown flower had better be caught as early in the morning as possibleJ. because it is a flimsyJ relaxed thing and is easily damaged. The spots are what make it. Violet spots on a white ba ckgroundJ not intensi fied ve ining but--to the naked eye at lea s t --distinct spots as on a Himalayan Pleione or Nomochki-.i s . One' day completes the life of _the flowJrJ but it se~s .' to have - I ' • ~ '1, ' - , ' • ... 1 • ·-a: no difficulty 'getting polli nated . ' · · I r ' ; ~._ • + ;. (" :., 1 ..... ' tr.• At thi;5, time"- mid-MayJ I. decora . makes its first appear ance above ~group.~· , '. , The pla·nt -1;.s much mpre slender in all respe cts t han the1 oti,,e~ t r:?J but,, ·\? d. 1 three 'weeks it will open a f lower comparable i n size. This wil) happen_ , • • • \ - •'i about noon" and the flower wil l wilt before evening--but again it w:j. ],.,!. h::tve got itself po1-lin ated even if no other of its species i s in bloom. · A decora blossomJ if you do not miss it altogetherJ will interes.t _~ you by _ virtue of its comparatively unspecialized tepalsJ all six of," wh i ch ar.e ·1 marked and held alikeJ only with more of a fringed crest on the t ~re~ on~ may·1·d:a11: ' "fa'llsJ" and als o because of its rather unusual colorJ which ma'y__ , , 0 be . the heavy reddish-viole t of its not-so-remote neighbor I . mi·lesii" or '- ' any lighter shadeJ tending to sil ver-violet. I' , 1 ..., 9' I ,, ' If 'iyou miss the first flower df decora as is all too likely" i t i~· no use to 'hang ·-'around. There are four days or more between the two flowers that ~ 1 are "'the rule for- each stalk. "i My f.i?rs-t :plantings o'f ' the Himalayan seedlings were all in rock gar den no6ks scattered ' to t'est their preferences. This did not inhibit bloom at ·all··· with decora,.' but it may h·ave done so wi'th hookeriana and kemaonensis. The · latt~n::, has flowered only in a later planting crowded under full sun-" althoughlits foli'age· ha·s always flourished and grown tall in the indivi d{ia•l ' · sites. , Such planting strategies have enabled me to mark how , persiste nt ·or "reilJiable", the Himalayans are iri the western Virginia cli mate where winters , have ·, some -sub--zero temperatures and the precipitation pattern is the very reve~se of' a_, monsooni Consider decora" which blooms just before the monsoon in Kashmir; here it has quite often come upJ bloomed" mape po~ and , taJEeni '.its ·1ea'r-ly fall departure on just an ·inch or two of r ain alt0gether. The ' departure is drastic~ no sig·n of the - plants can be seen for ;the next seven .and1 a ·. half months. Yet they reappear f aithfully. There is no, tendency here even. after six years to form clumps·" but this may be because 1 ' they are not being grown all that expertly. 11 I , I. hookeriana- a+so disappears quite early in the fall without a trace" but kemaonens·is·· asserts its distinctness by hanging on t o i ts foliageJ ' which turns stra~-colored ·and shiny and then white and tattered--silky" but persists through 'January~ Thus' one can locate a plant' to dfg on a day of thaw for forcing with milesii and tectorumJ but I have not succeeded 0 yet in getting it to bloom indoors. It is possible to f ind a decora only during the summerJ but if you dig a p lant to move it you see that it has a remarkably brawny clutch of swollen rootsJ looking as has often been rema } It now appears that it wasn't necessary to fuss at all with finding sites for g. hookeriana and kemaonensis. From now on I am planting them in rows and squares under the sun., because the later plantings made this way have shown better bloom and ,have not so far shown any gaps after winter's hardships. I am trying to germinate my newest batch of hookeriana seed with bottom heat after soaking and chilling., and any resultant seedlings will be planted out in the open. I hope to see another flower with those startling spots., and make a side by side comparison with kemaonensis. ROBIN NOTES Joe Grant, Berkeley, California : 11 ! would like to relate a field observation and see 1f anyone out there thinks my supposition is valid. I found a nice population of I. purdyi not too far from Cloverdale. I watched this patch for a couple years but I was never able to see them in full bloom. Every fa 11 I wou 1 d go back to co 11 ect seeds and could never find mo re than one or two seed pods in the whole population. I passed it off as due to a good shower during bloom season washing away all the pollen before most flowers are fertilized. But on the fourth spring after finding this colony I was fortunate to get to it during peak bloom and have the time to just sit and look at the flowers... As I was sitting there watching the flowers, I noticed the bees coming in for their nectar. Then I noticed that the bees did not enter the flowers in the traditional manner of landing on the sepal and walking into the throat of the flower {thereby pollinating the plant). The bee could land between the sepals right where they meet to begin the perianth tube . This way the bee could drink the nectar from two sections of the flower thereby eliminating the need for one small flight. I noticed the reason the bees could do this was because this colony of I. purdyi had a trait shared by all : the sepal and the style arm were separated by a gap which allowed the bees to stick their heads into the flower without having to enter through the throat. I have seen other colonies of I. purdyi where this could not happen since the flowers have the classic construction which forces the pollinator to enter through the throat. Have any of you seen similar things in other species? What are your ideas on the likelihood of a colony like this surviving? One thing which I believe is a direct result of this unique f lower construction--the territory has been invaded by I . macrosi hon- however, the two colonies have not interbred (as far as I have seen and I feel it is due to the fact the construction of the I. purdyi colony does not allow for very much fertilization let alone crossbreeding with the plants next door. 11 Jean Witt, Seattle, WA. 11 Last winter I fell heir to a most interesting little book, 'The Alpine Plants of China.' It is mostly pictures , and includes shots of yellow and violet forms of I. otaninii, and violet I. goniocarpa, as well as a little striped blue dwar 7 with a beard, marked only 1. sp.--quite a tiny little fellow from high elevation--and I. nepalensis, looking like the one I once had. 11 1475 NOTES FOR SIGNA ON SPECIES GROWING IN NEW ZEALAND As deli vered to AIS Convention in Oklahoma City Mari on Ba 11 To our SIGNA friends at the A.I.S . Convention . Greetings. As you are enjoying the iris bloom season for '88 we "down under" in New Zealand are tucking ourselves up for the winter and the first of the unguicularis i s in bloom. Thi s is a combined effort. The s 1 ides you are to see come courtesy of Mr. Paul Richardson, Secretary of the New Zealand Iris Society. They are all 1r1 ses growing in his garden. Paul l i ves a few miles out of Wellington, at the tail end of the North Island, whi l st I live in the Hawkes Bay area of the east coast in an en tirely different climate . Of necessity , therefore, these notes can only be of a general nature. To begin, I ·can tell you a little about Paul ' s garden which we visited during our annu al Convention last November. The Wellington area is hilly, built on the fault line of an ancient earthquake, and the climate is bracing as winds and storms pass through the Cook Strait which divides both North and South Islands. Consequently, gardening in Wellington and adjoining Hutt Valley is challenging to say the least. The Richardson garden is a narrow ¼ acre section mainly on old river bed gravel, established some thirty years ago. Substantial be ds of louisiana, sibirica and japanese irises represent, together with l aevi gatas and setosas, the most easi ly maintained pl ants. The garden is currently overstocked with TBs which are marginal growers in an area of high rainfall (55 i nches per year) but which have been persevered with to support local shows . Frost protected beds agai ns t the house carry a few evansias on the east side and medians on the west. Pacific coast irises are dotted around the garden in an attempt to escape crown rot . There are smal l raised beds for aril s and aril - bred irises and there are a few junos . Interest in growing species, their forms and hybrids amongst Kiwi Irisarians has always been high and we now hav e a Spec ies Section which meets as you do at the annual Convention. Responsi pil i ty for the Section is undert aken by a group for a peri od of about two years and they put out the Newsletter and organize the annual program. The Society 's Seed Pool is burgeoning and t he Director is sending out more seed than ever before which i s a healthy sign. We are a l ong, narrow country, consisting of two main islands North and South , and even at the widest part never more than a few hours drive to the sea, east or west. Both islands have a main divide of mountains running north to south and so although we are not a large country in area, the climate is very variable and iris growing, in its turn , is influenced. In t he north of t he North Island· down to the Bay of Plenty, the climate is hot and hu midity and rainfall are high. Sub-tropical fruits flourish as do Japanese irises , Siberians and louisianas . CASTLEGRACE, bred by Mrs. Pat Nelson comes from this area and several seasons ago won the Begg Shield for the most outstanding New Zealand bred iris seen at a Convention. The beardeds find t hi s climate difficult; talls do not bloom every season and they are prey to disease whi le dwarfs are not seen much. 1476 NOTES ON SPECIES IN NEW ZEALAND (continued) On the east coast of the North Hawkes Bay where I live, we usually expect long, dry summers and mi 1d winters with light to moderate frosts on the lowland plains--as a rule the only snow experienced in the North Island is on the mountains. Humidity can be high with us in the summer and we experience difficulty with irises such as reticulatas and arils and setosas which find it too warm, I am sure . Bearded irises, hybrid spurias, sibiricas, louisianas, Pacific coasters and unguicularis all do well. Japanese have to be helped with modified soil for we are very limey. One of our members, Revie Harvey, is having some success in hybridizing the taller evansias. These grow outside all year round, under the shade of trees to counteract sun and frosts . One species which does too well on this east coast from Gisborne to the Wairarapa is I. foetidissima. It has become a garden escape and can be seen around the site of old home steads, naturalized under oak trees and anywhere where stock have camped and distributed the seed. It has become a noxious weed in places and cannot be eradicated, whilst in other parts of the country iris buffs grow it in pots! In recent years some of our members have discovered among all the miserable non-descript flowers one or two of exceptional color and form--possibly descended from nursery stock in days gone by. Cy Bartlett has taken some of these to the UK where he is interested in the superior forms. Another garden escape which is of interest in this area is a stand of I. pseudacorus, on a station (farm) in the foothills of the Ruahine ranges . First planted, we understand, at the turn of the century by daughters of the house to beautify the stream outside their farm garden , the pseudacorus has, over succeeding generations, grown into literally miles and now straggles over more than one property . Stock eat it down in winter but every spring it is a fantastic sight for those iris lovers who drive far out of their way to view it--inexplicable to the poor farmers for whom it is a weed. Over the years many forms have developed and color varies from almost white through to bright gold. On now with our trip south. As you wi 11 see from the s 1 ides, Paul in the Wellington area grows setosas well and has had some success with Park Farm Hybrids. As we travel on down through the South Island humidity is no problem; winters are colder and there are grown all the species which we find difficult or impossible. Some members of the Christchurch group are very involved with Pacific Coast irises and one IDRIS was registered by Dora Sparrow last season . It is a seedling of the hybrid SANTA RITA (Ghio). With regard to Pacific Coast irises there are some who are developing strains of the new improved varieties with emphasis on better form, bigger blooms, etc. , while other members are trying to retain the daintiness and floriferousness and the purity, if possible, of I. i nnomi nata . Not so easy after generations of bee seed that has gone through our Seed Pool. Further south still and in the inland area of Central Otago, a magical place of weird rocks and old gold workings is the climate which suits arils and ari l -bred irises. So ends our little jaunt through New Zealand. I am sorry these notes are not more specific. I have not seen the slides you have just viewed. If you will have us again another . time we hope to have an evansia program prepared. Good gardening . ************ 1477 LAWYER'S BLUES Roy Davidson It so happened that I was in the Bay Area en route to Phoenix on the day Lewis and Adele Lawyer were holding open-garden last May, and this was my first opportunity to see what they were producing from Iris munzi i breeding for blues . "We are hybridizing with a narrower goal in mind," they explain, "narrower than most breeders, a t r ue blue flower with no trace of violet in its makeup . " "There is no true blue color in native PCNs except for a minute streak of turquoise occasionally found in the fa 11 s of I. munzi i , indigenous to the Sierra foothi ll s east of Porterville (Tulare Co., Calif.) and Dr . Lenz as part of his studi es ... had brought pollen down and crossed it to a plant of I. douglasiana. A selected seedling from this mating was outcrossed to a purple-flow~red selection involving douglasiana, innominata and bracteata; the genes combined to produce flowers much bluer than any previously seen on PCNs . 11 It is unfortunate that Iris munzii, the mild-climate species of the PCN group, does not adapt to northerly gardens . Aside from its blueness of flower, it is unique in other ways . Four (sometimes five) flowers top the stalks, whereas in others (except doug lasiana) two is the usual, sometimes only one. The blue-gray, stiffly erect foliage is stri king and reminiscent in coloration of macrosiphon, but, the Lawyers report, "The linkage between intensely blue color and susceptibility to rust is most difficult to break . Initial ly we made no effort to control rust with fungicides, rationalizing that we would never be forced to use susceptible plants as parents . It was soon apparent, however, that under humid conditions of the Bay Area, many of the infected plants would die, and those which succumbed could well possess the bluest, loveliest and shapeliest flowers ... We are presently restricting the severity of rust on leaves with fungicides and are using those certain other pl ants whi ch have other superior qua 1i ti es comb ined with rust-free selections, counting on segregation in future generations to produce the ideal for which we strive." The Lawyers have had some notable success in obtaining not only vigorous pl ants but also bl uest of flowers, tints as true as those of Lenz 1 s Claremont series and those of Thornton Abell. They have attempted to grow as many of those as they could obtain, but as has been previously written, those munzii offspring arising in totally frost-free climates in cultivation seem total ly unaware of winter's threats. The "fiddling grasshoppers" of the PCNs , they fail to heed the cool of autumn as prelude and signal to retreat into the safety of a win ter dorma ncy and freezing is fatal, or at least seriously dec imating. Neither the Lenz or Abell cultivars are vigorous with Lawyers as a result of intolerance of cooler conditions and they seem as prone to rust as does the species itself. Among their own seedlings the Lawyers have made certain advances in vigor, and modest increase has resulted in several introduced so as to be available to others who would breed for munzii blues. One of these has a stalk bearing twelve to as many as fifteen buds, opening to lovely broad azure flowers with the exc iting munzii flash of turquoise. 1'178 LAWYER' S RWES (continued) Some years ago I had entered into a breeding-by -ma il venture with Di ck Richards with the goal of mun zii-tenax hardiness . The northern I. tenax is not successful where munzii will flourish or even persist at all, and unfortunately all the hybrid seedlings raised over a three -year period were as susceptible_ to frost as i s the tender parent. Now with these slightly more frost-resistant Lawyer blues maybe something may result that is both hardy and blue--maybe eve n rust resistant as well. (Quotations from ARGS Western Chapter Quarterly, Spring 1987.) ************ DISTRIBUTION OF IRIS LAEVIGATA IN JAPAN Akira Horinaka Ed ited by Roy Davidson From the 1i terature and the observati ans of friends I have comp iled this map showing the present known occurrences of Iris laevigata in Japan. This species is also found in other countries of eastern Asia, from the Altai and the region of Lake Baikal and in cen tral Siberian Russia through the northernmost parts of China and eastward to Korea in moist to wet places . Several other pl aces for this iri s were formerly known in Japan but they have been 1 ost due to development and are omitted from this record. For example in Osaka Prefecture two colonies were reported in the Eda period of the past but now none are to be found there. Today there are three stations where Iris laevi~ata i s protected in national preserves, at Kozutsumi ni shi -i ke in Ai ch1 , Otanosawa in Kyoto and Karakawa in Tot tori . Local governments have similarly set aside additional preserves as at Nitanda in Yamaguchi, at Yamagishi in Iwate and Himenogare-ike in Shimane. Those places where water-loving pl ants--including the irises--are protected total about ten. On the map are shown these principle reported colonies, about 110 of them. Particularly on the north i sland of Hokkaido many more have been lost to development, and in other prefectures I am afraid the same may be true. We can observe many variations of this iris in nature; six-petal flowers are often seen and occasionally those wi th on ly four petals. According to most recent records fl owe rs with as many as six pet a 1s or as few as two petals are found at the Kozutsumin ishi Preserve. Formerly there were only violet colored flowers, but today red-purple mutations are seen. In some places we can find wh ite flowers outstanding among the violet ones, and unusually, at Mizoraga-ike, Kyoto Prefecture, there are only white flowers, no colored ones. It is my hope that Iris laevigata will continue to bloom beautifully in all its native places every year to come. ************ a *~rm (2) J;t;g 1479 1:12· IJf 136" IJ8 ' 140' 142' IH " 146' \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ I! • D • • a - - - 0 I. chamaeiris was first described by Antinio Bertolini in 1837. The name i s derived from a Greek word meaning "on the ground." It is interesting to note that chamaeiris is mentioned by Sir Francis Ba·con (1561-1626) in his essay "Of Gardens." It is native to the coastal areas in southern France and northwestern Italy . Chamaeiri s has various synonyms or subspecies names , among them are I. italica, I. olbiensis, and Dykes includes I. virescens and I. lutescens. It is certain that this complex shows a quite wide variation ,n size and form; the Bertolini type being the small est (around 6 inches high) whereas I. italica often grow up to 12 inches. I. chamaeiris is the largest as well as the latest blooming of the true dwarfs. Generally speaking, we consider the average normal height of this species and its horticultural derivatives as around 8 inches. Its leaves remain quite green during the winter . The stalk usually rises above the leaves supporting a single terminal bud, but rarely it will produce two buds in a terminal cluster, due probably to environmental conditions such as cl imate, season, culture, etc . Chamaeiris always has its ovary at the top of the stalk, as contrasted with pumila which has its ovary at bottom of stalk , with spathe valves more green and rounded and close wrapping, showi ng only a slight keel on the outer valve . As to co 1ors in the chamaei ri s forms, they are mostly b1 ue-purp 1e and red-purple, or medium to pale yellow, with an occasional near-white form. The patterns run in beautiful selfs and bitones, with occasionally a faint border on the falls. Beards are predominantly yellow, but often beards of violet, blue or white are found on contrasting petal colors, which add variety and are mo.st effective. Considered genetically, I. chamaeiris, is an amp hidiploi d or a 11 otetrap l oi d , having two sets of 8 and two sets of 12 chromosomes, differentiated in pa i rs and non-homologous, making a total of 40 chromosomes. In functioning at meiosis the two sets of 8 chromosomes pair normally, as do the two sets of 12, thus each differentiated type f unctioni ng as a diploid, with regular pairing and exchange and distribution of factors. However as would be expected none or little crossover and exchange of factors between the 8 type and 12 type chromosomes occurs, and as each separate group gives individual expression, the final result is a compos ite effect in most cases, with this exception, that the dominant factors within the 8 type chromosome s tend to suppress the latent and recessive forms in the 12 type chromosomes, and vice versa, whi ch results in an expression of mainly the dominants of each group, for the restricted color range in this species. However when both groups of factors segregate their recessive white forms simultaneously, we get a white form. That is, it is a double expression of white, and hence a doub 1e recessive. There is no dominant white flower in chamaei ri s to our knowledge. 1481 Recently there has been some discussion and experimentation as to the origin and genetic composition of I. chamaeiris. Dr. Randolph has stated he has found evidence that one of the parents of I. chamaeiris is I. pseudopumila, a species growing quite near to chamae,ris territory, which has 16 chromosomes and is native to Sicily and southern Italy. The other parent is claimed to be a form of tall bearded, possibly I. pallida or similar form . However, this is only an hypothesis so far and all we know for sure is that this other parent has a basic number of 12 chromosomes, which might be any one of such species as I. reichenbachii, aphylla, or possi·bly others. I might suggest that most of the older dwarf iris varieties as we know them have been selected forms or derivatives of l. chamaeri sis, as suggested by their morphology and numerous chromosome counts showing 40 chromosomes. Despite the AIS Classification indicating that the dwarfs above 10 inches in height, including Lilliputs and varied intermediate hybrids, are "Standard Dwarfs," we know that the true, and traditional standard dwarfs were such varieties as SOUND MONEY, LITTLE JEWEL, ROSE MIST, TONY, TINY TONY, HARBOR LIGHTS, etc., which average around 8 inches. ************ I. PUMILA When we come to I. pumila we are dealing with the recognized "King of the Dwarfs." In the botanical classification I. pumila is distinguished as representing the "type" of the Dwarf Iris group, as this section is titled the 11 Pumi lae Section." I. pumila was collected and described by Linnaeus in 1753, and the location, Austria. It is the only species which has never been questioned or its status disturbed by subsequent botanists. The name is derived from the Latin pumilas, meaning dwarf, diminutive . I. pumila has the largest distribution area of any known iris [bearded we think. Ed.] extending from Austria, down the basin of the Danube through Hungary, Roumania, Bulgaria, down onto the island of Crete, and over into the Ukraine, Donets, and Kuban basin and the Crimea in Russia. Certainly with so wide a range with its possibilities of variation, we could expect a rather interesting diversity of forms as it progressed into distant lands, and different environments, and this actually occurred. Up in Austria we find more coarse forms, with wider and longer leaves, with shorter bloom stalks, and over in Russia the daintiness increases, with shorter and more narrow leaves, longer and more slender stalks, and blooms smaller and more narrow in the segments. Then the Serbian and some of the Roumanian forms show a still different overall variation, the whole plant larger in all of its parts and apparently a better grower for some climates. Yet for a species of such widespread populations the general similarity is surprisingly close. I. pumila is particularly distinguished by its short and almost non-existent stem, with the ovary practically sitting upon the rhizome, and DWARF IRIS SPECIES 1482 with its long perianth tube r1s1ng to support the flower, which is as high or higher than the leaves. This height ranges from about three to five inches though most are about 4½ inches high . Some of the Serbian forms will average to five or six inches . And from reports on a few Russian forms we know, really not enough for a decisive opinion, some have been found having a stem an inch or more in length, which is in contrast to the Western group of pumila. The bloom is in nice proportion to the plant, the whole presenting a dainty ensemble that makes a veritable bouquet. The rhizome of pumila is highly prolific of bloom stalks, in that we often find up to eight of these stalks expressed as tiny side fans on a single rhizome, and each with its one terminal bud . A clump thus becomes a solid mass of bloom and eliminates the necessity of , and compensates for, the lack of branching. Pumila is shallow rooted, thus requiring frequent rep 1anting and a good garden soil to do its best performance. The spathe valves, closely wrapping the stem, are rounded with a slight keeli ng on t he outer valve, the valves showing a scarious or onion skin texture at its upper tips, often reddish. But they are neat and rather inconspicuous . The ovary or seed pod is quite di st i net i ve in pumil a. It is rounded and pointed, looking much like an acorn, is variable in size from one half to over an inch in diameter and plainly showing the seams which outline its three compartments . On the inside of the pod are three sections, the walls making a complete division in the upper half of the pod, but in the lower half the walls are open into each other. No other iris is known to have this distinctive character, except its close relative I . attica which some think may be the immediate parent of pumila and I. chamaeiris which is apparent ly a hybrid involving either I. pumila or I. pseudopumila both of which are very close relatives, and hence derived this characteristic from pumi la. The wa 11 s and outer she 11 are thin and papery \'/hen ripe, of a dull warm grayish color resembling parchment. The f lower also has a distinctive character . The standards are arched and just short of meeting at the top, the tips reflexed or turned outward, in typical forms. Most of the species tend toward tucking or a reflexed condition. The segments as they rise from the perianth tube show a definite triangle or vase- like form, to where the falls turn abruptly outward, in contrast to the gradual curve that is apparent in other iris. But it is in color and pattern forms that I. pumila demonstrates that it is the "King of the Dwarfs. " No other species can boast of as many variations and combinations of as many colors and patterns as I. pumila. With four basic color factors, violet, purple, yellow and white, we have obtained a range from black through the violets, to blue, purple, reddish, lavender , orchid, pinks, green, brown, blends, yellow to orange, ivory or white . With the spot pattern we get amoena, variegata, neglecta in numerous combinations and variations, in addition to clear self patterns, bitones and bicolors like PINNACLE . [A famous yellow and white TB iris. Ed . ] Beards are of special interest in the pumilas. The yellows have only white beards,. always. When I write of beards I mean the part which shows out on the fal l s for this is the only part which shows any v~riation; all pumilas have ye ll ow to reddish-orange down inside the flower. But on t he anthocyanin colored flowers, we have dark violet, purple, lavender, blue and white beards. No yellow beard is known at present in pure pumila. (continued) 148":\ ,. 11··, · n h:c;r , l ce.... w,., 1nai• ;.,· ·, c J pU!lll l a1 " • L • ' ~~ary at base of ~tal~ 1484 DWARF IRIS SPF.CIES Pumila is the only species in 1ris that has a true violet-blue color, and apparently it is one of the comp onents in the violet factor , for in breeding violets we get blues . Another fact which indicates that it is a different anthocyan i n from the other irises, is that the anthocya nin inhibitor does not suppress pumila blue but it does suppress the blue of talls . In view of the wide range over which I. pumila grows and its extensive variation among the different geographic populations, some writers have offered a plan of dividing the pumil as into two groups, namely the Western and the Eastern Groups , wh ich compares somewhat to a previous di vision called pumila Occ i dentalis and pumi l a Orientalis . Rudolf Ha nselmayer has outlined these sections as fo ll ows : "The Austrian pumilas or Western Group includes all pumilas growing in the wild in Austria, Hungary , Czechos l ovakia and west Roumania (Siebenburgen). The Serbian pumilas and the Ro umanian pumilas are from Dobrogea, which grows wild on the west coast of the Black Sea, though t his locality is al so in Dobrogea (sic). The Serbian pumilas were introduced by Dr. Werc kme ister; the Roumani an pumi las by myself. Between t hes e two groups are the Roumani an pumilas 'heliotropii' and 'rozaliae' ." The "Eastern Group includes the Roumanian pumilas from the west coast of the Black Sea and the Russian pumilas from Crimea, Ku ban and from Ukraine. These pumil as are di sti ngu i shed from t he Western Group not only by their narrow leaves and parts but al so by their chromosome number which has been counted as 30 inst ead of 32 chromosomes." Of course, as I ment ioned before, we have not had enough of these Eastern forms to really determine their status, but until such time as we ca n study further, we can view this as a possibility. Now for the geneti cs of I. pumila. It is apparently a simple tetrapl oid, judging from its breeding and inheritance behaviour, for it inbreeds readily, giving full pod s of seed: it shows no restrictions in producing the full gametic range, and apparently is fully homogeneou s . Dr. Mitra has proposed the theory that pumila originated from a cross of I. attica x I. pseudopumila , t hen fol l owed by a doubling of chromosomes . This finding was based on a study of the karyotype, meaning the number, shape, size and genera 1 morpho l ogi ca 1 character of the chromosomes. This, ac cordi ng to Dr . Randolph, mak es pumila an amphidiploid. I have not the space here to argue the point but we do know that karyotype has no genetic si gni fi cance, and thus is no criterion of the genetic constitution of a pl ant. Therefore from my own experience and the doubtful nature of these conclusions, I cannot acc ept this theory. I mentioned previ ously that pumila produced amoenas, Pinnacles, variegatas, neglectas and bitones t hrough a factor known as the spot factor. Pumila has two ba sic pattern forms, in addition to the regular color factors. These self patterns can be in any color and .are independent from the spot pattern factor, which superimposes the spot overlaying the self co lor, on the falls. Thus these amoenas, variegatas, etc. are really the (continuPd) 1485 expression of two independent factors in combination. The border on the falls is merely the self pattern showing outside the limits of the spot on falls. Both of these patterns are dominant factors. As all of the oldtimers considered the amoena pattern as a recessive character and inherited as one unit, this new finding comes as a surprise and even now some persons have not accepted it. The fact is that the white self of amoena is recessive white, and the dominant spot overlaying the falls is merely in addition to the recessive white factor. Thus amoena involves two independent factors in combination. We must not forget that important gene known as the inhibitor factor which is so important in breeding, particularly with the talls. It is believed that this inhibitor which is responsible for the Tall Bearded dominant whites, originated in the dwarfs , which ob viously points to i. pumila, we know that this inhibitor is present in pumila , that it suppresses the blue talls but does not affect the blue of pumila . Which assumes that the blue factor or type of anthocyani n in pumi la is different from that of the talls. Before I leave this matter of color and pattern inheritance I wish to propose another theory. In my breeding of the pumi las of which I have grown many thousands of seedlings , in every case of crossing violets with Hanselmayer and other yellows I have gotten violets, blues and yellows but no purples . In crossing purples with Hanselmayer and yellows I get purples, orchids, and yellows but no violets or blues. I am now crossing these violets and purples with recessive white for a final check . From these experiments it would appear that the factors for purple and violet were separate and independent factors. One other thing should be mentioned here, as it has been the subject of many discussions recently. We have one lone plant [CRETICA registered 1952 by vote of AIS Board of Directors] of a form collected on the island of Crete by Atchley in 1929, that is rather smoky pinkish-mauve, spot pattern on falls, lavender beard and 4 inches tall . It has 32 chromosomes . But it has some appearances which somewhat resemble I. mellita; in fact Atchley at first called this a form of mellita but finally decided it was a pumila . The peri anth tube is of that slender and curving type we recognize in mellita, rather than the usual somewhat stiffish character to the perianth of pumila. The texture of flower is a flimsy kind and the smoky color, and tendency to sickle shape leaves reminds one of mellita. Yet anyone who knows pumila would assuredly recognize it as pumila. But this is a good example of how an isolated population can develop independently and finally come out as a different variety. But I didn't mention this alone to show the discrepancy between it and pumila but to discuss another matter. During the past three years several persons have crossed tall plicatas wi t h CRETICA and gotten plicatas in the first generation. It was immediately assumed that CRETICA has the plicata gene, based on the assumption that plicata is a recessive character in inheritance. At first I was doubtful about this cross, I had to accept it but not the idea of CRETICA having the plicata gene. The way I have explained this is , that in talls plicata is recessive to blue, but it is dominant over the end recessive which is recessive white 1486 DWARF IRIS SPF.CIFS (this providing the theory of multiple alleles is true). Therefore if plicata is dominant over recessive white in talls, it apparently can be dominant over recessive white in pumila. Thus when 11 Cretica" threw a recessive white segregate, it allowed the tall plicata factor to give expression. This would work out if CRETICA does not have the inhibitor factor, or if it were in low dosage; wherein, a segregate lacking the inhibitor gene is possible . A study of the sister seedlings of this hybrid plicata showed a predominance of purplish tones in low dosage, which indicated the absence of inhibitor gene. This would explain why CRETICA can give plicatas where other pumilas do not allow it because of this inhibitor of anthocyanin color. That to me, is the explanation of plicatas coming from CRETICA and we have no reason to believe at present that CRETICA has the factor for plicata. There was a time, not far back, when I. pumila was unavailabl e in this country . We know that Burchfield and Sass did not have pumila, even though Sass gives pumil a as the parent in his varieties of dwarfs and intermediates. And let me not forget to say that it has been the custom in the past to call all dwarfs pumilas and is even a common practice in Europe today. When I began work with the dwarfs it was almost impossible to find a pumila and the only varieties extant at all were Schreiner's varieties called SULINA, NANA, and ·CARPATHIA. These were grown from seed collected in the · Baltic Sea areas and Schreiner named them from the places in that area. Today all speci es are becoming more plentiful and several named varieties of pumila are available to the breeders and growers, which I will attempt to 1 i st here, at 1east the most important ones, for your information. As for breeding purposes it is important to know which are selfs and which are with spot on falls. I will indicate these in the list. APRIL MORN blue spot CARPATHIA yell ow spot BLUE SPOT neglecta spot NANA purple spot CRETICA purple spot SULIN A violet spot HANSELMAYER lemon LITTLE BALKAN purple spot SPRING JOY neglecta spot FLASHLIGHT yell ow spot MORNING FRESH neglecta spot RED AMETHYST red spot CRIMEA violet spot FLAXEN blue self DR. lOMPERG viol et spot WEE BLUE blue self SEA O'BLUE blue self ARROWHEAD blue self WHITE MITE white self BERND var spot MY DADDY ivory self INGE JORDAN lilac blue spot PANNONIA yellow self VINDOBONA red spot SNOW BABY white self GREENIE green spot ATOMIC BLUE blue self WEE BLUE blue spot Never before was such a wealth of breeding material available to the breeder. We hope that America never gets in the positi on it was when I started working the dwarfs, with no materials to be had . ************ 1487 . ~ontinu~_d) r-7JSI: c~.,..-----· •• :i'-·· :~ ~pa"•!:! • · ;.se. :c~c.r 1 .a S;i _.._;,,:."" : 1 ' "':;'.?UGCPU" • ; :·?::,, , vnle:, 1488 DWARF IRIS SPECIES I. Attica Here is probably one of the great-granddaddies in iris history if not in evolution. It is undoubtedly the progenitor of I. pseudopumila and could easily be the daddy of I . pumila though it also could have derived from a common source with pumila. The fact of its diploid composition in relation to its tetraploid relative, I. pumila and its low number of chromosomes, would indicate its prior existence. In fact it is probable that it covered a much greater area in prehistoric days and was covered and destroyed by the glacial period which pushed all vegetation further south in its path. I. Attica Bois . and Heldr. 1859, is probably the most limited in its native habitat range of any iris species, being found in only a comparatively small area in Greece . Until rather recently it had never been in America. The first specimen known here was given to me by Mr. A. C. Herrick of England . A year later I received two more forms from Mr. Darby of England , then Or. Randolph sent me four new forms which he had collected in Greece . A11 of these were counted by Or . Randolph and found to have the expected number of 16 chromosomes. Attica is a diploid form with a bas ic number of 8 chromosomes. As form and color patterns it seems to have approximately a similar range, except for our expectation that a tetraploid has the advantage of a larger number of combination effects and thus augments the variety of effects. But with one exception however, this is the blue of pumila. So far we have been unabl e to find a blue attica. Another difference in attica is that it has an entire color beard, that is one color its entire length, which is in contrast to pumila which always has a bicolor beard. Also attica has entire yellow beards. For instance in pumila a yellow flower always has a white beard, whereas in attica it can be either yel low or white. Other mi nor differences between pumil a and att i ca are the sickle shaped leaves which are more pronounced than in pumila. Of course attica being a diploid, we expect it to be relatively smaller in all its proportions. Otherwise attica appears to be simply a smaller edition of I. pumila. For one thing attica is more difficult to grow than pumila. I might state that it is very susceptible to lack of good drainage and as its root system is very shallow, it is subject to winter or spring heaving if not furnished with a light mulching. The botanists of the past have indicated I . attica as a form of I . purni l a, and thus the descriptions applied to purnila will to a great extent also apply to attica, and therefore it leaves little for us to describe concerning I. attica. It is unfortunate that so far we have had difficulty in growing crops of seedlings, as they are not as easy to po 11 i nate a? pumi la , with fewer seeds, and less germination. I find this true of all diploid forms in comparison with tetraploids. But with the lesser number of seedlings I (continued) 1489 have grown I find af,out the same kind of inheritance that we know for I. pumila. Therefore for most breeding purposes, we find pumila much more beneficial. Yet for experimental work, the diploid form has all of the advantages of requiring fewer seedlings for obtaining ratios of inheritance and diagnostic purposes. At present I have about ten different forms of this species collected in Greece and am now growing some seedlings from seed co 11 ected by Dr. Werckmeister. So with the forms which Dr. Randolph has di stributed around the country, it is read ily available for most breeders. ************ I. PSEUDOPUMILA I. eseudopumila was collected by Vincenzo Tineo in 1827, and described as native to Sicily and southern Italy. it had apparently never been in this country until Dr. Randolph collected it and brought it to America. At that ti me he sent me two forms, one from the is 1and of Sic i1 y, the other from southern Italy. Both were so very different in character that it is difficult to conceive of such variability within the taxonomic unit. My notes from the San Martino form says: standards greenish yellow, falls purplish spot with border; overall height 8½ inches; ovary 4 inches up the stalk; perianth tube 4 inches; S. open, F. tucked; slender stalk; wide pointed leaves, not curved; greenish · yellow beard . It bloomed with chamaeiris. The other form was low growing and prostrate, except for the bloom stalk which was 8 inches high. The leaves were as extremely sickle shaped as I. mellita, and rather wide. When we think of pseudopumila it is natural that we should compare it with attica and pumila which apparently are very closely related, but in the typical form it is so different from either that one can hardly realize that they could be so different. For instance the seed pod is halfway up the stem, which would suggest that it is a hybrid from some species having the ovary at top of stem, as both attica and pumila have their pods at bottom of stem. The shape is also different, instead of being rather rounded it is longer, up to 3 inches at times, quite large, resembling somewhat the shape of I. chamaeiris, and the pod wall is thick and meaty. It has one terminal bloom, no branching. The former came from San Martino, the latter from Apulia, Italy. Later I received other plants, in other than the variegata pattern; one a violet form, another in yellow. One of these in particular was interesting, in that it comes from the Adriatic Coast near Zadar, Yugoslavia, which is considered outside of pseudopumila territory. Cytological tests of the chromosomes of this Zadar plant show that it has 16 chromosomes which are very similar to those of the known I. pseudopumila. Dr. Randolph reports that it is much smaller than the type locality form. This suggests the possibility of its being a DWARF IRIS S?F.CIES \, -Ajf :. ;~~~~~~11.· \ ~? tal~!te :eave!, ~·0 s:r!~i l . -43 1. ose1JdoFu~1la J 1/2 inches hi gh I.-3t :. cseudD~1~1!~ San Martiro, Sicily =-0 inc~.~s t.1gt (continuPd) 1491 connec ting 1ink between I. atti ca and the ta 11 er forms of pseudopumi 1a native to southern Italy. In look ing at this Zadar form I fail to distinguish anything about it that would place it in the pseudopumila group. It has the look of I. attica in every way. Even its karyotype to my idea, 1acks the evidence to regard it as a pseudopumila . Dr. Mitra states that in both species all chromosomes are subtermi na lly constricted but that in atti ca the No. 1 chromosome i s submedian, whereas in pseudopumila it is median . Th is alone seems to be the sole evidence for calling it a pseudopumila rather than an attica. He further states that in the Zadar form , the satellites occur on chromosomes 2, 3, and 7 , the same as I. attica, whereas in other pseudopumilas they occur on chromosomes 2, 6, and 8. On the basis of the shape of just one chromosome it has been claimed that I. pseudopumila extends its territory over into Yugosl avia . Dykes states that if it were not for its distribution, pseudopumi la might be looked upon as a hybrid of chamaeiris x pumila, for it is practically a large chamaeiris with a long perianth tube . This describes it quite well, however it is quite different from both chamaeiris and pumila in most of its characteristics. Then the que stion appears, in consideration of it being of so close relationship to attica and pumila, with chromosomes homologous to both, and the same number and kind of chromosomes, where did it get that chamaeiris look, that big seed pod, that ovary half way up the stem, that late blooming with chamaeiris, etc . We know that aside from possible mutations, it is possible for one species to cross with another to produce a hybrid, and perhaps acquire certain new characteristics, and then by the loss of unival ents or chromosomes without partners, these odd el ements will become 1ost and the species wil 1 revert to its ori gi na 1 number of basic chromosomes but may retain the new acquired genes or factors. This may be the answer to pseudopumila. I find pseudopumila i s probably the least adapted to the conditions here in the Midwest, of any of the species . I have difficulty in growing it, and it appears to be especially susceptible to rhizome rot. Which exp lains why I have been unable as yet to grow more than a few seedlings from it. It is possi bl e that it may be better adapted to some areas where pumila is more difficult to grow, and it should be tested for suc h environments. ************ I. MELLITA* Here we have the "delightful iris, 11 from the Latin mellitus, meaning delightful. It was col lected and described by Victory Janka von Bules, abbreviated Janka, in 1874. I. mellita resides in that area above attica and below pumila, away from the Mediterranean and extended from the Albanian area, through the Balkan zone and over into Turkey along the Black Sea. Mellita i s another species which we have not explored fully, leaving much to be desired in the way of offering a full description of its inherent 1492 DWARF IRIS SPECIES capacities. We have however had some collected forms to grow and study . The plants we know here are usually of a smoky red-purple or a smoky blend of purple and yellow, although Dykes says that clear yellows are found in the Turkish area. Mellita is a little plant, seldom growing over four or five inches, and its most conspicuous character is its sickle shaped leaves. The leaves are rather coarse and deep green, the spathe valves are long, all green, sharply keeled and coarse, resembling some additional leaves. From these spathe valves rise two buds on slender wiry perianth tubes, which extend well above the half prostrate leaves. As with pumila, the ovary is at the base of the stem down among the leaves. Shape of ovary resembles that of pumila. The flower of mellita is highly distinctive, easily recognizable by anyone who has once seen it, and it is quite strong in dominance, being apparent in its hybrid progenies. The standards are about twice the size of the falls, more cupped shaped than arched, l eaving them quite open at the top, and they are wide. The falls are always abruptly tucked, even folding back to the perianth tube . The texture and substance is noticeably thin and papery, but in spite of this appearance the flower is able to stand unusual wear and handling. The beard on t he purple form is an electric violet or blue, really brilliant, while on the so-cal led yellow forms it is always white. Mellita always has what we call an entire beard, that is one color its entire length. It is also distinctive in that the beard is soft and meager, like cat fur that has matted down. Mellita always has purple veins radiating from the base of standards and rather conspicuous on the falls, particularly on the haft which shows over a white area around the beard. There is another form called I. rubromarginata, which is evidently just a varietal form of I. mellita. It gets its name from a red margin or edging on its leaves and on the tips of the spathe valves. Strangely this red margin is most clearly visible during heavy growth in spring and in the fall, whereas during the hot summer months it is seldom very noticeable. The leaves as a whole seem to be darker than on the forms without the red edging . Due to the fact that rubromarginata is most always offered to the customer in the purplish form, _we had the impression that rubromarginata was the purple form while mellita was the yellow form . But after growing seedlings I found that this red edging was not in any way associated with the flower col or, which I should have known, but that we can have rubromarginatas in yell ow color that is with yellow flowers and vice versa. I also found that this red edging is apparently a recessive character, judging by the few specime ns I found among seedlings of (mellita) x rubromarginata) x sib). I. rubomar~inata was collected by Baker in 1875 from the locality near Thrace. Te fact that it grows right along with the mellita forms in the same populations would indicate that it is merely a normal segregate in the mellita composition. Genetically mellita is a diploid with 24 chromosomes. Hybrids of dipl oid talls x mellita have been studied and found to produce 12 bivalents at meiosis, indicating that the chromosomes are homologous with those of 1493 (continued ) talls. Which makes it a useful plant for bringing down some of the TB characters into the dwarfs. Anyone who has seen that line of new TB iris that Paul Cook developed from a cross he ha s indicated as ta 11 x I. rei chenbachi i , wi 11 appreciate the value of any iris which contains this inhibi tor. To explain this, Paul claims that reichenbachii has an inhibitor for standards only, and that it will erase tall blue from the standards leaving them white but retain the blue in the falls. Thus a new bicolor is created, which is different genetically from the usual spot pattern on falls. Well , I have found that I. me 11 ita apparently has this same or a si mi 1ar inhibitor, for in several progenies of seedlings from tall blue by mellita I obtained several forms almost identical to PROGENITOR , which is Paul's hybrid of tall x reichenbachii. As the color range is restricted to purple and yellow in the mellitas, I had hoped to get a white form through interbreeding the different forms, but out of 200 seedlings no further variations have appeared to date. A word about culture is not amiss here, for many people have difficulty in growing mellita. To do well it should be separated and transplanted every year, ir. sufficient time to become well established before winter. It requires a rich soil with good drainage to do its best, the soil should be a sandy loam, mixed with peat mo ss and compost, and kept moist until the plants are well established. After seejng a natural planting in a woods on a steep slope and half shade doing so very well, I have conc luded that such a condition is t he ideal situation for growing this species. ************ I. REICHENBACHII I. reicheribachii, (Heuffel-1858-Balkana) is the name applied to a group of iris that covers a large area in southeast Europe and which Dykes called the Balkan representative of I. chamae iris because of its similarity in form. He further states it is known under various names, as I. bosni aca and I. serbia f or the yellow forms and I. balkana for the brownish-purple forms. This however, is not in complete conformity with the modern views. Today we hear "Don't let anyone tell you that reichenbachii are all yellow and the balkanas all purple: they just don't know what they are talking about" which brings up a problem which deserves some attention, for all the species in the dwarf iris group this one seems to be the 1east known and the most confused. Little is known of this group except for the descri pti ans of Dykes, and that of the collectors . I have received at least 8 or 10 forms which were allegedly collected in the wild, and some have been tested cytologically, and found to have variable numbers of 24, 32, 36, 40, and 48 chromosomes. The true forms are supposed to have 24 and 48 chromosomes, for the diploid and tetraploid f orms respectively . As yet I have found few of mine to be true species , although some have not yet 1494 DWARF IRIS SPF.CIES bloomed, except one plant whi ch I received from Paul Cook called I . bosniaca. This one has all the appearance of being true, though with an entire white beard, whereas I had thought reichenbachii had a yellow beard. One that Grace Guenther grows has an orange beard. From all records I have searched it seems that reichenbachii is regarded as the yellow form and I. balkana as the purple form. Yet I. bosniaca, as it is called, is a yellow form, and both it and reichenbach1i are di ploi ds with 24 chromosomes. Why do we retain the name bosni aca in view of this, what is their difference? A similar case is I. balkana, the purple form, which i s a tetrapl oid with 48 chromosomes. But now we find reports of both 24 and 48 chromosome balkanas as well as both purple and yellow forms. So apparently we must revise our estimate of balkanas. Dykes stated that rei chenbachi i is readily di sti ngui shed by i ts rounded sharply-keeled spathes. He also states the flowers are either a clear yel l ow of more delicate texture than the flowers of I. chamaeiris or of a brown i sh - purple l i ke those of I. mellita . The pl ant I received from Gerald Darby of England appears to meet the proper descriptions. My notes on it are as follows: Height 9 inches, standards 2 inches high 1½ inches wide. Fa l ls 1½ inch long, 1 inch wide. As you may note the standards are much larger than the fa 11 s . Standards are arched, falls tucked abruptly; beard violet-purple with no yellow down inside; sma l l white f l ash at haft; standards smoky-violet with deeper veini ng; fa ll s same but one shade l i ghter; style arms as standards ; no spot on falls, white pollen; ovary at top of stalk ; both valves sharply kee led , herbaceous. Spathes are distinctive for their shape, being f lattened rather than rounded as Dykes describes, very short and compact, oblong or ell i ptical. Peri anth tube ½ inch, two blooms in the terminal. Tallest leaf 5 i nches x ½ inch, pointed and tends to sickle shape. The stalk i s stiff and almost woody, with strong branch showing . I have attemp ted several times to self balkana but without success. But I di d t he next best thing in crossing it with a white chamaeiris and with a yel l ow pumila and with TB pinks. In all case~ the segregation showed about half purples and half _yellows. The purples always had purple beards the yellows always yellow beards. No spot patterns were evident in any of them. This indicated that balkana is heterozygous for yellow, which would support the vi ew t hat balkana is not necessarily exclusively purple, and also that by selfing we can have a tetraploid yel l ow form as wel l as a yel low dipl oid form. In t he hybrids of balkana x white chamaeiris of course all ovaries were at top of stem. In the balkana x pumila seedlings t he ovary was at varyi ng distances up the stalk, as we would expect this kind of hybrid to show. Also the spathe valves resembled chamaeiris in the balkana x pumila forms, with t he i nner va l ve round and outer valve partly keeled . So apparently the pos i t:ion of pod and the kee 1 i ng of spathe valves is a mixed domi nant character. (continued) 1495 In view of the claim of Paul Cook that his PROGENITOR line of new talls came from I. reichenbachii, I was most interested in testing out this fact. I crossed tall blues with bosniaca and in no case did I find any indication of this inhibitor. Instead I found it had an inhibitor for the whole flower. But I did use balkana with blue talls and find it has this inhibitor. Which brings up the question of why balkana should have it, not the yellow reichenbachii? It may be interesting to know that Dr. Mitra found that six of the 12 basic chromosomes of reichenbachii were similar to those of I. mellita. And we have fou nd that mellita has this inhibitor for standards only. And the Dr. concludes by saying it appears that tetraploid I. ba lkana may _have had an allo-tetraploid origin, combining the genomes of I. mellita and the diploid form of I. balkana. Therefore, it may be quite possible that balkana is not exactly a true reichenbachii, yet is undoubtedly a very close relative. We should know much more about this complex after we have had the time to study it further. ************ I. SUBBIFL0RA I. subbiflora, Brotero, 1804, is probably of the least interest to us and may be the least known of all the dwarf species. It is native to the coastal region. of Portugal and Spai n and apparently a close relative to I. chamaeiris and has 40 chromosomes. I received some seed from Jean Stevens of Australia and from these I grew eight plants, all of which have bloomed here for about four years. All are almost identical in color, which is a very dark violet self, with bright yellow beards. The height varies considerably, ranging from around 7 inches to about 12 inches. Dyk es says it comes in a dark b1 ue-b lack, a deeper col or than he has seen in any other iris . He al so says it may come in purple or a yellowish-white, but I have noted no such colors among my seedlings. Actually I see littl e difference between I. subbifl ora and I. chamaei ri s except possibly in size, the former a little larger, and otherwise ,t comes very close to ehamaeiris type. There is no doubt, at least in my mind, that I. subbiflora is simply a different stage or we might say a different geographical group or population in the stream of evolution of chamaeiris. It is not nearly as differentiated from I. chamaeiris as are the Russian pumil as from the Austrian forms, or the different variations of I. pseudopumila. There existed quite a bit of misunderstandings about this species among the earlier collectors. It has be en called, I. biflora, I. lisbonensis, and I. subbiflora rather carelessly until Dyke s finally helped to clarify the matter. It appears that subbiflora performs wonderfully in southern California and Mr. John Tearington is highly enthusiastic about its fine qualities. Thus 1496 DWARF IRIS SPECIES (continuPd) far we know far too little about it, but for its dark color alone it has potentialities for our breeding program. ************ I. ARENARIA* This part of Walter Welch's article was reprinted in SIG NA #35, October, 1985, page 1251. ************ *Using Brian Mathew's THE IRIS as guide, indicates-- I. chamaeiris should now be known as I. LUTESCENS, Lam.; I. mellita, as I. suaveolens, Boissier &Reuter; I. arenari a, as I. humi 1is, Georgi. ************ Rov·s MAILBOX One of the 1ast of Homer's letters (Spring 1987) advised of what to him appeared to hold promise to gardeners in cold climates as control agent of botrytis or "winter rot" in irises and other plants. The product- -called CHIPC0 - 2609 is made by the major French chemical firm, Rhone-Poulenc, and will not be found on every garden center 's shelves; it may require some inquiry of the suppliers to the florist industry to locate. "Thou gh I have no personal experience with this," he wrote , "it is at least encouraging that the label does recommend it for irises." ************ SECOND CALL FOR GOOD SPEC I ES SLIDES Again, if you have good sllaes ot n2i t1ve Americ.:in sp2cies iris, Piease send tr:em to Olive Rice, 1914 Napa Ave . , Berkele~ , CA 94707 for evaiuanon arro considera tion for inclusion in a book let AIS is prepar 1ng. The booklet i s the first step in a proposeo set of PGstage staffiPS featur ing native American irises. ~o~lon't it be e:{ citing to t; .:;ve one of your s l ides useo in tt,1s project and perhaps on a commemorative starr.p! But ! t can't haF pen unless •:JOU sena them to 01i ve . We don 1 t know when the deadline wi ll be bu t . t rnul d be soon; so don' t miss !:,our chance to have ycurs inclu·ded. ----·-----· --·------I ------· ------1497 THE DWARF ·SECTION IRIS TIGRIDIA AND IRIS POTANINI These two tiny bearded iris are apparently very much alike and at one time were both classified as belonging to the Pumilae section of the iris family. This likeness obviously confused plant collectors and over the years they have been reclassified several times. I have found some interesti-ng references in some of the plant col!ectors books. Reginald Farrer writes "/. rigridia is quite a small species, with glaucous leaves in a refined tuffet, and stems of 3 to 4 inches. But each of these supports a single flower-de-luce of singularly perfect build and balance, a boldly up standing exquisite bloom in blended tones of soft blue, with la\·ender, fa\\"n, dove colour and bronze, thunderously haunting the purple of the falls. In the hot bay of Tien Tang it dwelt all round, beneath the scrub and brushwood, over the lip of the little banks and braes and bluffs. But it is an early species, and n0\\ only lingered in blossom here and there in secluded corners'.' Farrer also wrote to the Royal Horticultural Society "l.rigridia .... haunts only the torrid amphitheatre of cliffs and loess banks behind Tein Tang Tsu, loving to grow on the rim of steep braks, sprouting from under some covert of scrub in a tuffet of short greyish foliage from which may stand up the beautifully balanced little tlower-de luces in blended tones of amethyst, claret and blue violet, on stems of from three to four inches in May and June ..... When I returned the seed had mostly falfen ...... As for its prospect in cultivation, one may but hope~· Dvkes. in his Handbook of Garden Iris savs, "/. rie.ridia" is a member of the Pumilae Series of Pogoniris .and it occurs from the Altai Range to ~lanchuria .... . a curious liltle species ..... dense close masses with th\: base of the lea\'es wrapped in short membranous sheaths and the fibrous remains of old lea\·es. The stem is only a few inches in length and bears a single head of one or t\\"O flowers. The perianth tube is about an inch long in a fully dewloped flower, of which the colour is either blue-purple or yellow. The leaves are narrow and less than six inches in length, they taper gradually to a fine point.. ... l.rigridia is a flori ferous little species suited to the rock garden'.' An extract from an article entitled "Plant Hunting in Mongolia" by Ing. Vladimir Vasak published in th e American Rock Garden Society's bulletin in I968 reads "On the dry and stoney slopes and screes I collected plants and seeds of /. rigridia, in Mongolia simply called Bay-Cachildag (small iris). It has very narrow leaves up to IO ems and only one purplish violet flower, thick horizontal roots adpressed in crevices. It is a plant of early Spring, flowering in the wind in April and ~1ay. I was so happy to find one plant with a late flower, though the seed harvest was poor. But I collected living plants and will have to wait, hoping they will be content with our conditions'.' 1498 In Farrer's fascinating book "The Rainbow Bridge" he describes /. poranini...... "at length, up above me, the faint haze of vegetation on the rock defined itself into here and there a spot of yellow, and a misty purple unseen before. And after a moment of scorn for the accustomary dinginess of Oxtropids (low grm-.ing perennial herbs), I realised I had discovered a new iris. Iris potanini is a queer little species. I have only seen it at this one point, squatting in tight wads of bluntish grey green leaves on the ledges of this sunny limestone precipice, and it bears (from the same tuft, very often) flowers of clear sulphur yellow and a dull dusky purple sitting close upon the cushion. It is a true flag Iris with golden beard, and wonderfully suggests /. chamaeiris (lurescens) as you see it rambling along the ledges of S.Raphael. The purple form indeed, is rather dim and ugly, but the clear yellow one (which if a little larger) is really attractive, when you see it in a large clump:' At some later date I find a reference in an article by Roy Davidson in SIGNA that Dr Rodionenko had pro posed the transfer of both these small irises to the Pseudoregelia Subsection. Finally in a copy of SIG NA an extract from a lener from Japan by Jack Craig. "One of the jewels ..... is/. rigridia which midway between a bearded and a crested iris. There are blue and an orchid pink form here in a pri\'ate collection, Manchurian mementos of our friend's years of service there as a Japanese soldier. Grown in 3" pots in full sun, they present no problem in spite of Yokohama's hot steamy miserable summers". At present time according to Brian Mathew in his book, /. rigridia is a Pseudoregelia and /. poranini is a Psammiris, the same family as/. humilis (syn. /. f(avissima and I. arenaria) and closely related to the Rege!ias. The former is a nati\·e of Mongolia, north-western China and South eastern Russia, growing on plains and grassy slopes, in peaty or gravelly soils. \ttathew says he has grown a.nd nowered it in Gt Britain in well drained soil \\·ith plenty of gra\·el. His description of' the colour is not \·cry different except he says it has a white beard with a white area around it with purple lines. He thinks that Dykes must ha\·e confused it with /. pownini when he said that some had yellO\v blooms. Apparently these cwo are \·ery similar. the main difference is in the ~hape of the leaves. In/. rigridia they caper gradually to a point. whereas the lea\·es of /. poranini narrow suddenly at the point. I. poranini is nati\·e to west ern China and central and eastern Tibet at high altitudes of up to 6000 metres on rocky slopes and spruce forests. It is doubtful if it has e\·er been grown successfully in cult i\·ation. le is a very compact little plant and form s \·ery dense clumps. A characteristic feature is the mass of shon curled fibres that remain attached to the rhizome an~ stick up in a fibrous clump abm·e the ground. The lea\'es are very erect onlv 5-10 ems Ion!! and the sim?le flowers are held about the same hei2ht. "' . - - - There are two colour forms, yellow and lavender purple with white or yellowish beards. The flowers are not blotched like /. rigridia. Copied from NZ Iris Society· Bulletin, Sept. 87 #113 ALASKA-2 HAWAII-4 BRITISH COLUMl-3IA-5 ONTARI0-15 J\UWRTA-l! OUEAEC-2 MANITOBA-2 NEW RRUNSWICK-li l 6 10 12 8 7 BELGIUM-1 CZ F.CHOSL01/AK TA - 1 F. Gri<'MI\ -N -1 FNGLAND- 8 FRANC:R-5 HOU,/\Nn-1 KOREA-1 ICEL/\Nf)-1 JAPAN -5 ITALY-1 AUSTRALIA-6 PAKISTAN-1 NF.W ZEALAND-16 USSR-1 L lTl·JUANIA-1 ARGENTINA-1 W. GF'RMA NY-7 TOTAL SIGNA MFMRERSHIP - 547 1500 EDITOR'S COMMFNTS Again~ t her e w.:~s v er~ little response to our requests for comments and/ or ar~~cles. We do appreciate these we de get and some of t he s uggestions , as ~0r Seed Ekchange cna-se~ . r a v e bee~ acopted and others are ...,,.-,de t" ,:.n,·s-:o€•'a t icT'l , BL>t we s :~ould get more suggestions, cri t1ci·s m, '.E'-nca,u)· a ·r.:?Eme~t , e t::. we esPe c L ::\liy 11,::,pe -<::here will be respo,nses "t:o .Boilb'. P:·1e~ ·-· a:rt :icle o ·~ species prese1"-rc:1 t- 1. ~:.,n {page 1465) and Sha-or. 1-lcA lliste~'·'=· on a seed b a n k. Thes2 :::;ess,_ 5;:- exciting and importan~ P ~ut j~ ~a~e~ pecp !e as wel i a s 1de~s. Bob is do1nq a s~rve ~ ~~ying to l ocate tne ~DBs i n peapl e ~s gardens and save t. ··,~ :-a.r•,e .:r,~s.. I ·f you nave a DlS ,que-s·t:.ora i re, please be sure to send ; ~ t~ 3ab ~rx e s , 6~23 Ant1re Ro&d, High Ridge, Mo. 63049~ o~, ~f ~c~ don ' t ha ve the q uestiona1re and grow even a few named Mn.R"'~,., P-h::~->;1.<:::-,ie. •i,,, ~·· i t"1·? ~ob and ask for t ~u? :i. et"!;:i?r and list. HIPS, the H:i..stor~ca.l: h'll.'S, .::2~-eserva tion Soc2.ety (umrk i n c; on :::i-e coming an AIS Sect ion ) nopes 'i:'O ·:;o :s o metrung along th 1.s l i '°'e 'roo . How mL.t ch more important chat SPlf.'lC:i·~,; l:3e p reservec : We hac ·tentat:n1e].y deoeitled to feature wide-cross hybrids i n the sprin9'~ "'E',g, Sl~.A.. t./i:.> i 11 certa.1nly ·need scmE i"lPut on that. Have ~.oi..1 t:r ::.red .,a lt\l.!llcct,:e D!"'oss ? What happene d '! Ha ve you g r own some wide-cr oss :iLt" :ii.s.".'.'1 ~h.;;,;t di d you think o ·f- t h em? Have you thought of so~e cross YIC!!IUI. ~~a uld like to try:? And w~·y co '!:J'OU think it would ibe war-th try:t.n;:_:;, ~ You can tel l u s a bout y o ur f a jlu r es as well as •your s1.:.:.tcce-:sses.. and let- us al 1 !.earn by t h e m . We.,d also liike St1lr.\1f.e inPLtt about- t he Seed E ::d'La>ID'g:e tor spring . We want t:o e 1'11! couir.a'9)~ -evel"y,one to take part i n sending seed, growing seed and eva.I.iue:fti:rn,gi t h elr seedlings. Wan, t ~e:iu write at l east a short· n.o-lt·e Ollll ~0;1vilf" e.~~pe.rienc:es7 Again , I rept~af:, ':JDU do not need to be a great ti~r- i -Jt,el!"' ta c on t r i but e - -1 ' Iii here to edit. We t&Yer e d1~.;:i.f?ipoin-te d to f ind that Capatn l ities is sold out on Mathew"'s THE IRIS- Does .an'::.fone knmu wh e r e we c ould get a copy for SIGNA·! We ju.is-It beg«-m col l ect ing reference ma.-ft:erial t o fol low the Editor s whoever i i: might be in the futL1re. and' r-.uw f .i;. nd n o ava ilable copy of wha t- has been servi :-> g a s our current autt,ori t y on iris nomen clature~ T his h as not been a. good ~ea.r for y our ed i t o ~· so 1 f we ~ re not too well organized~ please forgive. Besides t he h e at and dr ought that has p l agued lll!kOs·t 1. ris people, my h usband d ied May 23 a f ter a long bout with cancer. My way of pulling things b ack together seems to have t a k en t h e f-olf"n-. of getting away from it all---lt11.10 tri ps to the Milwaul::: ee vic:irrni t~h one t-o Glacie r Nat i onal Park and o t her points i~est. one ·to t lh,e southl!Jest-ern Minnesota prair :1e a nd one to Washing ton , DC and Co] xn11 i a l Wi 11 i amsburg. Neetiies~; t o sa~, t h ere was not much t ime l efit ·!fol!" t ending a business anti pu t t i ng out SIGNA. We hope yc:»iu. a ll 11,ave .a very good .and s1..~ccess·ful ~Ear and no more of th is ~e,al" '' s dhN:.'a.rdl'lf'ul draught ( ours seems to have e nded for now, at least L Joan C.