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TiiE SPECIES IRIS STUDY GROUP OF NORTI-1 AMERICA -:If~ TI-i:E SPECIES IRIS STUDY GROUP OF NORTH AMERICA

October, 19'79 - No. 23

uFFICERS OF 'l'HE SOCIETY

~HAI R-!AN Jean Witt 16516 - 25th? NE., Seattle, Wash. 98155 SECRETARY Grace Carter 1212 Tucker Foad

TREAS"ORER Hood River 9 Oregon 97031 SEED EXCHANGE Mary fuvall Foute 1, Box 142 DIRECTOR Dassel, Minn. 55325 SPECIES IDBIN Lorena F.eid 41866 McKenzie Highway DIRECTOR Springfield? Oregon 97477 SPECIES SLIDE Ibrothy Hujsak 3227 S. Fulton Ave . , CHAI IMAN Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135 EDITOR Bruce Richardson 492 Twenty Pd. E., R.R. 2, Hannon, Ontario, LOR IPO, Canada. EDITOR OF THE B. LeP.oy Iavidson 911 Western Ave., II 200, Seattle, Wash . 98104 S'IU DY MANI AL

CONTENTS Page No .

Report on Winter Damage Jean Witt 717 Some Fandom Thoughts on Seed Germination Bob Faabe 719 ' I Planting Iris Seed Ibwn Under Dr. G. B. Loveridge 721 Chinese Species listed Jean Witt 723 Cultivation of I. kampferi and Zaevigata Ix. Shuichi Hirao 724 Notes on Iris kaempferi Alan Fisk 727 Changes to the Constution of SIGNA SIGNA Executive 728 Slide Sets Ibrothy Hujsak 728 Iris !bots .; Ikawings British Iris ·Society 729 Iris henryi - Drawing & conm1entary Jean Witt 733 Drawing of Iris Petals, Styles & Stamens Nigel Service 734 7ertile Cal-Sibes Nigel Service 735 Key to the Common Garden Irises 737 Drawings - ~'fbree I~ia $pep~esmatica New York Botanical Garden 739 Commentary on ,t:he-:,.Eneatae Ernest G. B• . Luscombe 740 Letters 741 Rare Iris Protected - I . prismatica Maine News 742 Older Bulletins Needed · lby Iavidson 742 The Emperor Hirohito's Iris lby Davidson 743 The Iris as a Garden Plant lby Davidson 743 Report on Species from the AIS Convention Joan Cooper 744 Report on Species from the AIS Convention lby Iavidson 744 Questions Please lby Davidson 746 Plants in Peril Dr. Maurice Boussard 748 Iris Insect Control C.F. Koval 752 Some Indian Irises Colonel D.G. Lowndes 754 Water Loving and Aquatic Iris C. P. :Raff ill 757 Publications Available 763 Crested Irises in New Zealand Jean Stevens 764 .. ~·· Editorial Comments Bruce Richardson 766 717 REPORT ON WINTER DAMAGE :!e.a.n wu.:t

'l,.ne ccld winter that· we "felt in our bones" was coming arrived uith a vengeance .:1 couple of days after Christmas 1978. We bad about a week of below freezing weather \,,ith only a skim of snc-;v, includ:i.ng one night that dropped to ll°F ~nd several days "' n wh:f.cb the temp~.:-ature did not ri~e above freezing while the sun shone brilliantly ·.m : :rozen lt'!aves. The g:.:-ound was frozen dcwn as much as a foot and remained so for 1r.ore than a ,reek after the temperatures moderated. Such "bitter cold" will make our midwestern m-::mbers laugh, but this is the first time in 25 years that we have had extended cold without snowcover; and it is definitely the exception for Seattle .

Though gardens in general experienced damage and the Arboretum lost a numb er of marginal shrubs, irises fared better than e>;:pected. None of rey bearded irises were killed, whether 2n, 4n, MTB or SDB; and this included some moved in October. Iris mellita 'Aya Zaga' dwindled and expired in mid-spring, but this seems to have been fungus and not freeze directly.

The Crested Irises, formerly protected by the cold frame, took the worst beat­ ing. I. japonica which has waxy evergreen leaves, was undamaged. 'Nada" was killed back to the ground; some smaller shoots escaped on 'Darjeeling'--their foliage is not waxy. Iris wattii which has la:.:-ge, soft, lush foliage was killed completely except for a couple of tiny shoots that have come up from the base of the stems. 'Ii:~ potted plant of I. wattii whicn was in the house beside the glass door had !'.>ne leaf frozen where it stuck out to the glass through a crack in the drapes. Iris fomosana (which I forgot to put a box over) was killed outright even though protect­ ed by a large rhodendron. Ii. aristata and tenuis, both deciduous, came through ·..r..iscathed. Several pieces of tetraploid I. tectorui~ from Sam Norris, which he says caunot stand his· 15° below winters in Kentucky, survived in a plunged pot.. under a ltght mulch of pine needles, as did the large blue I. tectoI"W!7 ,from Taiwan.

The named clones of Pacific Coast Natives from California breed1; rs and all the· s~~mbach seedlings came through in gocd shape, to my great delight--! had been wondering whether we would find them tender. '?!endocino Morn r and 'Amigui td suffered some foliage burn, but recovered and bloomed as usual. I. maarosiphon, in a dry !ocation under the pine tree, was not damaged; nor was I. purdyi 'Memori~ Elwood'. The only items I l ost were so-:ne new varieties acquired the end of October, and one big clump of pink te1~7 x that I lost because I broke the rule about moving only part ~fa clump in any one year--it seemed to have died of drought, perhaps the soil was not packed in tight enough ar0und the roots.

I. unguiau.Za.X'is on the south side of the house· (where it was hit by the sun while frozen) suffered varying degrees of damage. 9Lazica' (the most northerly in origin) was killed on the side where I had r emoved divisions from the clump in late August. 'Walter Butt'~ :he pale orchid form from Algiers was in bloom.w:tien the freeze hit--the whole plant was killed except for a single fan of leaves that was leaning against the hou:3e foundation. The large clump on the south side of the Arboretum · greenhouse was al.so killed except for a half dozen shoots. All the flower buds were killed on ' Speciosa'; its leaves were not damaged. Marjo_rie Barnes' November blooming clone and Edith Cleaves' white "Winter's Treasure'·suffered minor damage. Divisions set out the previous August from all varieties were killed compl etely. I. u.nguicuZar-i~ is slow enough to recover after dividing--obviousi.y in our cli~.-te it should never be divided in advance of a hard winter! _ ~o~tunately, some of the divisions of 'Walter Butt' went to California, and are now established there. 718

Among the bulbous types, the Juno species alata. froze out dispite th_e pine needle mulch; but it is known to be tender. I . bucharica suffered no damage and bloomed as usual; I . magnifica seedlings also survived. None of the Reticulata.s suffered winter damage, nor did the English irises. A few of the Dutch succl.lll'~ed co rot, but this was not necessarily the result of the freeze. Cypella herbertii seed­ lings were among the suLvivors--I had been told this was hardy. Full size Tigridia and Gladiolus bulbs which I had forgotten to dig were killed, of course, but tiny bulbless have sent ~p shoots--they apparently are more cold resistant than the mature bulbs.

A NOTE ON I RISES IN KOREA

An acquaintance whose busin.:::ss takes him to Korea had reported seeing a small yellow-flowered iris blooming on a hillside near Seoul, at about 1500 feet elevation. This year he was able to take slides not only of that iris, which appears to be Iris minutoaurea, but also of a tiny blue-flowered one as well. This too, has narrow leaves with prominent veins, and pingpong paddle or spoon-shaped standards, which match the illustration of I . rossii in FLOWERS M1D FOLKLORE FROM KOREA by Florence Huddeston (1931, reprinted 1969, Seoul, Korea) . I quizzed him carefully about the conditions under which the plants were growing, in hopes of finding some clue as to why my I. minutoaurea doesn't bloom.

The area around Seoul. has about the same amount of rainfall as Seattle, around 38 inches a year, but differently distributed. July and August are hot and humid, while winters are dry and cool. Spring is about like ours~ which means rather cool with occasional rain.

•'"', . ' The blue-flowered plant was growing at 1000 feet elevation, in conditions j similar to the yellow one--on a high hill, burned over, open9 but with lush growth that included Rhododeruiron muoronulatwn. The soil was well drained and rather sandy. This hill was presumably a "wUd" location, unless there had been a temple up there at some time in the past--in such an ancient countr y one can never be sure. ***

Here's a little problem Iill toss out to our members, in case some of you would like to do a bit of sleuthing. The great temple of Thutmose III at Karnak, Egypt, ca 1450 B.C., is noted for its friezes of plants 7 in a fairly lifelike style. They are said to record a par~ of the spoils which the victorious Thutmose III brought back from his campaign in Syria. An inscription states that they show "all the plants that grow, a~l the goodly flowers that are in the Divine Land (i.e. the country northeast of Egypt) • • •• His Majesty saith, 'As I live, all these plants exist in very truth; there is not a line of falsehood among them. My Majestry has wroughf this in order to cause them to Le before my father Ammon, in this great hall for ever and ever.'"

My question, are there any irises among these plants? Perhaps someone with access to a big city library can track down a bo0k with pictures of this frieze of plants and let us know ••.•.

ED: The National Geographic book ANCIENT EGYPT on -page 172 shows a stylized lily on a piZZa:t> with Thutmose III's name above it. f~zere there are lilies might t'here not be irises? Other pictures of colwnns are not c"l,ea1? as to detail.

********** 719

sm.'.!E R.P.::;Dor,1 THOUGHT.3 ON IRIS SEED GERMINATION

:3ob Raabe

BACKGROUND: Few plant gt' : :·ca ·w?uld be found j_n such diverse habitats as the Genus Iris. Ranging from arcti.c to near-tropical, the two-hundred-plus representatives are ~atarally found in ci~serts, swamps, rock crevices, open meadows, dense forests, on !lY.>untain t ops and in j:.1s t sbout ar.y other ecolo·gical system imaginable. Realizing this , many iris crowers acquire scarce and valuable seeds from any number of sources, but plent them like radishec; and bemoan poor or no g,armination. "It must have beeu old seed!" is a fairly common exccse.

Here in south east Australia, as in southern California,. growing species irises out of their natural habitat is a facinating, often rewarding interest for the iris cpecialist gardener. 'f"nere are: (1) certain species which thrive virtually with no attention wh~tever, (2) otters that respond to a bit of care and reward the grower with impressive bloom on healthy plants, (3) some that flower occasion~lly and increase to bloom again with varying amounts of care; and finally (4) those which totally fail for one r eason or nt!other. Most of us have had experience in all these categories but possibly (#3) repre~ents a tolerable balunce of challenge and satisfaction.

Sydney's subtropi'!al-to-tf.)r.-,perate climates graduate from the former to the latt~r in a compressed z0ne tha t extends from the P~cific Ocean to the Blue Mountains some f a rty miles inland. Sydney haE: no frosts in its coastal suburbs) yet here, 17 r ..ile s inland, heavy frosts commonly occur in open areas. S.till, it's not all as ~imply predictable as thnt, and there are many days when polar, tropical, monsoonal f..nd desert influences seem to compete with each other. But gardeners are a persis­ t ~n::: lot and none mo.re so th&n t he iris grower, and such minor adversities are taken :i.:.:. stride. I.>I,ANTING THE IRIS S:SEC Assuming that your iris growing ph:i.losophy and your local weather are similar ~o the above, the following suggestions may be of interest. I won't discuss the various sou~ces of seed but assume that the reader has acquired sound, healthy material. Unless you 2~e alr~~dy familiar with the natural habitat of the particular iris, do a bit of re6~arch so the planting medium, and more importantly, the planting time, can be chosen. Nature provides cunning 4efense mechanisms in the reproductive cycles of most plants and animals. These devices provide maximum protection for ne~ generations to allow the greatest chance for survival. In most instances with plan~s, an inhibitor, as it is called, prevent:.J germination at times of adverse growing · ~ondi tions. In ~ome irises this inhibitor is very strong. For instance seeds of ~rises growing in desert regions (the arils) are such poor germi.nators that embryo culture is extensively used. Many cold climate irises produce seed which germinate~ readily after being fr:Jzen through the winter. Temperature is not the only factor · involved, and day l~ngth, soil moistur e, mineral l evels, and probabl·y ·other as ye1: unknown contributors affect stimulation or prevention of germination. If you have rare seed to plant, please do consider these facts .

Cons~der the seed carefully before you plant it. The greatest depletors o~ seed viability are erratic changes of temperature and humidity and should be avoideq at all costs! Stol'ing seeds in a sealed glass jar in the lower regions of one's refrigerator is quite a suitable solution, for ·cha~ges here are kept to a minimum. If r>eed be seed can be stored 'thus fpr several yea~.s providing it is pl'anted·. as soon as it is brought to .room· 'temperature. • . : • . 720

Scarification isn't really a method of frightening seed; it merely means the cutting or breaking of the hard seed coat so that moisture may enter more readily and thus hasten germination. If you treat your seed this way? use a sterilized medium and plant immediately, for scarified seed is very vulnerable to harmful soil bacteria, which quickly enter the seed and cause it to rot.

A planting medium which has good drainage, yet has moisture-retentive properti~s, with some nutrients is ideal. A clay-loam soil, with generous portions of vermiculite, to prevent compaction and increase moisture retention, has been my first choice. I ._ avoid rotted compost, as this is usually quite rich in bacteria which may contribute to seed rot. Peat moss or sphagnum are second choices aft er vermiculite but may cause a gradual increase in soil acidity~ a situation not recommended for some seeds. Use a planting container at least twelve inches square and six inches deep. Temp­ erature/moisture fluctuations are too frequent and rapid in small cans or pots. Also ~ to prevent this situation, plant the seeds slightly deeper than you would normally, ma1nl.y t() avoid the instabilities of soil surface.

Once the seeds are planted, don't abandom them! Place the box, tin, tray, or . whatever container you have chosen in a location in the garden where you will see it often to remind you that care is necessary. A spot far enough away f rom buildings so that natural rainfall is received, yet out of the drip- zone of trees and large shrubs where large droplets of water may possibly wash away the seeds; or where no rain reaches the container, if it is but a light shower. Many a seed container awa~ting the Big Tip (the Heave- ho ED.) for lack of germination has sprouted a good crop after a week of· rain! Avoid open, direct sun unless the box is plunged to the rim in the soil, as temperatures rise dangerously during the day only to cool rapidly in the evening. This would have to be a qualified statement, for some iris do grow in habitats where this would be natural and possibly a stimulant to germination. Neverth~less, for most irises the alternate heating and cooling would only deepen dormancy.

After what you consider the normal germination time has passed, remove any seedlings which may have appeared and treat the container in a manner comparable to what the seeds might encounter in nature. If summer is approaching and the seeds would normally be subjected to rain, then water the seed box regularly. Many iris come from arid regions 1 and seeds as well as plants go dormant. Seeds of these species should not .be watered, and should be kept completely dry in summer. It is often possible to' g~ow cold-clima~e iris in warm areas, yet difficult to get the seed to germinate without low mid-winter temperatures.

The refrigerator may not accomodate many containers, but tipping a tray of ice cubes on.top of the soil on winter nights when they will melt sl owly works for some people. Ii. versioolor> ensata. (kaempferi}> and setosa all respond well to this tr~~tment. SUMMARY The iris seed contains a remarkably hardy embryo. Much of this hardiness is dtJe to natural protective mechanisms . · These defenses vary according to natural habitat$ of the parent plants and should be taken into careful consideration when planting the seed •. Note also that these characteristics are inherited and seeds with strong gertll­ ination inhibitors will appear many generations away from the original species, but _. that's another subject again! A bit of thought and care will most definitely result i~ higher germination percentages.** ED: The origina.7, of this artic'le was printed in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IRIS SOCIETY 11 IRIS NOTES" , Swnmer 19'19. Reprinted here with the kind permission of the author. 721

PLANTING IRIS SEE D DOWN UND ER V4. G.B. LoveJU.d9e

The No rthern and. Southern Hemisperes each have the same four seasons, winter, springs su-wer and fall, and when it i s winter in the U. S.A. it is summer in Australia. But that does not necessarily mean our iris bloom periods are six months apart. While the time of peak bloom season will vary in each state, depending on the distance from the equator and elevation, our peak bloom season Down Under is approximately 4- 5 months after yours , with the same difference with the seasons.

· Perhaps a few general sentence~ may give readers some ideas for comparison to their own situation. Aus tralia extends from the tropics in the north and downwards into the temperate zones. We have snow fields in three states, N.S.W; Victoria; and Tasmania. The tree line is about 6,000 feet; the lower snow for the ski resorts about 4,500 feet and inland we have vast expanses of desert with hot dry summers and low humidity. The coastal regions are moderately to very humid and the sunnner rain­ fall over the last 20 odd years I have grown iris in three different areas has been 25 inches. At YOUNG, inland at 1 ~500 ft. with hot dry summer and temperatures mainly in the nrld 90 1 s F. TB bloom is usually at its best the end of October and after that normally no rain until mid April. The winters nave a lot of frosts and minimum temperatures down to 15-20° F. for about five or six days. Snow is rare and the soil is alkaline. It is a cherry growing area. Host iris do very well there, especially the arils (oncocyclus and regelias) , the rilbreds and TBs . Dwrafs bloomed quite well. Spurias, Sibi~icas, Californians, Reticulata, and Jun~s did well. The Kaempferi and Louisianas did no t bloom as well. I felt they needed more humidity.

Pae.onies and bulbous plants grew well, but not rhododendrons.

Then for ten years I was in Sidney. This is on . the coast and the suburbs vary in altitude f rom seas level to 500 ft. Around the coastal fringe the soil is very ~~ndy and acid. Away from the coast the soil is heavier but s till acid. The rainJall is predominately summer (50 i nches a year) and high summer humidity; the soil drainage is good. Frosts are rare and temperatures would rarely get below 30° F.

Louisianas do extremely well as do Kaempferi. Dwarfs do badly 7 as do reticulatas, Junos and arils. TBs do reasonably well. Paeonies will rarely bloom in s·idney, but will in Melbourne.

Then last year I moved my garden to Leura; rainfall 27 inches a year and 60 miles away at 3,000 ft. elevation. The summers are dry; the day temperatures average about 60° F. with occasional days of 90°. The winters are colder and snow is common. The soil is a beautiful acid sandy loam, or volcanic in some areas, very well drained and grows all types of alpine plants - rhododendrons, deciduous azeleas, tulips, paeonies and most types of iris. We get quite a few swmner mists and this seems to suit the Kaempferi~ but it is too soon for me to access the Louisianas.

However this is supposed to deal with planting and germinating iris seed and my planting proceedure is virtually the same for all seeds.

I use an acid medium. I think that all the books tell you that the oncocyclus and regelias need an alkaline soil. So they do when they have grown, but consider their habitat in the wild . From a long dormont period they grow, bloom and set seed within two months. Then with no rain they go dormont. The dry soil cracks open. Leaves and other foliage.falls off sma_ll shrubs etc. and composts down to an aci d 722 medium and this falls in the dry c,racks. The seed pods open and the seed fall down into these cracks and so germinatC:! in an acid soil.

My potting medium consists b~sically of one part leaf mould, one part loam soil and one part coarse sand and fine gravel. Depending on the type of seeds being planted, some peat raight be added.

I plant my seeds in pots~ clay preferred, or plastic. The pots vary in size depending on the number of seeds to be planted, but usually at least 4 inches deep._ I plant the pots in the soil with the soil level in the pots level with the outside soil. The pots are planted in a light shade or filtered sunlight and are watered well to begin with and then kept lightly moist,

When to plant: I like to pb.nt my seeds as the s.eed pods crack open and the seeds are still usually a creamy colour. As the seeds dry off and harden t hey develop a growth ;inhibitor and this helps to determine the shelf life of various seeds as to how long they will remain viable. For most seeds this inhibitor is in the seed coat, but with the regelias it is in the embryo itself • •

So dealing briefly with the seeds of the different iris species.

Aril seeds may germinate sporadically over many years. Last year I planted a lot of seeds over 12 years old and have had some germination from all the types I planted. I embryo cultured some of these batches and found that the majority had normal embryos so should germinate natUJ:ally and so they did. With fresh seeds I plant them 1 to 2 inches deep as soon as the pods s plit open and water them. I have found on some occasions that deeper planting - down to 6 inches - seemed to give better germination, and with fresh seeds I would often get over 15% germination the· first }aar. No matter whether it was fresh or old seeds, with oncocyclus I found I had two periods of germination. After the first frosts and rain and then a second lot in early spring. The regelias did not have any fall germination and the pseudo­ regelias germinated in early summer. With the pots of aril seeds, as they would have no summer moisture in the wild, I lift the pots and dry store them all summer.

I find that the dwarf bearded iris species do not gei,ninate much in the fall, but seemed to wait till spring, whi le the taller ones if planted fresh from the pod may give 50-70% germination within 90 days and then some more in Spring. Just as an example, I planted some tall bearded seeds on January 30th, and germination had started before the end of March. Unless I especially want to keep trying, I only keep this type of seed three years.

Spuria seeds behave the same way as TB seeds for me and again I only keep them three years, but find you will c- ften get good germination the second and third years.

The Californians and Evansias also germinate quickly in the fall and not so much in the Spring. I rarely find much germination after the first year, but keep them for two years.

Sibiricas s eem to prefer Spring germination and I have rarely had second year germination with them. I only keep them one year. I usually add some peat moss to these pots.

Laevegatae, kaempferi and pseudacorus ·also have P.eat added to the pots and seeru to have sporadic germination during the winter, but Vitginicas. and Versicolors and Setosas seem to germinate quickly in the fall even with old seed. 723

Lo4isianas with their corky coats usually gerwinate well if planted fresh - but ttey .will germinate over a period of years. I had put some aril seeds. into what I thought was an old pot and four plants germinated that year. On planting them the four seedlings -were still attached to the Louisiana seeds.

Junos and Reticulatas seem to need cold winters to start the germina.tion, much more so then the Xiphiums and X.iphiodes.

I mostly plant the iris seed !2 to 2 inches deep, depending on the size of the s eed and the smallest seeds would not be planted very deeply. Some people find that by planting the seeds close together the germination is better.

I prefer to plant my seeds in pots and to label them, rather than to plant them in the ground. While the seeds are in the pots they remain in the one container even if they germinate sporadically over years, whereas if planted in the ground you may get for example, a spuria coming up (from earlier planting) among last season's Californians • .

My planting proceedure may vary with intersectional crosses involving plants with different chromosome numbers. These crosses are often hard to get to take, and harder to germinate. So on accasions I will embryo culture some seeds from a pod to check if the mebryos and endosperm are normal. If there are over 50% of abnormal embryos and/or endosperm their chances of normtl germination are low, so it is probably better to embryo culture all of them and try to grow them in test tubes. But even without these facilities normal planting may give some germination, but probably only in the first year .

As the seedlings grow they will need transplantirg and I usually transplant them when they have at least four leaves. Even at this stage on moving them from the pot you will probably find that a lot are still attached to the seed, and if possible replant them like that, as the endosprem of the seed may still be feeding them. You may .find some seeds just germinating still under the soil l evel, and you can replant these also.

Host of the seedlings will reach blooming size in 2-3 years, such as arils, spurias~ bearded iris and sibiricas, but the first year bloom may not be typical and will improve the next year. Californians may bloom in Spring from seed planted in the fall, but mainly in the second Spring. The bulbous iris and junos usually take 4-5 years to begin. blooming.

I certaiBly think that in the early stages it is better to try to grow seeds of plants that will do well in your own area. 'Mos.tly you will not have too much trouble getting seeds to germinate, but they may not: grow to bloom size in your area. I had no troubl e germinating aril seeds in Sidney, but they do not grow well there so they mostly all died. ,; · · · ********** Flom Tsingensis, ' published· in Peking in 1976 (in Chinese) lists. six species of Iris, each illustrated with a line drawing. They are Ii. teatorwn, gonioar,pa, dichotoma, Zaotea, 'l.,)il,;soni., and ?Uthenica. Iris laotea is represented by var. chinensis Koidz (I. paZZasii Fisch. var. ohinensis Fisch.) The Tsinling Shan is a mountain range in central China, southwest of the city of Hsian (Sian). Des­ criptions of these species can be found in Dykes and elsewhere, and are thus not essential-but I find myself wishing I could read about such things as uses, distri­ butions, etc. If any of our member s would be able to furnish translations of such items, I will be glad to supply zerox copy. Jean Witt. 724

CULTIVATION OF IRIS KAENPFERI AND LAEVIGATA.

Vn. ShUA.-C.lu H-<.lla.O Rep1•inted f1•om the British Iris Society Year Book 1964 ED: Readers are reminded t hat I. kaempferi is now know as I. ensata.

Iris Kaempferi is a good subject for every garden. It starts blooming in succession to tall bearded irises and lasts for nearly two months. It has hundreds of var ieties which vary in size, colour and blooming season. The earliest ones will bloom while later varieties o~ tall bearded, Louisianas and I . Zaevigata are still in their beauty. The later varieties of I. kaempferi, which are more magnif­ icent than the earlier c :!es, will bloom with early to mid-season daylilies. Some of the recent varieties show signs of a reblooming habit and bloom again occasion­ ally in late summer or early autumn. In Hokkaido where the summer is cooler than Honshu (the main island of Japan) some varieties are reported to bloom frequently as late as October, until the early frost kills the last bloom.

In contrast to the large variation of Iris kaempferi., Iris "laevigata has only about a dozen varieties, but is a lcvely and elegant iris. I. Zaevigata may not be good in a border garden, it is happiest always in water or by the w~ter- side. It blooms soon aft~r the Siberian iris, and one or two varieties of it are reliable rebloomers.

The widespread misunderstanding that Iris kaempferi have to be planted by the water-side, might have come partly from the confusion of I. kaempferi and I. Zaevigata, and also from the common practice in Japan, that public gardens of I. kaempferi are flooded in the blooming season, not for the better growth of the plant but for the · better scenic view. At other seasons a visitor will find the same gardens are no longer flooded and the plants happier. In their natural habitat, I. kaempferi is found on a sunny hillside with grass and shrubs, and not in swamps. I. Zaevigata is found in a marsh and never in a dry place.

I. kaempferi is also a wonderful plant for pots, either large or small. The root system does not spread as much as many other perennials, which is an advantag~ for admiring the kaempferi in a small pot. A plant in a seven- inch pot may produce more than five blcomstalks and is a gorgeous show. A normal bloom is seen in a three to four- inch pot, which may be a good way to send the blooming pots to market. Iris "laevigata blooms well in pots. The cultivation is similar to kaempferi, but · the pot must be kept always in water.

· It is often said that I. "-1.empferi is difficult to establish and takes nearly ·· two years fo'r a good perfon,,ance. Th:l:s is, however, not true. Possibly their failure might have come from the plants having been divided and replanted in spring, which is an unhappy season for keampferi to be moved. I. kaempferi seems to form new roots about twice a year, soon after the bloom and in earl y autUIIm, both of which are goQd t?,-nies to repl ant, but at _no other season. The fibrous root system which spreads thro.ugh the earth before the frost kills the foliage in autumn, is the most important facto:..· for the magnificent performance next summer. If the root system is damaged by dividing the clump in spring, the plant finds difficulty in surviving till the early sununer, when young new roots take the place of the old. This habit seems to be a problem, especially in the case of export, as the soil has to be

completely removed from the roots 9 which will cause a considerable disturbance to the root system; neyerthaless ·the ·shipment has to be .done, to reduce transportation costs, in the winter season whe~ the plant is dormant. However, the problem will easily be settled by pr~paring the plant in sphagnum moss or sawdust a few months

. . , .

) I, • •• . . , .. 725

prior to shipment. The compost do es not have to be removed on the'export and impor't:" inspection, and the plant will bloom normally some months aft er arrival.

I. ka01npferi prefers acid soil. As the soil in Japan is more or less acid all · over and this ir~s grows easily i n most gardens, Japanese gardeners pay little attention to the acidity of the soil, and I regret to be unable to give accurate data 'on what pH would be the be:st for kaempferi. However , lime resistance seems to differ, depending on varieties~ some turn yellow on the same soil where others suffer nothing. In my experience, I . kaempferi is more lime resistant the Primula and Calceolaria. I have a large collection of PrimuZa sieboldii which turns yellow in the same ·soil where kaempfer>i are never influenced. In a garden in the States ' where the soil reaction was almost neutral, some of the varieties I sent a few ,years ago were seem almost normal, while the others were badly yellowed.

I. laevigata seems much more lime resistant then I. kaempferi. This is curious, as its natural habitat is swamps where one often finds a very high acidity.

Heavy soil seems be tter for both irises than light, loamy soil. Sandy soil, if good moisture is available, makes excellent growth for the first few years but it does not last long. I . kaempfer>i, in a garden, is better replanted in new soil every two or three years. However, there arc many places in Japan where the iris has been left unmoved for forty years or more without any trouble as to growth. On the other hand, there also are many places where they are practically unable to grow, after some years of luxuriant growth, possibly due to the lack of some minor elements in the soil.

Recently, sawdust was found to be a good compost in which to pot kaempferi3 especially to establish a poor fan, in summer or autumn. Any sort of wood, it seems, will do, if it is boiled with water for a while, to remove the water soluable compounds which may be injurious to the young roots. As the boiled sawdust contains no nourishment, one has to feed the plant frequently, after establishment.

On a new plantation of I. kaerrrpferi 3 any sort of manure should be strictly avoided. In fact, impatient feeding is a main cause of failure for beginners. Especially in the case of summer planting any sort of manure in the soil preYents a new fan from rooting rapidly. One should wait for three weeks, when the new roots are ready to accept the feed. Once established, I. kaempfer>i is a good feeder and responds well.

In both cases of garden and pot, planting is done either soon after the bloom . or in early to mid autumn when the foliage is still green. The clump is divided into single fans with the aid of scissors, or by hand, into blocks with two or three fans on each. The leaves are cut back to about the half of their original height in the same way one does with the bearded iris. The fan is planted a little deeper than in the case of tall bearded iris, namely about half an inch deeper than the joint of foliage and rhizome. The surface of the soil is pressed well by the hands, to avoid being shaken by wind. It is desirable to water regularly, especially in the case of summer planting, till the plant roots perfectly. Mulching i s very good to encourge establishment. In a garden well established plants stand a lasting dry spell. In California, I found some kaempferi which I had sent a few years ago, planted side by side with tall beardeds, receiving water only twice a month in a hot summer season. The kaempfer>i would certainly be happier if watered more abun­ dantly, but anyhow the plants were healthy, with deep green foliage and some dead stalks which had bloomed a few months ago. I had an experience of digging up a kaempferi clump from my garden, forgetting to plant it in a new place, and l eaving 726

• • _. •I"' :•: ,i'J •• f" -: • •

. • : !:, : : . ::•:•• J., it in the weeds. In autunm, when the weeds, which had been hiding the ciump through -the hot summer,, d,i.~_d do~.,. _I was surpi::ised to find the plant was still living •

. ' . ') , I •. }~aempfer~ <½SP survi ves in water. Japanese gardeners often keep the dividec. fans .in~ b~cket.,pf w~t~~ when they have no time to plant them in the soil. I also., have l eft a f.an ~ ~ater from July t o April, through the winter, and the fan .. -continued to live. ill the water without any soil. Next spring the poor rhizome again sprouted in the water.

Pot culture of I. kaempferi is easy and trouble saving. In summer when the bloom is over, the plant is dug out of the ground or put out of the old pot, and is divided into single far.3. The fans ar e planted in small pots with new and rather · poor soil; three to four -inch pots are handy. A large pot with too much soil will ~etard the rooting, as is ~OiiDilonly seen with many pot plants. The pots are kept in a shallow pool which saves the trouble of watering greatly. The depth of water should be shallow, about half an inch may be most desirable. After three weeks o~e will note the centre leaf of the fan which had been rather feeble-looking, getting' more vigorous, which is the sign that the fan has established and is ready to ·. accept fertilizer. On frequent feeding with any sort of garden fertilizer, the f~n will grow rapidly and will make an ~normous plant in five or six weeks. Whenever the pot seems too small for the plant, it should be transferred to a larger one. If one wants to bloom several plants in a large pot, now is the chance to plant. After the repotting to a larger pot, in early to mid-autumn, it seems better not to keep the pot in water but to water regularly on the surface of the soil, which encourges better growth of the roots. However, a busy gardener often keeps his potted kaempferi in water throughout the year except in winter. In spite of its sensitiveness to fertilizer when newly planted in summer, kaempferi is a he~vy feeder in autumn and should be fed well at that time . In winter, kaempferi stands h~avy frost and ice, but the pot should be protected by a mulch from being broken ; by ice.

In spring when the plant start~ into growth, frequent feeding is very desirable. However, the feeding should be stopped about one month prior to the bloom. Excess of fertilizer will cause petal-rot.

Higo varieties of Iris kaempferi have been improved for pot culture. They are not tall and the flowers are most magnificent and are superior for pot culture to other strains. Many Higo flowers expand so enormously on the second day of the bloom that one will hardly recognise them. In many cases the process of the expansion is very interesting and even mysteri ous; the fascinated fanciers call this habit of the flower, "play" or "act". The "act" of a flower is naturally seen better indoors than in• the open, where ~!ind and sunshine will prevent the minute j changes of the fl~wer from being observed. Usually the beauty of the kaempferi flower reaches its climax towards the midnight of the second day, which will give great pleasure and revelation to the hobby gardener who is occupied in miscellaneqµs work in the daytime. ********** 727

NOTES ON IRIS K.AEMPFERI

"' 4~ ... -...:.,; ED: Readers are re{llinded that I. kaempferi is now !mow as I. ensata.

My first attempts _to grow I. kaempferi were a complete: failure. In spite of the fact that my garden soil is a retentive clay, the plants dried out too much during the summer, and additions of peat at planting time failed to improve matters.

At that time I was interested in growing aquatics by a m~thod described by Niklitschek.as "Cultiva'tion with invisable water surface, 11 which consisted simply of sinking a watertight container, such as a barrel, in the flower bed, so that its upper rim was just below ground l ~vel. When this was filled with suitable compost, a miniature ·bog- }?ed resulted·, which remained waterlogged even during a drought.

This method seemed to offer possibilities for I. kaempferi in the summer , though it also seemed likely that the pl ants would perish in the winter, as all authorities insist on drained, if not dry, winter conditions. However, after a few tests had been made, it seemed very clear that not only did the irises flourish during the sunnner but they also survived a cold winter under these conditions and flowered freely the following year. Since then it has been found impossible to kill the plants by any combination of frost and flooding, and seedlings raised in a tin bath have betn frozen to a block of ice without injury • . ·

I. kaempferi therefore appears to be just as true an aquatic as is I. laevigata. There has been some satisfaction in establishing this, although we should have known it all along, for I . kaempferi ROSE QUEEN has been planted in pools for a long time under the belief that it was a form of I. Zaevigata, and has taken no harm. If it were more generally known that I. kaempferi not only tolerates, but thrives under bog or aquatic conditions, it would probably be a more popular plant.

There are. of course, fortunate gardens in which it will flourish in the border1 . but, I think, more in which it will not.

When it comes to choice of variety, opinion differs. I confess to preferring the mop-headed giant double forms which are almost universally despised, and oftf:n described as monstrosities. Flower lovers, I notice, provided th~y are not iris enthusiasts, admire them greatly. Unlike most highly developed flowers, which seem to l ose health and vitality through selective breeding, at least some of the double Kaempferi are as vigorous and free-flowering as the single kinds. But if you difinitely must have single irises, ROSE QUEEN, which sets seed freely, and countless other named and unnamed kinds possess all the beauty of wild species.

Growing I . kaempferi £rem s eed is an interesting occupation, and considerably more profitable than raising the tall bearded varieties,. as most of the resulting seedlings will prove attractive enough to keep. Seed, planted in early winter in boxes or pans of peaty compost and exposed to all weathers, will germinate freely the following spring. By transplanting into a boggy site as soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle, a few of the seedlings will flower the following year.

Shortage of space and lack of time usv J.-.: ,condemm mi~e to .~peµd their first year in the seed box, and in the following -sp:i;dng·they are ·moved ouf into their permanent quarters. They then produce their first flowers the third year after sowing. From commercial seed, the greater proportion of the seedlings will prove to be single, but the coloration and markings vary in a remarkable way. Doubles do occur, however, and all are interesting. 72-8 ..

Providing it is given the necessary moist conditions I . kaempferi is a remark­ able healthy plant, and the only disease I have encountered is a type of "rust", which turns the foliage ~eddish-brown ond stunts the growth. Although similar in its effects to 11 Scorch11 in bearded irises, it does not, as a rule, prove fatal. This complaint is common to a number of water-loving irises, and there seems to be no. way of preventing it •.

Althoug~ sa,t:isfaccory r esults can be obtained with any heavy garden soil, there is no doubt that good feeding is beneficial, and rotted vegetable matter, or any­ thing from the c9mpost heap, will be acceptable. Lime is to be regarded as undesir­ ab+e, but bone meal,· strangely enough, seems to give good results, as do small amounts of artificial fertilizer. Commercial liquid manur~s used at the recommend­ ed rates are extremely t:.atisfactory, and I would regard them as of the greatest · assistance where only poor soil is available. Reprinted f2>om the British Irie Society .Year Book 1948 **********

CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION OF SIGNA

Recent changes to the membership of the EXECUTIVE COUNCIL have shot,)n the need to split the work wad of the SECRETARY- TREASURER into tux> positions. At the same time it was thought wise to make clearer that this is a voluntary group and no one in any position is to receive payment for services .

ARTICLE VI ADMINISTRATION, Section B (as it now stands) Secretary-Treasurer. Who shall record membership and finances, and communicate records of the same to the membership via the NEWSLETTER. AS .Alf.I.ENDED: Section B - Treasurer. Who shall be in charge of finances and communicate records of the same to the membership via the NEWSLETTER. Section C - Membership Secretary. Who shall keep the membership records, and furnish lists of members to the other executive board members as necessary for their respective operations.

ARTICLE V FINANCE, Section B (as it now stands) No moneys shall be issued from the Treasury in payment of services to any member of the executive council. AS AMENDED: No moneys shall ; issued from the Treasury in payment of services to any member of the Society, or to any member of the executive council.

The above changes were approved by the executive in the swrmer of 1979. Since we are unabZe to hoZd executive meetings the approval was by ciraulating letter. ED: SLIDE SETS

SIGNA now has an excellent set of some 100 35mm colour slides of species iris. These may be rented for showing . Please send requests well in advance, preferably 30 days, state exact date desired and an alternate date if possibl e. REQUESTS TO: Mrs. Karol Hujsak, 3227 S. Fulton Ave., Tulsa, Oka. 74135, U.S.A. 729

Results of Competition.

In the Year Book of 1930 a Competition was arranged in which members of the Society or their gardener$ could take part. The problem set was to name the roots illustrated by a series of drawings numbered 1 to 22. The drawings are here reproduced and a list of the species ill:1strated is appended.

IRIS ROOTS.

A. The vst>d tp 61116 cf /t1j/ y('d/". fJ. T/2e Jlo~r;n.9 6vl6 jor ,½e comm.9 ycdl: o/J.sel jor noI y ears you~ 6t,/&.

11. 730

IRIS ROOTS. 731

IRIS R 001S.

22. 732 IRIS ROOTS.

4.

"·\ \\ \

6. 8.

LIST OF THE ROOTS ILLU$TRATED. 1. juncea. 12. hispanica. 2. sisyrinchium. 13. caucasica. 3. Boissieri. 14. Lortetii. 4. Danfordiae. 15. iberica. 5. susiana. 16. atropurpurea. 6. persica. 17. Bismarkiana. 7. histrio. 18. Bloudowii. 8. tingitana. 19. arenaria. 9. anglica. 20. Mariae. 10. alata. 2 I. tu berosa. 11. reticulata. 22. lupina.

ED : Reprinted from the BRITISH IRIS SOCIETY YEARBOOK for 1931 733

Iris hen:r>yi

This drawing by Jean Witt was taken from a herbarium sheet.

Reginald Farrer, in his book ON THE EAVES OF THE WORLD, p . 128, describes Iris hen:ryi as he saw it growing in Kansu: " .•.• in the coarse grass-banks and ditches o f the fell was a delicate wee white Iris , running freely through the tangle, with galaxies of milk-white little diaphanous blooms that suggested those of Triteleia, being of the same s kim- milk tone, occasionally flushing in the same way to a skim-milk blue that radiates from the rim of peacock-eye of gold, outlined with a rim of blue that sometimes, though rarely, faintly suffuses all the flower. This delicate-looking treasure copes quite successfully with that hard and brutal herbage, running wirily about like so much couch-grass, and pushing up everywhere around its delicate foliage and thread- fine stems, each carrying the starry pure bloom that al so recalls some small Poet Narcissus, if it were not that Narcissus brings an image of fat stems and solid texture, whereas this little Iris is as fleshless as crick's creak, and of a texture no more solid than a dream. It is, too , as a dream that here I dwell upon its charms; for I could not manage to get plants of it later in the season, no r was ever able to happen on its seeds . " ***-le* 734

Iris ahrysographes 'Founding Father'

I

'Unexpected Development ' 'New Departure'

II

72CIV 72CVI 72AI . 735 FERTILE CAL-SIBES, .·

NJ_gef. Se1tv,i,ce.

In 1971 I crossed, both ways, IPis ah.Pysographes with a Pacific Coast hybrid of a lready mixed parentage, and obtained some 12 seedlings with the hybrid as pollen : parent and one with Iris ahrysogrophes as pollen parent. The idle experiment of an idle moment which was to have quite unforseen results.

For several years those that survived lived in a shady spot, if not actually unregarded, at least u.."'l.-cher:'.~::1ed and here they existed but did not flower.

It was not until 1975 that I was able to make space for six of the survivors in an already well- crowded border. At the time I thought that these, five from the species and one from the hybrid, were all that had come through, but later I found another two elsewhere, one of which swiftly died when moved.

In the following year four out of the moved five with Iris ah:rysogrophes as pod parent flowered, and later I observed with some incredulity that two of them appeared to be forming capsules, and indeed, despite my disblief the capsules persi.sted in existing and eventually produced a total of 130 seeds. My feeling that this was some rather poor sort of joke cont;l.nued until the spring when a t otal -0f 77 of the~e seeds germinated. ·

Of the four that flowered two were very pale yellow veined violet, one pale purple marked darker and one a pale dull violet-blue again with darker markings and very smart deep purple style arms, all with a bright yellow signal at the base of the fall. It was the two yellow-flowered plants that had proved fert;l.le, and this colouration can only have come from the hybrid pollen parent which could not itself be described as yellow.

From where the pollen came from that fertilized them is of course unknown. Possibilities appear to be apart from cross or self fertilization; various series, Sibiricae species and 28 chromosome hybrids, the pollen parent or some other Pacific Coast hybrid. Fertilization by a member of series Laevigatae was not highly .impro­ bable but not to be contemplated as that would definitely. indicate sterility in the resultant seedlings and a dead-end, at least 9n this occasion. '

With the germination of the seeds I felt it worth registering names for the plants, despite the fact that neither of them are excessively handsome, and so seedling 72CIII became 'Unexpect~d Development', and 72CV 'New Departure'. I also registered the p0llen parent as 'Foundling Father' (I wonder how you Americans missed that?). The plant of Iris ahrysographes from which they came sadly failed to survive the dry summer of 1976.

An impending move of house necessitated a spring transplant in 1977 of all my irises and any other plants that I treasured, crushed so to speak, six to a bed in;o some two hundred large flower pots. But the rather harsher conditions enforced by this did not prevent one of the fertile pair, 'Unexpected Development' from flower~ng again. Sadly a purple tinge which had been discernible., particularly in the style ; arms, had become accentuated and the colouration had really ceased to be pale yellow and had become to my mind rather messy and unattractive. '

However, thi.s did allow me to try some crosses, both ways with practically every iris in sight. I now have an F generation, and seedl ings of crosses with Iris u)f,Zsonii, Iris ah:rysogrophes, Ins1 deZavayi, and Iris innominata, the first two proving successful in both directions. 736

Ten months spent in pots and then a move from England to France is not the best treatment for any plant, but I got off with amazingly light casual ties with no losses . ~m9~g the ,irst generation and few from the 1977 seedlings.

:j:n 1978 both plants flowered. I was away for the blooming and did not leave the stems to see if fertilization had occurred as neither was in great health. In fact most of the flowers on 'Unexp2cted Development 9 failed to open.

So 1979 was to be the big year with the added possibility that at two years the first of the 1977 seedlings might possibly be expected to flower. In the event, tho~gh something of a disapointment in some ways, the season has been highly sat­ isfactory in others. One of the unflowered plants died, the other flowered proving to be also a p~e yellow, the fall marked well below the signal with a semicircle of short dark hatchings. 'Unexpected Development 9 did not flower:, but'New Depart­ ure' produced one stem with one bloom allowing me to establish it as self-fertile. I failed to cross it with Iris o'la.Pkei or Iris pseuda.oorus. In addition, one of the flowers on the pale purple plant 72CIV had a much deformed ovary and this did become fertilized; by goodness knows what! None of the 1977 seedlings flowered.

As to the nature of the plants involved~ rather more information should obvious­ ly be given. ' Foundling j/ather r is a distinctly handsome and vigorous plant, and well branched. The flowers ~e what you might call pale biscuit coloured, the falls being strongly centred with purple and suffused blue. It is unfortunately inclined to be killed off almost entirely every few years by what appears to be a virus, and at the moment is reduced to three points. The pod parent was typical of its species, dark purple-violet and marked with yellow at the base of the falls. The one result, from the reverse cross, rather unimaginatively designated as 72 1, is a typical enough interseries hybrid of this sort with mid-purple flowers.

The five with which we are concerned all look at a superficial level, very much like members of series Sibiricae; they are fully herbacious with more or less pendant falls and standards which lack substance and in some cases even form. The stems are unbranched, though on two plants on separate occasions, grotesquely elong­ ated pedicels were produced~ None of them is very vigorous and 'New Departure' increases so slowly as to cause me constant concern. The shapes of the floral segments, the stigmas and th~ stamens are shown i u the illustration, life size.

With regard to the other featur.;;s men-tioned by Jean G. Witt in THE WORLD OF IRISES, p.231; the foliage droops at the tips, the stems vary as to the amount o f tissue within them and the petal bases are flanged.

The seeds of 'Unexpected Development; are D-shaped to irregular, pale brown and compressed; those of 'New Departure' are smaller sub- spherical, dark brown and wrlnkled; 72CIV has produced larger seeds which, though they are not fully ripe at the time of writing, look as if they will be dark brown. The fact that this last pro­ duced seeds is a reminder that the full potential, particularly with regard to pollen fertility of the plants has been far from fully examined.

As I consider what remains to be done, the conclusion is forced on me that I have neither the temperament nor the ambition to become a hybridist, and although I am obviously pleased and excited to have made this breakthrough, the idea of going through the due and necessary processes to begin to evaluate the possibilities of these plants fills me with indifference at best. ********** 2. r RI S !.. I ri~. Fl:1g. Flt·111··clt·-li, 737

Rhizo111atcms or hulbous pert'nniab, so111t·ti111<:s sprl':ulin!-{ hy s111lons; ~1t·111, t'l'lTI, ,-i111pl1· ,w lu,1111 h .. d ; lt'a\"l.:s mosllr h:1sal. so111e1i111cs c:a11li11t', l'<1ui1ant, li11ear 10 n1~if'on11, 11:it. 1t·n·1t·. or q11at)ra11g11l:11. 111,1m - 11t·n·e<1; lnllor<:sn:nc<: a spikt·. raceme. or pa11ic:k. beari11g l-~l'\'t-r;1J llowtTS in rl11s1c1~ (s patlit's 111· ht::111~) l"r11111 paired sp:11h c brans; llowc:rs sh01,·y. nllt:11 hrigl11ly n,lornl. shon-li,t·d; 1q,ab q>ig~ 111n1.,. clirlt·n·111i:11·t·d i11111 ;m m11cr a11cl i1111cr 1d10rl of :1 L'ach, llllilt:d ht:1011· i1110 :1 long or ~hon pL'ria111h 111 hl'; mllt-r 1q,. d, (!'all, or st'pals) spreading, recurved or rclll'xecl, s,>111t·1i111es t'l'l'n :tile! ard1i11 g. ill sollll' spt'cil's lil'ar,11'. nc.:sllcd agai11st I he s1yle branch, the ;111IIH:rs '.! -n:llt:d. l>asi lixecl: o,·;i r~· i11f't-rior. :1 . or (i-:111gled. :I-lorn led: ~, ~ il­ di, idcd into :i pctaloid style branches, 1he~e 11 .~11 :d l~· an'hed m·L'r the bib :111cl 1ogt·thl'r si11111bti11g a 1111H' l'nr 1h c polli11a1or. the stigmatic: surl'ace on the ;1daxial,side hl'hincl a -.liort lip and 1t·r111i11:11t'd I,~ a liilid, 01'11·11 l.11 e1·:nc style crest; f'r11it a loculiciclal caps11k. the st·t·cls 1111111ero11s. in (I)'.! nm·~ in cal'h lnrulc.

:-\ ~c,..nus uf :thou I 150 specit:s in lhl' ~- Tt:mp. /.unc. nu~,t~ ul Eu1;l'.. ia. f~.1111t· frun1 1l1r (.1 c.·c.•l.. ,r,,. 111c.-.,11i11~ ra111hoh. 111 1c•lt·H·t11 t· tu ,,,.. m:iny hri)llll ,·ulur, uf llu,,·crs.) Sevt•ral spc:,ri('"S and flla11J" hrbrids of Iris ;.u-e \\'dl•kUoh'tl ).f.ttdcu pb11b. 'll1t· fnllo\\·i11~ l...c.·, I\ tu tlll' 111111 t.' C. UIIIIIIUII ,,u-, ic:'\ pt.1111c:d Ill lloW('I g-;1nlc1t> i11 n11r ,11 c.·a. \\'e ha\·c: unly one ttati\'C 'f>c.•dc.•,, I m1,Hu1tnl'mh, arnl uni, thu "' llu.• t ulr1\':Ul'II ,J>t·t·ic:,. I. K''""""'u' .11111 /. thrtulrirunu, ;,,n: S...11 0"" 10 cst·apc. For casv idc-111ifica1ion ut thc.·,c.· 11>1 t'l' ,pc.·dc·,, , c.'l' tlic ,tiuud ~'')·

l{dl'H'll(C"i: lhkl's, \\'. R. The !;Cillis lri,. C;unhrid~t· l 111i\'. l'n·"· l.n11drn1. pp. I-:!·I:>. 1!11:1. FcNt'r. I{,<:.:\ C')IIHaxo1111111ir ,un·t') 01'1h,· :'\rn ilt ,\11«Tic.111 ,p~ci,·, c.l /,i,. Cu1111 , (;1,1\ llc-111, I l!I; :I~';:! l!i:17. l .;own ·11c·c. (;, II. ~I.:\ n·dassific:11io11 ol 1ht· )ll' IIIIS /u,. (:,·1111·, llnh. H; :\.lfi-:17I. I!,:,:\, --. :11,,l I.. F. Hanclolph. ·11,l' cl,"sitic.,1io11 111 iriw,. /,,; I.. F. R.uul11lph l1·d. ). (,.,rcll'lt i,i,.--. C:anrJ.:;c 1'11·"· 1,1,,,.,1. :S: .Y. pp. t:1:1 - ltifl, l\l;j\J.

KE\' ·10 ·111~ C:o\1~111:X c: .,1w1.:s. 1111~~., (;1s rq1n·~t·111,·d in our rq~io11) R1101-.tcx:k a liulh. ' 1 S1a11dards (inner 1epals) small and spreading or 1·dlexecl l,etwel'l1 the l;ll"gc1·, l'1TC'I foll,- (-7.:"> 011 long; lt·:11·<·, qu,alr:111 - gular ...... : ...... I . , rtin,/11/11 :,. I. l~id ,. 4 Plant:-. larger, the stems 3 dm or more i11 length; peri:1111h 1111,e le,~ than I .:i m1 long-: lt':1n:, flat. · :i F.111 with a f-iddle-shapecl base, with a cons1rinio11 ,-ep:11 ~1ting the 1,1:ick lrn111 the olilo11g- cl\'al d:iw; include~ Spanish :r11d D11t ch irise~ . .' ...... / . .,ij,/1111111 I .. :i F:111 \\'ith a cuneate base, i.e., thc 1,1:rdc grad11:1II~ narrowing i1110 tin· d:11.-: E11gli,h lri, • ...... • ...... • . . . • . . . . • . • ...... • . . . • • • ...... I . .\i/1h111,,J,., El11 h. Rootstoc~ a rhizo111e. Ii Falb (01 11 t·r 11:pals) bearded or with fring-<'d \\'.td C:r('stl'CI lri-...... I. rri,tnln .'->1>l;111d . 8 l'la11ts taller, the stems Cl' id cnt. :\-:i d111 long. t'<(ualli11g- or tXn'l'ding 1hl· lt·an·~ ...... · ...... ·...... I. lrrfurum :O.l:1,i111. 7 Falls heardccl, the heard of multircllular hairs. 9 Ikard cliffmc on the claw ;111d l<>wcr hl;1de; ~eecb with a l·rn1,-pic1101" \\'hi1c aril (011n,­ crclm irise~). 10 ·Falls cream-white to sky blue wit h linc purple \'eins and p11rpli.,h dots: ,ta11dard, p:ill' p11rple ()I' rcllowi~h . ... , .... , ...... , , ...... /. ,!!,fllt'\(I Fmte1

JO Fall, hrn1,·11i sh-purple \\'ith darh hl'0\\'11 ,poi~: ,tandard, l,row11i ~h -\\'hi1c: :0.Journing I ri, · ...... / . .,11,i,1110 I.. \t Ikard rc111li11,·d to :i narrow line. 11 Falb a11d .~ra11dards ht'arclccl: ~t·t·ds ,,·ith a large. crcam-colorcd aril (lfrgcli:i iri,e,) ...... t. t,,,,,i:"m" Ud.c·, I I Fall, hearclccl: ":111cl:11'd~ 11111 l>t·ankcl: ,;et·ch wit '10111 ;, ro11,pic11011~ :11 ii c l'ogoniri:-. · iri,t·,). I'.! l'l:1111~ th,·arr. I ht· ~1('111, I ,h,11h-1<' 01 \ ('1'\' ,hort ...... , ...... /. /111111ila ( I:! l'la111, t:dll·r. the ~•t·111,- 11u11T 1h:111 :1 d11; long. I :I I 11f11irt':-c enC'e ('1(11:tlling I he leal'l:,: llo\\·er:-. yellow and 1l'ddi,h-l,row11 ... /. mrirga/11 I I :I I 11llore~n·11,T l''\rn:di11g ti 11· k:1n·s: flower~ ,·iolc1 to 1\'11itt·. · 1·1 Sp:ill1t· lw;u·1, si hl'n -,ra1iou~ ...... /. J11,l/id11 l.a t11 . 1·1 Spa1he l,rac1, grl'c:11 111 1111h panh 'l'arirn1,: :111 i111rndtH'l'd ~pcrit·, ,rn11t·· tilll('~ l",capi11g nd1i,:11ion (,t·c trt·:i1111t·111 l,('(ow) ...... I. / . g,·r111a11iro Ci l·.dl, wi1h11111 ;, heard or ('l'l'Sl. I:> l11ll nre,,·t'11c·1· :i r:trc1 11 e: -.t'ed, C'(':1ri11g . ,c1·n ;il I, 111g lc::l\"Cs : 1111\l' c n ! l'lli ,w: ;111 i 111 rodu rL· cl 'I ,ecic, ol 1e11 e,ca p- i 11 g n il1 i,·:11 irn 1 :il o1 1g \\':& ti:: 1 1·1H1 r,l'-' (, ce I re:1111 w 111 l1el o 1,·) ...... '.! . I . /111•11rlflrn111.1 l. IK , 1,·111 , IH": ll i11g co11h :! - I t('cl1Hn l k :11n: ll,m1·1, ,·:11 ·im1,ly ,·ulur ·d: garcl c u p l:1 111 .s 111 11 l..11 co1,n 111 ,. 1·;i p1 · , n hi\:il irn 1. l!l l· l1>1 n·rs 1·dln1,i, h lo \\ hilc '.! O Flo,n-r, p:1h- \dlo\\ ...... , , , . . , ...... , ...... - , , . . , , / , 111 1111111·,,,-; DC. '.! II Fl m,·1-r, wh i1v \\'il l1 golcll'tl· l"l' li c1w lilo1dH·s ,u1 Ili c l:db , ...... I . 111·11 •11/nli.1 /\ lillt-1 I \J Fl c111Trs hllll' ,,r IHll' Jlil ' ...... , . , ...... , .. , ...... , . / . .< /nrria I..

h r. \ 10 I ll~: i\A"ll l ' f. ()~ ,l\.; ,1·11 ·1t ,II.I/ Ell J1;r:-.1·::s l.,·: 11 ,·, IJ1 rwlh 1· 11 , ilor m . l '.! -·111 111111 ln o,11 !: in1n1cl u1l·d , p1T i1..·s 11 l1 c11 c:s1 :iping u 1li i,·;11 in n. '' Fl""IT' p1t·~l11111 in;1111 h pur pli~h l!I' hlu i, h: E, 11 ~ (011 11 ·1 1q1;,lsJ h,·:inll'd: s1:11 11l;irrls (i11 111-r l(•p,ds) .tlu ,111 11 11' , :,nn· ,iw a, 1h e lalk pl:111 1s or rd:i 1in·h rlrr li :1hi1:11 , ...... I. /. grn11a11im ., l"l11 1H-r, : l' ll o\\' : I.di , 11 01 ht·:i n kd : ,i:1 11d :inls 111u r h ~11 1:tl l -rand 11;11To1,·l'I 1ha 11 IIH' f"alb: plant~ c,l[l' II g 111 \\' i ll j.!; ill \\';lll'I' ...... , , , ,, , . , ...... ,, ,,. ,, ...... '.! . f , /1,lf' /ldr1rri111 · I .,-. 11 ,-,- Ii 11c ar. '.! .:, - ,._, (! I ..-,) 111111 liro:icl : 11 .11 in· pLu 11 , ...... :I. /. 111 i.mmrir11.,1 ,

I. I ri s g- <"r ma ni ca I.. l.11 c. 11,11.illy t he ~: 1111 · ro lnr a~ 1he .~1a11rl.irds: rap­ , ,,~ ,:n m,,mr,, L. Sp. l't :ut 1;s:,. f'I f.,h i1~11 m Gc11 11a11i ac . ulcs ·1- :> nn long. m ·oid . 1rigo11 011 s: '.!11 = '-14. <1 8. r di1i,."" ) C:raH.·l h hill,idt·, :mfl \\,1 , 1c.· pt.11 <'"' .,nuuHI h;1hit.111on~. proh;1hh Fl,·1ff-cll'- li.,. ( ;l'n 11 ;111 iris. h'l1t·r t" d i" . 11 dt.·d; 11;111 n .· nl ihc- ~lt·dil . fl'h~nu . \\ t«fc.·h cuhh·;,t cd l11 rc1op. I q!;iun~ ul" ill(· h ill l,L 1\p1 il- ;\ l ,ff. 1 s,.,111 rl1i1.0111 :11 rn 1.s pnc 1111i a ls. 1l1t· r hi 1.rn1 1t·., up'" / ru ~rnnrmirll h:t~ \ idd t· d 111 a n r ~iU d l'll I 0 1'1 11'"- nht·n a~ a rc5,u h ol :i r 111 1l1icJ..:: Stl·111 ~ :i - 1() d111 1:dl. 01'1t·11 lir;111 c- lH'cl lrrn11 Ii ~-I1 J"ic lital icrn and sclt·ct ion. il1 t· 111 iddlt-. 111 1· h r; 111 r hcs i11 axils nf' i11ll ;11 l'\"ary: l:111, (01111 '1' 1,·pals) (i-H 10 1 111 hrn:id. llw rl1 i1rnm·, 11p ,., ·I n11 rhick; s!cm, 1111 l,n1g ;i11rl :1- :·, !'Ill lir":ul. lirr,:ldiv ,,l,.,\',ilt·, IT· ,J- 1:", d111 1;dl. kal1·. l1r:irnlH'd; 11':I\'(', lirnadl)' l'II· 1111 \1·, I.· p11r pl i~l1. 1:1n·i11g- 111 1d 1ill· \,·id, n·ll n1,·. wl1it1· sil'1> n11. I'.!-'.!:, ('. 1:1) 111111 l,n,:1d . ..:l; 11 1co11 .s: fl o wering ,11111 h 1n1,11 H·i11~ . 1111' 111l'd ia11 lim· n·ll,111 b,·ankcl. Sfl'llls nl'l,·11 lnam l1l·d ;uu l ll1·a r i11,.: s1'\ ,-ral sp:1t hes. d11· h;,ir, 11111i1 in·l111 lar-rl;i\';IIC' : ~1.1 111l a n ls (i11 11 cr rll(' ll·rminal .~p:11111.: '.! - to :l -llr11n·1Trl. 1hc lateral ll'pal , J ;1!1<>1 11 lhl' ~a1111· ~i,.c a~ 1ht· !:ills. ol m\·;11 •. s pathl's 1- ('.! )-flo\\'ernl : sp, u hc brans ·l.:i- 7 011 lonv;: t· 11 ·ct-;1n hi 11 g-. l1,11 :dl)· lighttT n,l,11 n l 1h a11 die l;il ls: flowe rs hrig h 1 ~·d lC11c pcri;1111 h t 11 hc .~hon, aho111 I'.! s1:11 11 t·11 s whil\' 111 ligh1 1·i11li:1 : Sl)'it l)r: 11 1chcs -'i( >:t tu- 111 111 lo ng-; f':ills (< n1l l'r 1cpals) 5-(i.:i r m long, O\' all'·

,p:1 111b11·. 111 11 nrl l'd . 11(11 licarcll·d . .,prl':idi11g-. 1T ­ I . m i.,omrirnu.\ I. nuf!U\ll.1/mflw R. C:. Fns.tt·r. Cu nr r. (;ra)' Herh. n 1n l· cl . 1lw I l:1 11 (hal'I) 11 ;1 1T11\\·; ,1 :11 11 1:i nl , (i1111 lT fl'· 11! 1: 1;,. 1!1:li. (//, j , //11.1 / 511), llt:rd ,· l'la,1·. C:111· ,11· r1·A1cne, i,l;, h11 . ~l ;u· l!l l·I.! p;tl ,) 1-:1 , 111 lo11 g. 11 ;11To\\·-dlip1 ic 1c1 li nea r . nlH IISl'. /, """""'""'' ; I. (l//in ~ I • .) 11!111 , I.tori!. \\'. l\nl. !I: !Iii, 19fi0. lTl'I I : ;11 11 h1T, l '.!- I(; 111111 lo11g: ,,;1 ~·k h1·; 111d 1es (/',rkrtt <.11 .• l><:twc·cn !'11 ll 111:m and 11':"'' "'·'i. \\'." h .. 3 June liro:11h- r :llld l1> 11gc·r 1h.111 lh(' s1; 11 1d ank :\-:", nn long. l!ll li. ) 11 hl.n111"11b l\'. L11l'r;11,·. an-liin.e; otll \\'al'C ! : 1"a ps11k·~ \1·1·~11·rn iris. \\T~ll'l'II hlul·- lla g-. :1.. ·,_ 7 1111 l,,ng. ,·llip1i,. :ipi, 1da1 1·. 1rig- ,, 11 :1 I. "·i1l 1 (i l:1i111 ,:c;1 ·,11,1 ·1·, : , 1T cl , l'l)IIIHli,h ,,r d d 1, ,id. !"<>11,1· l'l'l'l'tll1i:ils spr(';icli 11g ll\ 1liid.. r hi 1n11 1t· s. 1hc rl1 i- 111 ·,·,"·d. ll-sh:qwrl. , l1in :· lirn11·11: '.! 11 = ~·I. :\I!. :l~-:1-1. 111111rs 1- 1.. ·, nn 1l1kk: Sll' ll1 ~ '.! - Ii (I()) cl111 1:dl; lc:i1Ts li11 ·a r. '.!. ;1- H (!).;>) 111111 lirn;1d: llo\\'l'ring- s1t·111 s barely .\ l1111J..!. .._ 11,·.111 1, . ulrt·11 i11 wa l l"!" 0 ..:--, m d t'l' p : llilli\ t' ul Furopl' ;ind il w \lc·tli1. 1q,! irn1: hi1h•h 111 h i\'all'tl m :\ 111(·1 .. , .,, .quu~ a,un.J.: l,·a1 e r • surpassing lht· lean·s. 1n111 i11a1 i11 g- i11 ;1. '.!- (4)­ crn11 , 1·, , ,ou11111 0 1 111 1lu- lu,, l' I "- r1; 1l t· Rh c·1 l'(.uu, :n ul 111;n ,ht, 1111 llo \\'c rcd sp:1th(': ~p:t lhc h rar!s (:{.5 ) ·l.~1- li (9) cm .-.,,, ,id,·ul ( ,rc·,n ', ,1h J..,~1·. :\t:u -,1 11111·. long : pc ri a111h 111hl' 111 m 1l ~ :,-H111111 long: 1:i ll. (outer 1q1ab) ·l.:i- li (H ) 1'111 lnng. "h01:lfl' to 11hla11l'eol.11c. :1. Iri s mi sso uri c n s i s :\1111. r o111 1dl'd lo t·111argi11 a l(', rc:n irn ·cl. 1he l,h1t· lo violc1 / I'll 1m 111,,,ri1·m1 , ;\ 1111. .J. .\ <, 1rl . :'\'. a l. ~d l'liil:uld phi:i i : .·>tl , IIC'l'\'('S llll ;1 li..:h1 bli1 (' , lil l'Clldt'r or 1d1 ifl • h,irk­ l ,'-t J ~ fl[ \ l'/h , " Joh l! td, I lit· ..,olll( (' "'i nl 1t w ~li",n11ri." ) ).\TOll l!d, 11ltc11 1,·i1h a pa1r li nf )cllo\\' in lhl· rc111er, ho ,·1m1 l11J iln-l/,1 \ ;11 . 1•11/a m1·1ru1 J h-1 lw1 l I'S' f i t>o ~. Fl. HorC':111 , liH' rl :1\,· (li;il 't) lo ng. ex pa1uli11g g r: 11111 :ilh· i1110 tht' ,\ 11u-1 . '..! : :,.' Oli, nn u I 111/ m rn w ,r l ll·ilu·11 in l 1Huk. K.· .'\ I'll. l\11 1 fll-1•1 Ji ,,,\ \ '4n,11:,1· '.\! Ui. l.ti•lO. r ' I l.1h. RiH'1 \ \°;d;11111"I. 1,1:Hlt- : ~ta11da rrl s (i 11 1u -r ll·pab) ah111 11 a , !1111g a.~ the , \ \" \ rnc •1 u .1, J',,/uur . ... ) r1111t·r le pa ls . olil;111n·1>la11· . e111a rgi11a ll'. C1 hl11~t' or ,m~m1111,•11,I\ ,,/1,,flu,u ( ,1 111'-.1·1t:II. \\", ·\ 1111 ·1. !\11 Ii · l:\;1 , 18, !>. at"llll'. l'l l't"t. pall' hl11 t· . pak p11rpk- 111 "hi1c; an1hcr~ 11umr11 11wl11>11 l\\'t·t \ l1111111 ,1111 \ ';,lh·,, ( .0111.) /,mt11/1d11J,, \,H ,,,m,1mm Ba~t·1. ) l.1rn fh . la uh-.n· 10. tS!r!, I :1- 17 11111 1 lo ng: SI) le l,r.111d1 l'< '.! - ·I n 11 lo, 11 ,(,( . 1k111a1c. 1·· 11 ro lr- 11 ' I", .11 1 '" C:.d iloc m,o. /11 ,1 ):,llh1H·rl hi /J,i rr~/tt, ,11 ~:11 11(' 1olor :1.~ 1/w ~1:1 1111 :nd. : (';i pstd,·, :\-,i (Ii ) c111 I s-1· 1," 1 long. ~hml-<" )liwlril :d 10 s11hg loli11~l' . ;1pi1 11la1c. /j. / , /ii ·lo,t:.H J/ Jt\ ( ~41 rr11d1l Hn1. c:. 11 . :u : IIH 1!10',! , / , /,U \ \liltfll'll\l\ \ ;II , ridg<·d: '211 = '. Hi . -IS . Ji,Jo,: 1r 11 11 , I~ ( ,. l·n~ 1er, C rir lll' , ( :·ra,· I l c· d 1. l I~1 : l lft, Hl:\7 , t. l. S,•lw ri i /fl2 . H, p.,t, Ran< Ii . Sl\'('l ' I h:111'1 ( ,11 ., \\\11,l ~lat :w,.hn,. rnoi, 1 11 u·acl1n, , . , ,, ,·,11 11 h;11 1k,. ,l uu c·, .1 rnl a 11;; p1•11 h'O(J(ls. I. m,,n/1,rUJ , uu ,., l hl..t.'' · ( : l' l1 . l li

IRIS F:\,\lll.\'

pseudocorus .1 1 I JA.J \._,_ ~ 12 r~·I ,

Iris germonico

Iris missou

' \

Reprinted from INTERMOUNTAIN FLORA, Vascular Plants of the Intermountain West, U.S.A. Published by the NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDENS, 19?7 740

COMMEtTARY ON V. I . GRUBOV'S TREATMENT OF THE ENSATAE*

Ernest G. B. Luscombe

I have carefully studied Grubov's findings concerning_!. lactea Pallas and _! . oxypetala Bunge. He mak es the point that he has selected extreme examples of both entiti es in order to illustrate the ir morpho­ logical dive rgencies . In consequence it is difficult to avoid the impression that there may be intergrades between the two, especially as he emphasizes their variability. Certain features concerning_!. oxypetala puzzle me . According to Grubov its geographical range extends from South Primorsk in the far east of Siberia, Ko r ea , and across China , Inner Mongolia, Tibet , West Sinkiang, Kashmir, and Pamir-Alai, whereas in Flora Iranica, although there is a mere mention of the type collection having been ob tained near Peking, the general distribution does not even mention China, but gives i t as Pakistan, Hi ndukush, the Himalayan region, and Soviet Central Asia, i .e., only the western extreme of its range. Apart from Grubov's positive indication, it is clear tha t _!.. oxypetala is indigenous in China seeing that the epithet " chinensis" occurs r epeatedly in its synonyms. The illustration on page 1 4 of Werckmeister ' s " Catalogus Iridis" (1967) also suggests that.!_. ensata var. chinens is is synonymous with.!_. oxypetala Bunge. This plate also shows the acute apex of the fall segment, to wh i ch no doubt the epithet "oxypetala" alludes . Grubov mentions "Dunbay" in describing the ranges of both I . lactea and I. oxypetala. Can anyone i nform us where "Dunbay" may be?

On page 640 Grubov, in discussing s tem-hei ght , says that the height of the flowering stalk in l · oxypetala "al so is not constant although it is usually higher than the leaves". In Flora Iranic.a i t says , "stem obsolescent, with a peduncle at flowering time to 8 in. long, or peduncle absent". In Werckmeister, page 114, the flower-stems are quite prominent, but much shorter than the leaves . It seems strange to suggest that the stern and peduncle are different structures. On page 640 of SIGNA #21 Grub ov says that the flowering stalk in the second variety (evidently I . oxypetala) is "usually higher than the leaves ." -

On page 33 of "World of Irises", Siberia is not included in the range of the En satae .

* cf. SIGNA #21 , pp. 639 -646 . 741

U.:lTERS

~'Ony Hall , Hoyal lbtanic Garc'iens, Y-e·1.-.;, :England ••• that a surperb pan of about 25 flowering stems of the oddly small Molsees Evansia hybrid received a great deal of attention and a Preliminary Commendation, subject to naming, on its maiden showing to the Joint Iris Committee on March 13 last (1979). This plant resulted f rom a backcross on the James Stevens hybrid 'FAIRYLAND 1 (I. japonica· ' Uwodu' X I. con.fusa) by pollen of I . confusa) .Molseed had written in Nay 1962 of having gott~n seed from that cross, among others, but that the bees were having far greatei;- successes than he. Of the seedlings that resulted, from both hand-crossed and bee-pods, this. was the only one that showed any individ­ uality; he was using various forms of the species and registered hybrids of these Asiatic cane-bearing Evansias , and the result was a lot of similar seedlings ex!ept for this one, and curiously it was only about half-size, (suggesting the possibility of its being haploid?) . Such a display of the small pale frilly flowers must have c reated quite a sight. As it does not make the usual long stolons it is an ideal subject for pot or basket cultivation. Increase is by short fans near the base of the aerial 11 cane11 ·in a very neat manner. It has been registered to honor its breeder 'ELWOOD MQLSEEDt. ED: H.eaders refer to SIGJJA p. 54 and p. ~64 .

Angus Robertson I ris setosa ssp. interior "I have finally been able to get a clump of the iris from the interior of Alaska; I saw this lone plant which I had to dig out of rocks and solid clay with my bare hands, and am rushing it with great hopes for its survival." (The plant arrived in good condition and t..~e following day another letter) .

"I wanted to verify that plant as being Iris setosa ssp. interior; since it was the only one in sight there there was no chance to select for quality of the flower. When fresh it keyed to the subspecies according to Huld!n. That fact plus. the location definitely qualify as being authentic. In years past when I worked for the Fish and Game Department, I had travelled the Yukon by boat from Fort Yukon to its mouth; there are no roads of course. The Tanana River valley, a -major section and tributary of the Yukon, is part of this vast unglaciated area, and this plant was found in that area, near Fairbanks. tJr1 currently working on my place after the long absence up on the North Slope, trying to beat the wilderness ·back from the _door.n

Happily this plant never looked back and shortly there were new roots and l eaves, but in an unusually cold winter here it missed the snowcover of the interior of Alaska and by spring was reduced to a mere co~ple of srr.a.11 fans. It will in time be for sharing with anyone who wants to study this historic plant~ the one Anderson · posed as having been ancestral to Iris versicoZor. Its habitat is stated as "ripar­ ian meadows and shores"; morphologically it c!iffers from the coastal I. set;osa in shorter and more _scarious bracts to the spathe, which are tinted violet as are the . · leaf bases. The l~aves .average a bit narrower and they are more inclined to arching. We'll be watching to see if ·these distinctions, verified by Robertson, will remain constant under quite different growth conditions here in coastal Washington state.

Roy Vav-<.c:l..60 n.

, . .. .. ,

: ; ·. .

-· ... ".•.- . . . .. ' 742

Sa.I1,uel i:i. l\jorris, RoR. 2, Owensboro, KY 42301 Pardanaanda norrissii at the tetraploid l evel. Samuel Norris, the origiuator of this unusual bi- generic. hybrid and for whom it was named , has writt en that bis plants of Parancanda have just about played out on him. The last f~w ~r~rs he has been working exclusively with those plants in which he had s ucClle~g8 tnR8chromosomes, hopeful of getting better fertility? but that instead they have become more nearly sterile. They· also seem to lose fertility in each generation when selected to look different from the parent plants. "In order to get out of this bl ind alley it looks like I will have to practically s-:art all over a t the beginnir.3 11 he laments. This is quite opposite to the exp~rience reported by George Bush j-:i SIGNA p.691, wherein selection in diploids has netted distinct improvements and variations, including the albino 'Summer Snow'. Sam would be interested in knowing of other people ' s experiences and suggests that a back-cross of the unconve~ted original plants may prove to be much more fertile than any of the F-generation crosses. It seems important that we follow up on this, and Sam would like to hear from you. R.D.

RARE IRIS PROTECTED

ED: Bee Fla.rbw.~tonsent in this clipping from the MAINE TIMES of Feb. 16, 1979, having received it from a lady in Connecticut. Bee r emarked that "The gal in Connect;.. icut who sent me this can have no idea what joy it gave me, I've been t rying for some time to find out where there is still a stand of this iris and all I hear is 'it used to be ... but isn't there any longer .'"· The Nature Conservancy has been given a five acre saltmarsh on Drake's Island in Wells to insure protection of a rare wild iris, the Slender Blue Flag, The parcel · was a gift of John Coughlin of Keene, pres ident of the Bank and Insurance Company of Keene and a partner of Coughli n and Bradshaw Realty. He has been ·a summer r esident· of Drake 's Island for many years.

The 25 acre stand of Slender Blue Flag (I. prismatica Pursh) is the only site s till known to be in existance in Maine, according to John Jenson, director of the Conservancy chapter. It was first discovered by Kate Furbish, the discoverer of the Furbish lousewort. She also found a seco-iid s tand of the iris in another marsh, but it has now been filled in and developed.

The Slender Blue Flag is a delicate blue flower with yellowish veins and long grass-like l eaves. It grows only in brackish environments such as saltmarshes or estuaries. The area given to the Nature Conservancy was designated a critical area ?Y the Maine Critical Area Board in early 1977. ***

OLDER BULLETINS NEEDED Anyone .wishing to contribute AIS .Bulletins to the "working library'~ of the Species Manual Editor is requested to get in touch with Roy Davidson in order to arrange transfer. There is a full set since 1945 on his shelf except for #146 &169 which are urgently needed, but any i ssue prior to " 100 would also be of value. There is a wealth of information in some of the older bulletins, particularly in regards to growers• experiences with many unusual species. A species index of reference value to all of us is in preparation, and if there- is sufficient interest it could be made available to members. Address: 911 Westerr. Ave., #200 Seattle, Wash. 98104, U.S.A. 743

THE EMPEROR HII~OHITO:S IRIS Ro y Va.v,ld;.,on

I was given a plant of this rarest of endenics when I visited Japan in the

autumn of 1972? and it has grown to a good clump 9 defini tely one of the nicest things among the apogon water irises in this garden. In the course of the invest­ igations leading to his book on the flora of tha t easternmost part of the Nikko preserve, His Highness had found in certain irrigation ditches on Mt. Nasu this f ine deep blue iris. The botanish Nakal commemorated the mountain in naming it Iris setosa var. nasuensis. It is one of two unusual, rather similar, and quite sterile coloni~s of this species which have a chromosome count indicating a possible hybrid origin, perhaps with I. laevigata.

The stalk grows to 42 inches here and there are two wi~ely spaced branches and

terminal 9 giving a total of seven buds; the f lowers of this are of a smoother, deepe:r col our than the other which we have as 'Kirigimini ' and which to the botanist is var. hondoensis.

Kurosawa in the Japanese Journel of Bo tany 38; 1963 * r eported the sterile con- dition and the aberrant pollen r:1o rphology of hondoensis and a chromosome coun t var­ iable from 52 to 57, mostly 54; Tomino had counted it as 53. ije also investigat ed the Emperor's Iris, "a very interesting and pecular race • • •• at first sight looking like an alien plant" , reporting the pol len even l ess fertile and dissimilat to that of normal setosa, and a chr omosome count of 54 . He also remarked that it had many characters similar to those of horuicensis "but that the two have a direct phylog·­ ent ic relationship", a deduction ·derrived from ontogenetic studies .

This appears very similar to the very good Iris setosa of Savill Gardens in Windsor Great Park and at the RHS Wisley garden , not yet flowered here for comparison. One advantage to that one, however, is t hat it sets good seed.

*Information from a translation kindly furnished by Mr. Luscombe.

THE IRIS AS A GARDEN PLANT

Graham S . Thomas, British nurseryman and advisor to the Na tional Trust (England) garden hsitorian and author, wrote in the BIS Yearbook for 1965 of using irises for. their fol iage value. · After all, we see tfiese plants so much more than the flowers that we ought to pay more attention to. the total effect in mi xed plantings with shrubbery, perennials and bulbs in a landscape. For pale blue-green he recommended Iris pa1,7,i,dn. 'Dalmatic::1 1 , and for a .taller, more gray- green the spurias, Iris 'Ochr­ aurea' or'Cambridge Blue' . For arching effects in rich green he was partial to Iris dougZasiana and for shaded places Iris foetidissima.

C.D. Brinkell, director of the RHS ·Garden at Wisley, also valued the latte r and particular ly its striped 'Variegata' form. An especially good plant for spikey, accents of pale yell ow and soft green striping is Iris pseudaaorus 'Variegata' •• •• "one of the most beautif ul of all spring foliage ef~ects " , he wrote in the Yearbook for 1973 i(********* 744

REPORT ON SPECIES FROM THE AIS CONVEMTION~ HUNTSVILLE.

Joan Coo pell.

The most notable species at the Huntsville convention was Iris tectorum in blue as well as in white of the so-called "Taiwan Strain". They were seen in many gardens, but the latter was most memorable as grown in the Grady and Lois Kennedy garden, in an area of one of the raised beds aQout four by ten feet, a mass of flowers. Grown from seed, there was considerable variation' between indivipual plants.

The Kennedys had several interesting species in bloom; Iris pseudacorus, its variegated form and var. bastardi<-; Iris versiooZor in several colour selections, including a fine dark blue called 'Oliver Please'. Iris variegata and the Louisiana species were in bud and warmer weather would have brought out their flowers. Here were also many bearded species and these are subject to the Kenn~dy hybridizing projects. Lois is working with MTB and Grady in new TB colour patterns, just a couple of their many interests.

A small plant of I. virginica in Ruth Wilder 's garden stirred a lot of interest; it was as near to "red" as any virginica any of us had ever seen, somewhere near to fuchsia or magenta and with a black stern.

In the McGahee garden was a fine clump of a much branched and very appealing pink I. versiaoZor as well as several lovely t ectorums, blending well in the wild­ flower beds.

Exciting though not yet in bloom? were the many buds promising a variety of shades of flowers of I. virginiaa as we saw them on the Nature Trail on Green Mount­ ain. This was not on the convention tours, nor was the Pisgah Gorge on the TenAessee River east of Hun~yille, where some of us who stayed over found both Iris verna anq Iris oristata in the wild state. The verna had big plump pods formed and cristatc­ was also through blooming; great mats of it hung over the cliffs into the moist atmq­ sphere above the water fall, and was even trying to climb mossy bases of the tree­ trunks in its exuberant ramblings. ***

REPORT ON SPECIES FROM THE AIS CONVENTION; HUNTSVILLE,

Ro.JJ: Va.v-i..dho ~-

,.Each-_9f, the fifteen to~r g?lrdens had ol).e Qr;. more .. ~oml:'les of. something other than TB to add a little interest, although of course, the spectacle of the ·TB was what brought us together. ·This spectacle was probably never more enjoyed than this year in the Van Valkenburg garden where fine warm weather shone on superbly grown plants at the peak pf their glory. In all the total of "species" being grown added up to quite a reasonable asse~­ lage that i~cluded xiphiums and oncobreds, many sorts of apogo~s and some evansias,' species and .gard~n bred plants; .. all sorts including quite a few pogon species.

The tail end of the median s~ason gave plenty of evidence of lively interest in that Farmyard arid fencerow and roadside pl~ntings of the older bearded irises 745

were everywhere, even in town gardens too, where long vistas of some of the old pallida derivatives particularly were very attractive in the oak-covered rolling landscape. Some of these were being added to "old iris" collections to be identified later.

The pine needle mulch over the Siberian bed at Saxton's was something I much admired. Here I liked Larry Harder's 1 Timeless 1 as very, very blue, and Varner seedling V56 -showed a different form of flower, brilliant blue with pale styles and an attractive "p~isley11 effect on the haft. Hager's 'Stareteps' was star-stepping nicely, and I admired the· l emon tone of McGarvey ' s 1 Earthshine ' and the staunch xiphium-like shape of M~Ewan ' s 'Snow Bounty'. McGarvey's 'Pink Haze' here and else­ where was pleasing, an attractive hazy or grayed "off-pink'' hard to put into words, 9 and I also liked 'Augury·, which I called "pink- nauve • Similarly pastel was 'P.oanoke's Choice ' of palest lilac with.a . lightly bronzed haft.

The Lucas garden among others had collected I ris ful,va which many found of great interest, here was one three feet with three bud placements plus terminal. !1any gardens had Chowning's 'Count Pulaske' of an exquisite terra-cotta colour and similar substance,with a golden light at the heart. His reds and brown are silk and velvet, all very much to be coveted, but I do not f l ower them in my cool garden; perhaps I ought to make some special preparations • • . a suntrap in this day of solar energy utilization.

The versicolors at Kennedy's especially were eye-openers to those who saw them ••• not many were open o~. tour day in the downpour. From one lot of seed were. grown a rich wine, a white-Illjlrked rosy one, a superb blue (tall with 15 buds) and two sort of purplish, one darker, the other muddy, both white- marked, showing how .· variable this species can be and what one could expect from following up on selecting superior garden plants. ' Oliver Pease' I called burgundy and liked. The one from Betty Wood was quite similar but taller than one. from Sarah Tiffney, but with less of the chalky white-marks. A pink from Sarah was a .very tall plant--with dusty pas tel flowers • · ·· · There were virginicas at the Kennedy's too; one called 'O~chid' was really quite a smash, finest form and size (both flower and foliage) coloured a pleasant orchid but highlighted by a brilliant; orange signal above a green pubescent throat. I thought it must have been one of the hybrids between versico7,or and virginiaa; therefore I . X robusta would be its correct designation. Jill Copeland had sent one designated CV-3, a nice large medium blue with two branches and the tips of the standards with a distinct notch. _f.esigned as UAH-1 was the form collected .on the Huntsville campus of UoLA:, a nice big. lilac-blue which formed the bulk of the planting seen at the pond's edge up on the Nature Trail, only showing bud:-colour when we visited there. · ·

There was tetraploid I . pseud.aaorus (presumably from Eckard Berlin) that showed improved substance but not the best flower form though the brightest yellow • . Mert­ zweiler I s tetraploid Louisianas showed l _eather-substance and were of spl endid size if one is meglomaniac. It was really heartening to see the various ways the Siberians are being developed, in addition to the large tetraploids.

In the McGahee garden I was struck by the pagoda-form of pseudaaorus 'Flore Plena'; if mine ever behaved that way, I failed to notice, but r remember it as having been a sort of scrambled-egg arrangement , formless .

Grady had flowered a toupLe of missouriensis seedling. lots from 1975 exchange ... . ··"·· 746

seed; it was sort of pleasant to be seeing this, one of my earliest wildflower recol­ lections, this much later and in so foreign-seeming a place, certainly proof it is an adaptable plant. (In July this year I saw deep, solid blue ones and found an albino that was finely lined with yellow, giving a pale gold effect. These in Colorado, however.)

In Grady's species apogons were an Iris aZbertii looking just like its picture in Dykes, and also a splendid I. variegata from the landolph collection, among many others.

This was really the first occasion I had had to observe much Iris fu"lva as well as hybrids from it. It is remarkably unlike any other iris in that the style-arms roll themselves into tube-like arrangements, ideally suited to act as nectar tubes for hummingbirds:1 and if it is true that it is pollinated thusly, it seems odd that it is not often, nor ever? report0d.

QU ESTIONS PLEASE

Q. What can you tell me about the seedlings I am growing as Iris songarica? It is sometimes said to belong to the Spuria group, other times not. A. This is one of those Asiatic species about which we know so little horticult- urally and over which the taxonomists are not in agreemen·t. Formerly, yes, it was ranked as one of the Spurias, but Lenz (THE WOILD CF IRISES, p . 24) says it "seems to fall somewhere between the Spuriae and the Ensatae" in the Tenuifoliae, that other highly controversial complex also from the steppes of central Asia. There . would appear to be about seven names that can be referred to this or to others of the Tenuifoliae, in which it was placed by Fodionenko. Dykes reported that Sir Michael Foster had had it in flower at least on one occasion and that it ought not be a difficult one to keep provided it could be very dry and well ripened after flowering. r~cently, in spite of this optimism, Paul Furse reported it to be difficult even from seed~ and that the long, tough roots go down so very deep they cannot -be dug without damage. Re had found it frequently on many trips to Iran and Afghanistan "where the mountains drop down to the Turkestan semi-desert steppe. " IF5332 grew in "masses· on the borderland forming big clumps with dark flowers" and W 5624 "was seen in great quantity over several miles along the 9,000 ft. pass between Ghazui ;:i.nd Kabul • ••• unusually dark, and with occasional albinos" and iri another colony "in pal e shades of lavender and cream", always in deep sandy earth, wet in spring and baked dry and dusty all through summer where even the Eremurus find it too hot and parched.

Chris Grey-Wilson also found the species to be widespread·in his excursions to some of the same territory and even further east and into southern USS~ forming dense tufts of erect, deep green, leathery foliage and many long wiry roots which ~nchor it and penetrate to deep ground water, f lower~ not v~ry~at·tractive, a~though ~-W/H540 was a fine grey-b+ue of good size, flowers 2-3 inches speckled and dashed a good deep colour on stems 50-70 ~ (16-28 in. ) Unfortunately it did not survive the ordeal, and there were no seeds to be had.

lbdionenko wrot_e (translation BIS Yearbook 1964) that "when this iris is flowerin6 in spring one has the impress"ion that the plane is flying above a blue sea". He - describes the stems as hearing 6-8 blue-violet flowers. R. D. 747

Q. A number of I. missoUX'iensi s "Hawksbluff Strain" have just flowered and I am delighted with every one, tiger-marked to some degree with violet on white. Anybody know what Hawksbluff that might be, or where? A. Foy Davidson contributed that seed. He writes of it : I am pleased someone has enjoyed these and since it is the first report that has come back to me, I will tell something about the: strain. About 30 years ago I bought five selected plants

of I . missoUX'iensis from Thrall, near Ellensburg in Kittitas Co ., Wash. 1 and planted them at the ranch in eastern Washington where the species is an indigenous memb er of the prairie meadow plant popula tion. Over the subsequent years a number of more or less distinct local forms were also brought into the garden, an open north slope adjacent to my rock garden. A pinkish one, a very heavily veined Bishops Violet ( F.idgeway), later one that was solidly coloured» and several white ones were: adde_d. At last the total number of clones there had grown to 68, some from robin members gathered in California, Arizona~ Colorado, British Columbia and others of my own finding, usually out of flower, but representing the species as it grew throughout its range. There were some frorn the Mendocino colony that botanists switched b·etween missow:'iensis and longipetala; others from the areas of montana and of ari zoniaa, which had a ground colour of pale blue, and one of these from Peck River, Wyoming (out of flower) blossomed such a beauty that it went in the AIS registry as 'Miss 1 Peacock ; a rich violet signal patch glowed with a golden light inside it. From a meadow in which about 10-15% of the population were albinos came the one registered as '}1iss White Canary'. One of the originals from Thrall became 'Miss Bluejay' , and 1 the solid violet one 'Miss Purple Finch , the pink one 'Miss Pink Ibve' . Inspiration for the bird names came from D.M. Andrews' precedent, since he had named 'Bluebird' and 'Snowbird' from Colorado, and these were added too f rom a robin member.

Since the species handle poorly as clonal divisions and reestablish only very slowly if they are divided and shipped, it was decided to offer them as a seed strain; thus seeds were sent off to iris and rock garden seed exchanges for many years. The report has come back that whites w2re raised from 'Miss White Canary' and saved sep­ arately when grown in isolation elsewhere.

Why Hawksbluff? It is named for a feature of the famil:P ranch in Whitman Co., Wash . , on the edge of the Snake River canyon. As the waters of this river poure d down from the &>cky and Blue :t-Iountain slopes and from ancient Lake Bonneville, as they once did(there are ancient wave marks on the prehistoric shoreline north o'f Salt Lake City to remind us of the vast volume of water this basin on~e poured into th~ river) their passage incised the precipitous trench-canyon which upstream from us on the Idaho- Oregon border is the mile-deep Hells Canyon; wHh us it is merely 2,000 ft: The ranch backs up to this canyon, and pasturelands for our beef actually hang over .· onto its steep basalt-rimed slopes. On its rim at the edge of one of our .f.ields · stands a vantage from which a full 180° or more view of the canyonlands, the valley below (now an empoundment of water behind a dam) and the hazy outline of the Oregon­ Washington range of the Blue Mountains is an awesome sight. On 'this cliff$ which abruptly stops a deep box-canyon beneath it, our native Coopers Hawk builds. When~ was very young • •• and of course breathlessly romantic . • • these canyons were warm .in spring and green with grass, the river rimmed with petal-pink of peach trees, and I - thought that this was where I too wanted to build. I called it Hawksbluf.f. It is ·.: fully two miles from water!

So that is my Hawksbluff story. Perhaps further_ generations from now there will be orchid-pink or solid violet or one is dove-spotted as on certain lovely feathers . For all those years the iris slope was deeply watered once in July. Since for the past several years the family has not occupied the house, there has been no such irrigation,and the irises have dwindled and disappeared. Nearby in the rock garden reticulatas which learned to escape the drough of summer cheerily go on stronger tha~ ever. *-** ... : .

PLANTS IN PERIL

MaU/t,(,c.e. &JU!).t,a:ui E'D: Reprinted from an early 1973 issue of the Newsletter of the SPECIES GROUP of the BRITISH IRIS SOCIETY, who ha.d reprinted it from an issue of the French magazine COVRRIER DE LA NATURE. It is stiU a most timely article.

When considering the protection of nature, we may deplore the irremediable disappearance - by man's hand ·- of animals which, only a short time ago, were still living, but we are perhaps less aware that similar dangers exist in the world of plants. Is this perhaps because pla1its are less accessible than animals to nature­ lovers, and it is more attractive to visit a zoo than to walk around a botanical garden? Whatever the reason, the threat: is a real one and the examples which follow, mainly taken from one botanical family (that of the Iridaceae, of which the writer possesses a large collection) will show in what ways man 111ay bring about their disappearance, and also how he may limit the threat.

It is obvious that the most seriously threatened plants are those which in nature inhabit a very restricted area and/or which require special ecological conditions which humans can destroy. One species of our swamp iris (I. pseudacorus) which is widely distributed all along water-courses and pools in Europe and · temperate Asia, is in no danger of disappearance!

The risk of extermination may be the result of direct action by man, acting as a predator, for example, the behaviour of commercial collectors, who remove the entire stock of plants from some station. Thus, in the Near East, certain irises belonging to the oncocyclus section have practically disappeared from their original stations as a result of these marauding raids; the situation is even more desolating because there irises are so difficult to cultivate away from their own home .

It also happens that certain amateurs, or even botanists, unconsciously collect some wild plant, naively thinking that it will acclimatise itself without difficulty in their garden; it is as a result of such "collecting" of this kind that one of our most beautiful native orchids, Cypripedium calceolus, has become so rare that it i~ now only to be found in some mountainous places or in some very remote stations in' eastern France.

Even without the removal of the actual plants, it is certain that the exagger­ ated picking of flowers in the long term constitutes a danger to the survival of species. It must be remembered that a plant does not live forever, and that sooner or later it disappears, (tho·ugh degeneration, attacks by various parasites, etc.) and, as with all ljving organisms, only sexual reproduction can ensure the. perenn­ iality of the species.

In plants, this reproduction is ensured by the process of flowering and seed- . ing. The flowers, if picked, will not then produce seeds~ and it must be born in :­ mind that in nature the percentage of seeds which succeed in reaching the stage of adult plants is an extremely small one, by carrying things to excess one runs the :- . risk of making the species become rare, a~d then disappear. This is the case with : I. sv.bbifl,om, a pretty dwarf iris :with dark purplish-:blue flowers, which flowers ., very early (March) and which is found only in Portugal. Formerly it grew in ~bund~ ance near Lisbon, but the excessive picking of the flowers by children, who sold them to t~_urists, has caused it practically,:to disappear, and it is now found o:nly in sparsely_ p9pulated n~untain regions difficult of access. 749

Slower? more insidious and lE.:SS apparent but also to be feared in the long term, is the total effect of human economic and social activities on the natural milieu. If it is possible to restrict the picking of flowers or the collecting of plan·ts, it is rauch t1ore difficult to influence agricultural oi industrial ·customs and requirements.

The transformation of uncultivated areas into arable land, which is consequ­ ently cultivated once or twice a year, has caused many wild plants to become rare, particularly perennial plants, since if the annuals can put up with 1:his kind of cultivation on account of their short biological cycle, the perennials (which often take several years before they become fully grown) suffer far more from it, and all the more since certain agricultur al practices (irrigation, the use of fertilizers etc.) profoundly modify the ecological conditions. For this re~son, many irises of the semi-desert steppes of Asia Minor and Central Asia (~urkey, Iran, Afghanistan) are dangerously reduced in numbers as the result of ·the bringing into cultivation and irrigation of ·these lands . Even in France two wild species of gladiolus, G. communis and G. segetum, once quite connnon in the South, are .much less abundant.

Stock breeding, particularly when on a large scale, is also the cause of the rarity of interesting plants, especially in arid countries where sheep and goats form the greater part of the stock; they feed literally on everything that grows from the soil, which they search out even in places difficult to reach. Lebanon and Syria have thus been depleted of many of their native irises, even in places not affected by agriculture but where the goats feed. In Chile-, these same sheep and goats have practically brought about the disappearance of two beautiful native bulbous species, Calydorea speciosa, (a pretty little Iridaoeae with starry flowers of a lovely ultr~~~ne blue), and TeoophiZaea cyanacrocus, the Chilean Crocus (which is in fact .. -an Amar-vZZidaceae and not a:n Iridaceae like the true C:r:ocus). Both of these I am. lucky enough to possess, but the (rare) Ch_ileans who wish to cultivate them a~e, pow obliged to procure them in Europe from a , Putch. baj.b grower, almost the only ,one ;+-n the ~?rld to· keep them in culti:7ation_i . _, : , ,

Various other human activit·ie:s (defores·tation, the draining and .drying out· of marshes, road building, ho.us"ing · developments? et:cH· can alOo have disastrous con­ sequences through the modification of environmental conditions. Here are some examples: ..... :· 1. On the .We~t : ~as,t ,Qf .1:'.he u·: s .A. , fu California and Oregon,. various irises grow, £9r. the IDQ.st part plants of clearings or undergrowth but· with_ precise habitats for each species, One of these, I . puz>di, which requi+es ~he dense shade of large conifers_, is in process of disappearing - not o.nly as a result of deforest­ ation caused by'. the need for timber and the construction of motorways, but also the inroads of another. sun-loving and agressive species~ I. dougZasiana, which hybridises readily with I. puz>dyi and which is gradually invading ?11 .~ts stations, to such an extent that: it is feared, after a certain time, this species will no longer be found, except in botanical gardens or collections.

-2. In the Mississippi delta (Louisiana), draining operations are inexorably causing the retreat of soma species of aquatic irises (I. gigantiooruZea, I. nelsoni) which are only found there.

3. In Florida, U.S.A., there grows a small bulbous Iridaceae with beautiful sky­ blue flowers, called SaapingostyZis coeZestina. It is very localized there, in the North of the State, in pine woods and in sandy soil. (It took the writer 750

ove:r \io years to succeed in obtainine 3 bulbs). The fact that this species is officially protected did not prevent a yacht builder from wiping out one of its rare stations by cutting down the pine trees under which it was growing, to use them· for-:b'oat· tiui:lding • . : : ) ' ' 4. Fina:J:ly· Sbuth Africa, which is a paradise for the Iridaoeae, since one-third -' of' the wnole family occurs here in a territory about three times the size of France, where the anxiety to preserve the fauna and flora is exemplary, with the support of the public authotities. Despite this some of the rarities are disappear­ ing, victims of· the grasp of civilization (the construction of dykes, artificial -lakes, -roads, extension of cultivated zones) . Some native Gladioli are no longer to: be found, · except in herbaria; others (G. oit1"i nus., G. av..:r>eus) barely exist any more in' the wild but only in cultivation by certain amateurs or professionals; there are· some plants (e.g. Moraea pavonia) which are becoming so rare that only a plan ' to safeguard their existence by bringing them into cultivation by specialists will preserve them.

One ·final cause of the disappearance of indigenous plants is the introduction · into' a country, for E!conomic or horticultural purposes: of exotic species which, (finding conditions .eavourable or no longer being held in check by the enemies or diseases from which they suffered in their place of origin), become so aggressive that they exterminate all or part of the local flora. In South Africa, for exampl~, certain Au~tral;i.an Aoaoias (Minosas) and our own maritimE: pine, both introduced twp centuries .ago, have encroached so much upon the native flowering shrubs (Pr>otae­ aoeae) that they. are now regarded as "green cancers", and a campaign against them has been launcheµ by the public authorities to restrict them, if not to eradicate them.

I remain silent upon the evils of chemical pollution (refineries, cement works, etc. ) which do not as yet affect the wild plants, but from which many culti7 vated plants already suffer; similarly the excessive use of various pesticides •• • •

Fortunately man does not always exert a harmful influence on his environment. Consciously or not, he can by his activities help the maintenance or even the increase of certain species.

Such beneficial action may be involuntary, as when the plant has been able to profit from the circumstances to its own advantage, without his having worked out any systematic protection. This is true of certain irises, regarded as sacred plants or as ornaments of various places (cemeteries, temples etc.). In the Far East the beautiful I;· fimbriata (I. ja-poniaa) is often planted around temples and monasteries, a prac·tice which helps to ensure its perpetuation - since it almost never sets seed. In the Muslim world of the Middle East, I . aZbioans and I . mes­ opotamioa are planted in cemeteries, where it is possible (though tricky) to collect them.

The history of I. aZbioans, a species with scented white flowers, is instructive in this respect; native to Palestine, it was brou5ht to Europe by the Crusaders, which is why it is now found in the semi-wild state throughout the West Mediterr~~ean region, including here and there in the South of France. From Spain the Conquist.:... .. adores took it to the New World and it is also found in the wild state in certain , regions of Mexico.

Another example of distribution by man is that of I. pseudaoorus (the yellow iris of marsh-land) which has been introduced to the estuary of the Rio de la Plata (Uruguary and Argentina)~ where it has shown a vigour unknown. in Eur~pe,and has multiplied to the point of becoming inva_s,ive. · · · . , : '/. ';', · , ,; 1 5 :. ~ 751 . . Prohibited ~ilitary zqnes sometimes also allow threatened £tations of plants to become re-established._ The beautiful I. Zortetii (Oncocyclus section)~ the immense flowers of which have silvery-grey sepals sti-ppled with purple, while the pale mauve petal$ ~re veined with violet, is found only in a very restricted area on the frontier of Lebanon and Israel~ having practically disappeared 10 years ago because of excesssive coiranercial collecting. The iris is now in the process of multiplying again, since lately there has been a greater likehood of collecting bullets rather than iris rhizomes.

However this involuntary beneficial action is sporadic and limited. The conservation and survival of threat ened species can only proceed from voluntary and concerted actions, based upon two concepts:-

1. To r espect wild plants in their own habitats.. The most endangered species can be protected by law, and the collection of plants, picking of flowers etc. . strictly forbidden without authorization. Already practiced in a number of countries (Switzerland, U.S.A. , South Africa e tc. ) , the legal protection of rare or threat­ ened species has not yet been given statutory force in France . Cyripediwn aaZaeoZus, for example, is picked with impunity not only by i gnorant walkers but also by foreign professional collectors - who come to ·France to obtain it as t he plant is protected in their own country. Neverthel ess, the present French legislation would sanction the prosecution of anyone caught in the act, since no forest products of · State lands (including plants growing in the wood s) can be picked or gathered witho~t the authorization of the O. N.F. In the so-called protected zone _(the national parks) the protection is better," since nothing can be removed; ·, . . .,

In fact protection is a question of personal conscience and responsibility for everyone with regard to nature, and it is necessary to educate the public in this sense. Do not pick flowers from plants which appear to be less than plentiful in a certain place; do not trample them; never try to uproot them to replant in your own garden, for a number of species including the rarest ones are used to a specialized set of conditions, which they will probably not find with you and they will die forthwith. Only the knowledgeable amateur could take away a .few specimens, at the · most favourable time, and only if the station is sufficiently rich in plants to ensure that the removal of some will not affect the balance between the various species. . ;_. 2. Another solption . consists·; °i:>~-thaps, · in domesticating the wild plant and conserving i..t by cult;i.vat.ip.e· · it. Thi's · could be undertaken: a) . by professionals·;.: who wo~:i:'a· confit~~,,the~elv~s to s peci£is of definite hort­ icultural · interest' and not. too difficult to.. cultivate. Thia proviso greatly limits the number of species that could b~-- co~s~r_;ed in this way. b) by scientific bodies (institutes, botanical gardens) , who are not affected by commercial considerations that hamper the professionals. Owing to the expertise of their staffs, they play a very effective part, but it is impossible for them to collect everything or to cultivate everything. Certain botanical gardens have seen this difficulty and have specialized principally or exclusively in their own country's f lora. Kirstenbosch, in South Africa, is the oldest example. c) by collectors , who are not limited by the horticultural value or the "demand" for t his or that species. They can help most usefully by providing the approp­ riate cultivation and in conserving rare or endangered species. For example in the sub-desert States in S.W. Amer ica there is an association of amateurs who cultivate nagnificent irises (oncocyclus and regelia) from the arid steppes of West Asia. ********** 752 • 1

IRIS INSBCT CONTROL PAS'l', PRESENT AND FU'l'URE. C. F. Koval

Insects ha:.re br:en abuncic,.nt over the surface of the earth for more than fifty million years. T,;.;o main factors have permitted insects this free reign while many other species faced extinction -- their adaptability and reproductive capacity. Insects have an amRzing ~bility to adapt to changing conditions, including those factors man has introduced into the environment -- such as insecticides -- to which the insects exhibi~ed the phenomenon of insecticide resistance. Their reproductive capacity is difficult to imagine. Large numbers of eggs are produced and usually, life cycles are relatively short. It is not uncommon for an insect with an annual life cycle to increase its numbers a hundred fold in a single season. When man provides suitable. food sources, as large iris plantings for the iris borer, the chances for success of the borer are greatly enhanced.

It is often said that ins~cts will inherit the earth. This is probably true! I have already stated that insects thrived over fifty million years ago and men­ ' tioned their adaptability and ~eproductive capacity. tlan, on the other hand, has been around less than a million years , is slow in adapting to environmental change, partially due to a long life cycle, and has demonstrated a phenomenal desire to destroy himsel f! Since man first walked the earth he has been in competition with insects for food, fiber and shelter. Even today with all of the technology we have at our disposal we have not been able to eliminate a single insect pest!

Attempts· to control insects are not new either. Homer wrote of the. fumigant value of burni~g sulfur in 1000 B.C . Pliny w~s aware of the insecticidal ~se of arsenic in .79 A. D. The Bible contains numerous references to insect problems and attempts to control them. The Chinese used arsenical compounds during t~e ._ Sixteenth Century and nicotine was used nearly 300 years ago. In the early 1800' s an Armenian found that certain tribes used ground flowers of Chrysanthemum (pyrethrum) as an insecticide, Another botanical product came to light i~ the mid 1800's known as rotenon~ and extracted from the roots of Derris. Soap was added tp the list of insecticides in the middle of the .Nineteenth Century for the control of aphids .

Relatively few materials of significance came at the turn of the century. Two major advances occurred during World War II; the discovery of DDT and the introduct­ ion of organopbosphorus compounds. These two steps have provided mos t of the insecticides we know today. A new group of insecticides, the carbamates, started to be developeq . in the late 1940's. The insecticide Sevin is the most widely used of this group. -.

Insecticides of today are not different from those first examined 15-20 years ago. The major emphasis in the past decade has been in the methods of use of avail­ abl~ materials. To accomplish this effort it was necessary to gain more through understandings of the insects, their habits, their development and the total environment utilized by the insects and their hosts. This effort has resulted in a re-emphasis of control methods other than the chemicals which society has become totally dependent upon. Continued research has found that many pests can be better handled through alternate methods to many chemictils.

Let us briefly review the methods of insect control and see where ·they might be employed in the production of iris. First we have natural control or the control that is a direct result of" the climat e, fhysical characteristics of the region and 753

the presence of certain predators and parasites. These factors are always working for us although we can negate many of them through our own activities. For example, untimely and continued use of the wrong materials in an attempt to control iris borer can lead to aphid and/or thrip problems.

Legal control is often taken for granted by most people but does ·protect the . iris grower· as it does everyone else. 'This control has been in effect since passage. of -the Plant Quarantine Act of 1912 which authorizes the Secretary of Agri.culture to . impose quarantines and restrictions on plants, plant products, or other articles necessary to prevent the spread of insect infestations and plant diseases. The result of .this measure has prevented many pests from establishing in new areas.

Biological control takes advantage of insects' own natural enemies including fungi, bacteria, viruses and other insects. The natural enemies are introduced, encouraged or artifically increased for release in the area inhabited by the pest species. A bacterium, Bacillus thurien,gensus, is available for use against a number of insects, particularly certain Le'[)idoptera. Egg parasites, Lady Bird bettles and otheFs can be enhanced through proper cultural practices.

Mechanical and physical controls can and are used by iris _growers. Everyone in the east has squeezed the life out of an iris borer at one time or another. The use of traps, screens and other devices are further examples of mechanical control. The black-light trap could probably be used against the borer moth quite effect­ ively. Physical measures can include the use of an aluminum foil mulch which effectively reduces the number of incoming aphids by 95% or more. The signif­ icance of aphid co~trol is in their transmission of virus diseases rather than the danger of plant sap removal. Another method of physical control is the utiliz­ ation of high frequency sound waves. Research indicates that such sound waves can _ reduce egg-laying, increase egg mortality and kill or reduce the life span of adult insects.

Cultural control metho.ds are probably the most common, proc_eedure.s.used by iris growers, either knowingly or unknowingly. Remo.ving dead foliag~,, frequent ·raking of the soil surface in late ·fall and early spring, dividing periodically are all cultural practices that can reduce iris borer populations. The development of resistant varieti~s is a possibility seldom considered when breeding. ir.is. • . .·: The discussion of control proceedures would be incomplete without the mention of intergrated controls. Simply stated, this is the use of all methods stated to the best advantage of each. For example, we could remove and burn all iris foliag~ in the fall and early spring, utilize aluminum foil for the control of aphids, and· if borers were a problem apply ·a single well-timed spray as opposed to weekly .. sprayings with several different chemicals.

What does the future hold for iris insect control? -Mainly, iris growers knowledgeable of the problems tli?'.t confront .the growing o·f iris ·and the willingness to accept the demands imposed by those problems. A thing •of beauty 'brings joy and, satisfaction proportional to the effort expended! ...· ,; . ED: This paper li.UB prepared for.,.: and distri~ted· at the A.I.S. aonventioh in ,.· Milwaukee in 1969. Although 10 years oZd., it has Zooked· ·so far into the future that it is still, up to date, and perhaps expresses present day praatices that are just beginnin,g to be used in a muah broader manner than in 1969. Al-though not originaUy intended for species (JI'OWers, it is most ·appliaabt~...... ': . '

SOt--.;.E INDIAN IRISES

Colonel V.G. LowndeA Reprinted from the British Iris Society Year Book 1953

When at the Editor's urgent request, I agreed to write an article on Indian irises, I had little idea of how many species occurred within Indian limits. How­ ever, on referring to Dykes' fine work The Genus bis, I found that at least 18 species have been recorded, representing all but four of the sections into which the Genus has been divided. As I am in no way qualified to discuss the various species from a scientific aspect, this· article is of necessity incomplete, consist­ ing merely of notes on the various species that I had the good fortune to find during ·some thirty years service in India.

'Ibe genus has a very wide altitudinal range from the plains of Northern India to the high Himalaya, and the various species occur in widely differing surroundings.

APOGO~ .SECTION. Iris cla.1>kei is. a common species in Northern Sikkim (in the Eastern Himalaya), an area of extremely heavy monsoon rainfall, at. an altitude of about 10,000 ft. It forms large clumps on stony hillsides covered by scattered conifers and rhododendrons, where the ground is wet for half the year, ·, and buried in·snow throughout the winter. It bears a marked resemblance to the well-known I. sibirica. The blue-purple flowers vary considerably in shade and ar~ handsomely marked on the falls with darker veins, with a white area of varying size near the top, the haft being marked with yellow. 'Ibe two-foot flower stems carry · one or two flowers and are about the same height as the leaves at flowering time, °''' so that this iris seldom makes any great display of colour, and ~hen I first saw it I did not think it very attractive. However, individual forms are well worth grow- ing, and as I saw it later at a rather higher altitude in the Chumbi Valley of · Thibet, growing in clearings in the forest, in company with /.teaonopsis pa.nicuuzta, it was really charming.

I. ensata, which is widely distributed throughout Central Asia and China in many and varying forms, is one of the glories of the Kashmir Valley. In early spring it sheets the road-side verges with mauve, the leaves being then only a few inches high. The flowers are borne singly on short stems, and vary infinitely in hue from almost pure white through every shade and combination of lilac an.d mauve to dark purplish-blue and red- purple. 'Ibe falls are often spotted with a darker shad~. As the year progresses, the leaves grow until they reach as much as 2 ft. in length, when they are commonly cut and stored for fodder. ·

In Kashmir it frequently grows on land that is flooded in swmner and -~ .later :·. · baked hard by the sun. Altogether it is a most beautiful plant in nature, though I must confess that I have never seen it making a comparable display in cultivation

EVANSIA SECTION. The only species of this section found. in India is Iris miZesii.; 'Ibis has a very curious distributi~n, ·occurring only in Kulu in , the Punjab and in Assam, 3,000 miles away to the east.

In Kulu it grows in great quantities in sunny deodar forests on the hillsides'. at some 6,000 ft., in an area of moderate monsoon rainfall. Its comparatively small reddish-purple flowers, borne on stems up to 3 ft. in height, are pretty enough in themselves, but cannot compare in beauty with those of other members of the section. However, since it dies down completely in ~inter, it is much hardier than its nearest relatives, I . japoniaa and I. tectoru.n. 755

PSEUDOREGELIA SECTION. A,11 the four species of this section are Himalayan plants and of great beauty. All come from high altitudes, where they grow on open grassland slopes above the tree-line and are bathed in mist or rain from July to September.

Iria hookeria.na is common enough in the North-Western Himalaya at altitudes from 10,000 to 13,000 ft. It has been much confused with Iris kwnaonensis, to which it is very similar but which has a more easterly distribution. In Kashmir and Kulu I have found it in large patches ou open hillsides, making a fine display in June and July with its short-stemmed r,urple flowers. These are of good size and vary infinitely in shade from pure white with fai.nt greyish markings to lilac, blue-purple and reddish-purple. The falls are delightfully mottled with a darker shade and bear a conspicuour white crest. They are deliciously scented. At flowering-time the leaves do not hide the flowers, though later in the year they grow to a length of ten or twelve inches. For some strange reason this plant is rare in cultivation.

Iris kwnaonensis is the eastern counterpart of I . hookeria.na, from which it is distinguished by the much longer tube. In central Nepals in 1950, I found it in flower in June at 14,000 ft., and it coloured large areas of the hillsides with the countless thousands of its lovely mauve and lilac flowers. These are mottled with a darker shade of colour in a manner similar to those of I. hookeriana, but did not seem to vary in colour quite so much. The flowers of this species, too, are sweetly scented.

I . goniooarfXl,. This is a more slender species than its relatives - with narrower leaves and taller flower-stems. It is widely distributed in China, Thibet and the Eastern Himalaya, and so tends to vary greatly. I first found it in the Chumbi Valley in 1943, and again in Nepal in 1950, at altitudes varying from 13,000 to 16,000 ft. It bears solitary mottled flowers on twelve-inch stems and grows in isolated scattered clumps on grassy slopes or among dwarf bushes. I also founq it in shady birch--wood, in one place. The flowers are in shades of blue-mauve and are generally paler than those of either of the preceding species. Both falls and standards tend to lie horizontally in the same plane, and this gives the plant a very distinct appearance.

For some unknown reason this most desirable plant does not seem to be in cult­ ivation, though seed must have been collected quite frequently. In 1950 I collected seed in Nepal (distributed under No. L 1050), so that it is possible that someone has by now raised plants. My own pan of seed unfortunately disappeared during the winter of 1952-53!

The fourth species of the section, I. sikkimensis, is unknown to me. It is described and figured by Dykes but its validity seems to be somewhat doubtful. POGONIRIS SECTION. The only truly wild member of this l arge section that occurs in India would seem to be Iris kashmiria.na, though a form of I. germanioa is cominOn in 'North-Western India, where it is· frequently planted on Mohammedan graves_,' and is said to be common in the Nepal. Valley near Khatmandu.

Iris kashmi:Pia.na i s a creamy-whi'te flag-iris with greenish veins. It is coilllllOn throughout the Kashmir Valley, growing on sun-baked stony hillsides and on 1· the roofs of houses. It, too, is often planted in graveyards, and also occurs in: similar localities in the neighbouring district of Hazara. Ac.cording to Dykes, the plant is~ for some obscure reason, difficult of cultivation in this country. 75.6

NEPALENSIS SECTION . I. decora (syn. nepalensis) occurs frequently in the Himalaya. from the vicinity of Simla, in the west, to Bhutan in the east. It is generally· found at comparatively low altitudes - 5,000 to 7,000 ft. - but in 1950 I found it in Nepal as high as 12,000 to 13,500 ft. There it grew in full sun on stony hillsides among scattered juniper trees and bushes. Though the flowers · vary much in size from one locality to another, the colour remains constant - a charming shade of pale lavender-violet. The falls are delicately veined with dark lavender, and the standards, which are of a darker shade, droop outwards at the : same angle as the falls. The flower-stems may be as tall as 18 inches, and each carries several flowers which open in succession and last for little more than 12 hours. The plants grow singly and not in clumps, though a vigorous plant may produce several flower-stems .

Contrary to what is generally accepted, I have found that this iris is quite hardy in the open, and I now have plants, raised from seed collected in Sikkim, ·that are now in their fourth year. They are planted in the open in full sun.

JUNO SECTION . Two species of this section occur in India, I. aitohisoni , which I have never seen, and I. stoaksii.

Iris stocksii grows sparinely on the North-West Frontier, where I have found it in Waziristan near, and actually in, the military camps of Razmak and Wana at altitudes of 4, 00 to 5,000 ft. It is rather aD. in,;onspicuous plant six or eight inches high with one to three rather spindly flowers of a reddish-mauve colour. The leaves have a very marked silvery edge. It grows in arid stony places in full su~, flowering in March during the brief spring, which follows a severe winter with heavy snow-falls and precedes a very hot and dry summer.

I do not think that the plant is now in cultivation, though both in 1930 and in 1940 I sent home a few bulbs and seeds from .Wana. The bulbs did not long survive here though they flowered in 1941.

GYN.AfU)RIRIS SECTION. Iris sisyrinohiwn, the sole species in this section, is more widely distributed than any other iris in the world. Its area extends from Portugal to Italy, Syria, North Africa and Egypt, through Persia and Afghanistan to Northern India. It is common in the North-West Frontier Provi~ce and in parts of the Punjab and Baluchistan, extending from the plains to an altit~de of some 5,000 ft. It grows on bare sun-baked stony plains where there is no. r.egular rainy season.

The flower-stems rise to some 12 inches in height and each bears three or more little bluish-mauve flowers. These open in succession and each lasts barely a day! This species is quite pretty in itself but is of no garden merit, and although it · survives out of doors in full sun in a well-drained spot, it seldom flowers in thi~ country. There is one other iris I must mention, Early in 1929, while serving in the Khybar, I found a small golden-yellow iris about a foot high, with rush-like leaves, 11 growing on open stony ground at the top of a feature known as "Big Ben , which over­ looks the frontier of Afghanistan. The specimens gathered were placed in my haver~ack, faute de mieux, and had wilted irretrievably by the time I got back to camp at Landi Kotal. I have no idea· of the identify ·of thil:, plant ·and have searched in vain for some description that might tally with it. In June of 1941 I collected seed ~f an iris that I hoped might be the same species on Lakar Sar in:the same area. · Unfortunately, al though this seed germinated a.-t. home _. iP: 194 3, the seedlings did not survive. ***** ...· :·~:... ·:•.·· ,·, . , i , .. -' ''· . , •, l j, .,:\/ ..; .. :· . . ;• ~ •• ' .:·! ; . :•< .., ,. ~. :. : 757

WATER LOVING AND J:\QUATIC IRIS C.P. Ra66ill, V.M.H. Reprinted from the Bri·tish Iris Society Year Book 1943. , , -~.. .. ·.' ...... :· .,· '·. The majo-rity: o'f water-loving Irises belong to the Sibirica sub-section of the Apogon sect'ion' o'li.t..:B'eardless Irises, but there are a few others which also delight in moist 'soils, :- oi::.eveq grow in water • . . :- . .. •.:,, Practically all of the water-loving Irises except the British I. pseudaaorus love to grow in· a:. w~l :C'and deeply dug soil with plenty of leaf mould and deca.yed cow manur~ incorporated in it, and as they are all deep rooting the soil should be well worked· to a depth of 2 feet when preparing the site. When well established, an annual dressing of cow manure will enable the clumps to grow for years without disturbance or any need for replanting, and few Irises can be grown so easily and with so l ittle attention. They all seed freely and often carry a heavy crop of pods and unless seeds are r equired for sowing for stock these should all be cut off at an early stage after the flowers fade. The only exception is I . foetidissuna, which is of value for its decorative seeds and seed pods; ite flowers have little beauty.

Any replanting of these Irises is best done in Spring, just as growth commences and new sboc ts are being made, or an alternative, immediately the flowering period is over.

In ·selecting a site for all the water-loving I rises it is best to group them in an open position on the banks of a pond or stream. r-fassed for effect there are few water plants to equal them, especially the Sibiricas and I . Zaevigata.

The following notes apply to the best known of these, all of which are in cultivation and most of them obtainable from the Trade and other specialists.

I . sibirica. This well-known and favourite Iris is one of the oldest cultivated species in this country, having been introduced in 1596. The type is distributed throughout Central and -Southern Europe and was believed by Linnaeus when he bestowed this name upon it to be identical with a similar plant in Siberia. As a matter of fact, it is found only in Europe.

It is a typical plant of the Apogon or beardless section of the genus Iris, and these, as a rule, have thin or slender rhizomes and masses of roots which pene~rate deep down into the soil to keep the luxuriant foliage going with ample moisture. The bulk of this section are bog or water-side plants, but they will often thrive .. well in any heavy, rich soil which never dries completely out. If treated as border plants they must be kept well watered in dry weather, and there is no more unhappy . plant than a bog or Sibirica Iris if planted on a site which is allowed to dry out in Summer. There are a large number of garden-raised forms ranging through many shades of purple, blue, dark and light, down through French grey to white. Seeds are produced freely on all forms, and if sown as soon as ripe will germinate freely and give no end of pleasure to the raiser. All the pure I. sibiriaa varieties have a tufted habit, and have net- veined falls on a whi te or grey ground with a yellow or white blotch a t the haft, or this Eay shade into a brown tint. The standards in all forms are sub-erect or spreading outwards and lanceolate or oblanceolate in outline and shorter than the falls. The f orms of this species readily hybridize with all the rest of its sub-section. Crosses with I. deZavayi have given us tall, elegant hybrids 3 to 5 feet high and richer in colour than the type. Those with I. orientaZis have increased t he size of the flowers, whilst new shades are to be \ 758 expected from the use of the two yellow species I . wiZsoni and I . forriest~i, and a . whole range of new shades may be expected from crosses made with I. ahrysographes ·and its exquisite variety rubella. The latter variety may give us a whole range of new shades when linked up with I. sibriaa forms as one can expect, shades of wine colour, and even some chocolate-reds in succeeding generations by self-pollinating into the F2, F3, and F4 generations in order to split up the chromosome characters . There are many plants with dormant, or latent colours in their cells, and these remain hidden to the eye as long as the plant is not hybridized. Once the natural fixed cells and colours of a plant are upset by the hybridist there is no knowing what other colours may be revealed in successive generations of hybrids.

I. deZavyi. This tall and elegant Iris is one of the extremes of the genus as regards height, for when grown in rich soil and moist conditions it has been known to reach a height of 5 feet.

It is a native of Szechuan province, China, and has flowers of variable shades of blue, wine-red and purple borne on tall, erect inflorescences, equalling or just topping the broad, handsome leaves. The standards are narrow, and point outwards at almost a right angle to the falls. The flower is larger in all parts than its near ally I. sibirica, and the bl ade of the falls is longer and proportionately broader. The colour is he:avily suffused over a white ground. This i; one of the finest of the water-side Irises, of easy culture and floriferous, and one of the best for planting in a large group for mass effects in colour.

In an endeavour to impart its stature and vigour to other hybrids it has been used by a number of breeders in conjunction with several other species such as I. sibirica, I. forrestii, I. wiZsoni, and I. af-aysogra.phes.

I. wilsoni. This lovely Iris is a fit companion for the other yellow- flowered species of the Sibirica group. It was discovered by the late G.H. Wilson when collecting for Messrs James Veitch & Sons in the-province of Western Hupeh, China, about 1904. It flowered in their nurseries in- 1907, and was after­ wards named by C. H. Wright at Kew in compliment to its discoverer and introducer to cultivation.

This species reaches a height of 2 to 2½ feet, and the leaves are about the same length but arch over at the tips, allowing the f lowers to show clear. The flowers are smaller than those:of I. forrestii but are a cl(::ar yellow to- primrose in both standards and falls in the best forms. A ·f ew seedlings, however, have showed faint veins or tints of purple.

Wilson's Iris is tufted in habit, and is very free flowering -when ·grown in the full sun on the margin of a pond or st.ream. A number of very attractive hybrids have been raised from it whan crossed with other species of·the Sibirica group, on(i! of the best bein~ with I. ahJ:>ysographes, others with I. · deZavayi, · and I. sibirica, , and one with the American Iris I. tenax. : The effect o.f crossing some of these to produce a set of hybrids with purple or.. •blue ?n a yellow ground.

I. forrestii . · This distinct· and lovely Irisis one of the two yellow-flowered · species of the Sibirica gtoup of Apogon Irises. ·It was discovered about 1907 by the great collector, George Forrest, who found it in the marshy pastures of the Lichiang mountains in NGrth:...westerrt Yunnan, a region· which has a heavy rainfall. In the wild state the plants were seltlom ·more than a foot high, but under cultivation it is often 2 feet or more in height. The inflorescences are equal to, or just above, the leaves, and usually each bears two flowers. Thes~ are a pleasing shade of yellow in the best forms and usually veined or stained with purple at the haft. The falls droop sharply, and are a clear yellow or primrpse. 759

This fine plant is an appropriate companion for the purples and blues of I. sibirica, and they make a pleasing contrast when massed for effect. It sel f-poll­ inates freely and produces viable seeds in abundance. Seedlings vary somewhat in the shades of yellow, and also in the degree of purple suffusion and markings on the haft.

When well established this species is a floriferous plant with a dense habit and tufted growth spreading but slowly. For this reason it should be divided up into smaller pieces every four or five years and replanted in deeply dug and well manured p-oUDd. As.soon as thev commence ·to makP uew roots in Spring is the best time.· A lovely hybrid has been raised between this species and I. ahrysographes in which the ground colour is yellow. I. oriental-is. This handsome Ir:ts is often confused with I . sibirica,.- but it has larg~r flowers and an herbaceous, reddish spathe, whereas I. sibirica has smaller and scarious spathes. It is a native of North-Eastern Asia, and extends into Jap~n. There are many colour forms, ranging from purple through blue to pure white. The . flowers are bolder in outline than its European ally, and the falls are more flared or spreading.

The flower stems are 2 to 2½ feet high in most of its forms, and show well . above the foliage on stiff, erect s talks. The falls are held out at a sharp, spread­ ing angle, with a netted dark, purplish-blue or blue shading to white in the front .. and centre of each segment, changing at the haft to r eddish-purple.

There is a pure white form of this species known as " Snow Queen", and this breeds true to white when self-pollinated. This variety crossed with purple and blue forms bas given rise to a number of very pretty shades of Cambridge blues.

I. oriental-is loves a heavy, rich soil and a wet position.

I. buZZeyana. This plant was originally described as a species by the l ate W.R. Dykes, the great authority on the genus. It was sent to him and presumed to be a plant raised from seed obtained by Farrer when collecting for A.K. Bulley in Western China some forty years ago. Doubts have since been raised as to it being a true species, as seedlings raised fr0m self-pollinated flowers do not come true to type.

However, it is distinct enough in its original form from any other Iris. It grows to a height of 2 feet, with narrow, grass-like foliage. and mottled, blue flowers, veined in front; the standards are blue-purple. It produces its flowers in June. The stems are hollow in conuwn with all its near allies in the Sibirica section.

I. chrysographes. This lovely Iris is» in my opinion, one of the gems of the whole genus. We are indebted to the late Dr. E.H. Wilson for· its discovery and introduction to cultivation. It was· found in the alpine meadows in the mountains of Western Szechuan, in China, at an altitude of 7,000 to 12,000 feet. The original type had deep purple flowers shading to violet, The falls are spoon­ shaped and are marked with a yellow blotch or spotted, or with a line of clear yellow running half the length of the fall. The flowers are borne a little above the leaves and are remarkable for their ·:elvety appearance. The plant is tufted in habit, about 2 feet high, and floriferous. Seedlings in the first generation show distinct breaks in colour and mar~ings on the falls. 760

A new form of I. chr>ysog:raphes, namely var. rubeUa.s was discovered by Captain F. Kingdom Ward and he sent seeds home under K.W . No . 4025, which he described as having wine-purple flowers. This hardly describes the colour to my eyes, for to me it has a rich chocolate shade with the characteristic yellow markings on the falls. Of all the forms of the various species of the Sibirica group this is my favourite. Kingdom Ward' described this variety in his notes as a dwarf alpine. However, cultivation alters most plants in height, size of flowers, and general vigour. The powerful light _on high mountains also ha:-; a dwarfing effect on all forms of growth, so one has to allow for a general increase in all parts of a cultiyated plant in the lowlands as compared with the wilding of the highlands, which has generally to compete for its exist nee against other plants for air, light, and food. Under cultivation this variety is 2 feet high, w:l.th arching l eaves which are apt to collapse by the bending of the slender veins after flowering. The flowers are borne on erect spikes 18 inches high and produce seed by self- pollination quite freely in an isolated plan t in my garden. I firmly believe that this variety will prove to be the progenitor of an entirely new colour break in these bog Irises of the Sibirica section. Although much has already been done by breeders in linking up the characters of seve ral species, it is really nothing as compared with what has been done by the Japanese with I. kaenrpfer>i . (ED: now I. ensata).

I. kaenrpferi. For many years this species has been confused with the purple- flowered and closely allied I. Zaevigata. Both species grow in the same area of the Amur district of Manchuria, and it is believed to be the only area where I. kaempferi is truly wild. I have been unable to trace any record of hybrids having been raised between these b~o species.

The two species are really easily distinguished by certain fixed characters of the foliage and the seed pods and seeds; those of I. Zaevigata are alluded to under that species. I. kaempfer>i has a raised midrib in the leaves, and these are from 2 to 3 feet long; the standards of the flowers are much shorter than the falls. The fruit is broadly. oval on long stalks, and the seeds are thin and round, and slightly crinkled. ;

The wild type has rich red flowers, and ye t with such material as this to work upon the Japanese have evolved a large number of shades of white, blue, red, purple, magenta, and wine coloured. They have also bred numerous flaked or striped varieties and mixed colours and developed the most extraordinary enlargement of the standards and falls which flop outwards :-i.nd form rounded flowers. A further series of all these shades ·of colour results from development of double flowers of each colour. . I was told by a Japanese nurseryman once that they had over 1000 distinct varieties of this Iris. Most authorities agree that this so-called Japanese Iris is not a Japanese Iris at all but, like the Tree Peony and the Chrysanthemum is of Chinese origin, and has been adopted and bred from for generations. A collection of forms of this Iris is a remarkable sight when seen in flower, as the flowers are very large and give a solid mass of colour. Individually they arc heavy and have lost · that (:!legance and balance we associate with an Iris. These monstrous creations of the Japanese taste for mass colour and grotesque are all gross feeders, and to see , them to perfection they must be grown in a moist, rich soil where their roots can ;, get down at least 2 feet deep. They are not bog plants in the same sense as I. Zaevigata, but may ~e grouped in beds near the water-side, where water can be reached by their de~per r~ots. When once established, they should be given an annual top dressing of .cow-manure. Exposure to all sun possible is necessary to well ripen growths ?nd ensure a good crop of flcwers.

I .. laevigata. · I. Z.a,e"Qiga·ta is still frequently confused with the better- known I. kaempfe:ri. There is. a· great similarity in their habits and flowers 9 ..· · ' 761

but, I. Zaevigata can be easily distinguished from I. kaempferi fo~ms by its smooth foliage and its midrib being flattened, not pronounced as in I. ka.empferi. Its seeds, too, are large, smooth, and polished, as distinct from the crinkled seeds of I. kaempferi. The colour of the flowers is a rich purple to blue in the type, and an albino form is fairly common, also an intermediate between the white and purple, viz var. aZlJo-purpu:r>ea, with mottled blue and white flowers. The latter was described and figured in the BotaniaaZ Magazine as a species, but it has all the characters of I. Zaevigata.

I. Zaevigata is a handsome species, forming large masses of growth up to 3 and 4 feet high, with bright green leaves, erect at first but arching outwards as they· extend in iength, allowing the brilliant large flowers to display their full beauty to the eye. The whoie flower of the wild type is a uniform bluish-purple, except . for a narrow strip of pale yellow at the haft of the f alls. Grown in rich soil with its roots in water, a clump of this floriferous species is a lovely sight when in flower. Whilst the water-side is the ideal site, it is not the only position in which the plant will thrive, as any rich, moist soil will suit it fairly well, anq it will flower profusely if kept liberally manured to keep up its vigour, as it is a gross feeder.

I . versicoZor. This is distinct species which is a native of the swamps and streams of the Eastern United States and Eastern Canada. It is a close ally of the European and W. Asiatic I. pseudac:or>us, and has flowers of a claret­ purple shade. The foliage is rather broader than the majority of the bog Irises, erect at first but arching with age, slightly glaucous, and attaining a length of 1 to 3 feet. The inflorescences make several lateral branches, bearing from one t:o three flowers in each spathe head. These are 3 to 4 inches in diameter, the fa~ls being obovate and reflexed at half their length, with erect lanceolate or oblanceo­ late standards about 2 inches long. It is an old Iris of our gardens, introduced as long ago as 1732.

Seedlings vary a good deal in colour? and forms vary from purple, thro.ugh wine­ red and even a dull grey suffused with purple. There is a rec-0rd of a blue form ·. having been found. The only known hybrid of this is with I. pseudaconta, but this. is scarcely worth the trouble of raising except to the geneticist.

I. pc:hx>oZeuaa. This is one of the tallest and mos t stately Irises in cultivation. It is of very easy culture and thrives in many sites, unde~ almos~ opposite conditions, such· as i n a border cf herbaceous plants, and also in a _.wet position, where its roots can get down to the water level. I have also seen it thriving in.both acid and alkaline soils, and fonning huge clumps up t o 4 and 5 ft. across, with its flowers carried well above the leaves, reaching a height of 3 to 4 feet. It .flowers in Jp~~e, and its flowers appear in succession for about a month. The colour is a combination of white and yellow, the falls being :white or creamy white, with a large central patch of yellow. Seeds are usually produced in abund­ ance, but I have not seen any of these raised and flowered. It is probable .that pure yellows, and even white forms , would crop up in a generation or two of home­ raised seedlings.

The Iris known as I . monnieri is so closely allied to this plant that it is now considered to be a mutant or possibly a hybrid of I . oahx>ol,euca, as self- . pollinated seedlings do not come true, and tend· to revert to I . oohroZeuca. The flowers of I. monnieri are a light or so~t tint of yellow • . It is a tall and elegant plant when given good conditions, a rich soil and a moist position. 762

I . monspur is a hybrid raised by Foster between I. monnieri and I . Spu1'ia, and is an elegant, tall-growing plant with bluish-purple flowers of a light shade. It is of easy cult;ure in an open, sunny border or at a stream side where it receives all the sun possible; in such conditions it flowers freely. There are several colour varieties.

I. fuZva. This. bog Iris_ :l.s worth a place in a collection, if only for its remark­ able colour, which is a· shade. of mahogany-brown iu both standards and falls. It is a native of the United States 1 along the banks of the Missis~ippi in the neighbour­ hood of New Orl~ans . The foliage is rather heavier and broader then most bog Irises, and develops into a dense clump if left a few years wi thout dividing. The l eaves · are up to 3 feet in length, ensiform in shape, and bright green in colouro The flower stems are 2 to~ feet high, dividing low down, and producing a succession of the curious flowers. Both falls and s tandards arch outwards, the falls being oblong about an inch in diameter, narrowing into a claw half an inch long at the base. The standards are shorter, sp~>0n- shaped, l½ inch~s long, and about 3/4 inch broad.

On account of its un1.qu<;:: colour many attempts have been made to raise hybrids from this species, but only one is known to me, namely I. fuZvaZa, which was raised by crossing it with its nearest ally, I . foZiosa, a bluish-flowered species. The resultant hybrid is a reddish-purple of little or _no colour value. In the States several colour forms are listed.

I . spur>ia. This is a very variable species as to height, s ize of flowers and general habit. The colour of the flowers is a self- purple of a rich and brilliant shade. Th(! flowers are 3 to 4 inches in diameter, borne on erect, s tiff stems, and averaging2½ to 3 feet high; where grown on the margin of a stream they may be even 4 feet high; when its lovely rich coloured flowers and luA'Urian t · foliage make it an outstanding Iris. Some: years ago in a Riviera garden I saw this Iris in perfection growing on the margin of a stream in a soil which contained a good deal of l imestone from the rock formation of the hilly ground above, yet it seemed to be quite at home in these conditions . As the type of the sub-section of the genus which bears its name it is a Yell-marked species. The fruits or pods are very sharply triangular, and in each angle are two ridges running down. The fruits are very solid and usually tightly packed with compressed or angular seeds.

The erect inflorescences bear from two to as many as six flowers ? but two is the usual number. Forms of this species occur wild which have a terminal pair of flowers and two l.iteral pairs from short, lateral branches.

I. spuria i s widely distributed in Europe, and extends into Asia. It also occurs in the fens of Lincolnshire) where it has been found in conditions similar to its habitat :in other parts of Europe, although it has not been included in Bentham and Hooker's "Flora of the British Isles" . It is a typical bog plant, yet here · again it is a plant which will thrive in any open border wher e the soil is rich and moist. The rhizomes slowly spread from the centre and are not so freely branchi ng or tufted as in the Sibirica section of the genus. ·

I . foetidissima. As well as b~ing a native of. Britain and many parts of Western Europe it l1as recently been found also in Western China by Ca ptain Kingdom Ward. This plant is a typical bog plant of our streams arid is often found· in shady·places amongst other aquatic or bog plants in places where very few would. grow at all. The flowers are not of much decoratiye value, being a dull, purplish­ grey. As a water-side plant its chief value lies in its highly coloured and decorative seed pods and· seeds which, when mature, open out. with a mass of bright scarlet or .o.rang~-:scarlet seeds' attached to the light yellowisri' _- {rit·ernal walls of each valve. These s·eeds ·remain attached to· the seed pods for some· weeks and are 763

conspicuous objects by the water-side. The seed pods are carried about 1 foot high on rigicl stems. The common name in Britain of this Iris is "Stinking Gladwin, 11 on account of the sickly odour of its flowers and leaves.

I have a form of this plant which produces pods with white seeds and two other varieties with lemon and yellow flowers.

I . pseudaaor-us. The "Yel.:l.ow Iris" or "Water Flag" of the British flora is a common species in many parts of Europe and N. Africa, Asia Minor, and Siberia - the widest range of any Iris. A tall and elegant aquatic species on the margins of streams and _ponds, it is familiar to many Iris lovers in the British Isles on account of its conspicuous golden-yellow flowers which appear in quantities along many rivers and streams all over the country. It will thrive in full sun or. in partial shade, but is best out in the open. The strong-growing rhizomes often reach out into water for many y.ards, and it is only deep water which really checks it. The tall, linear, lanceolate leaves are often 3 to li feet above the water- . line,. and on the banks it will exceed this ~eight. Its leaves, an inch or more in diameter and rigidly erect, often with .a spiral twist, are bright shining or slightly glaucous green, with a prominent midrib. The inflorescences are nearly~~ long as the leaves. The upper part develops large sheathes o~ bracts, bearing on~ to three flowers in. each on a branching stem. The flowers are golden-yellow for the most part, and are usually about 3 to 4 inches in diameter, with flaring falls·, rounded in shape and often l½ inches in diameter, generally with a deeper spot at · the haft, and veined with brown. Standards are oblanceolate , or spatulate and erect, usually about half an inch long, but they may sometimes be as much as a~ inch long, or even reduced to miuute points. There are many. forms, differing in the s ize of the flowers and also slightly in the depth of the colour. One of the best of these is a large lemon-yellow known as var. bastardi, and the~e is a c~~amy white form known a~ var. alba. For the lake or pond side, a grot,tp of. this speci,es is well worth a place, and it will require very little atten,tion. · It wiJt grow in any sort of soil.

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PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE

SIGNA Issues 1 to 23 $1. SO each IRIS STIJDY MANUAL $5 .00 for the complete set A GUIDE TO '.I1fE PACIFIC COAST IRISES $1.50 each (only' three left)

SEND ORDERS TO: Grace Carter 1212 Tucker Road Hood River, Orego~; 97031,' U.S.A. For more detailed descriptions of the above· refer to SIGNA p. 673

Orders for British publications should Miss N.C.O. Fowler be sent to the Secretary of the B.I. S.: Hon . Literature· Secretary The British Iris·· Society (Sibiricae Booklet) 53 Barkham Road · ., · (Guide to the Pacific Coast Irises) Wokingham, Bork. RG ·11 2RG (Alphabetical Table &Species Guide) ·England

See SIGNA p .673 for detailed description

********** 764

CRESTED IRISES IN NEW ZEALl'-..ND

J e.a.n Steven.6

There is a dainty ·grace inseparable from the crested irises which entitles them to greater prominence amongst iris species than is generally accorded them. Here, in New ZE::aland, where, speaking generally, the climate is ideal for their culture·, only I. japonica and I. tectorum, and to a lesser extent I. cristata and I . Zaoust1•is, are ·commonly grown. Only I . ,iaponioa and, I presume, I. wattii, need the shelter of house walls or shrubs against frost, and even they require no shelter in favoured districts such as mine.

I sometimes think, if only I. tectorum were difficult to grow, how much more desirable a species we should consider it, but it grows and flowers in sun or shade, asking only for reasonable drainage and not too acid a soil. It does, however, reward the gardener who will give it good rich compost or leaf- mould with larger flowers or richer lavender and taller stems and side-branches. The exquisite white form, with its delicate touch of pure gold on the crest, has all the beauty of the rarest orchid. I confess, though, that I f ind it, like many albino forms , more temperamental .. than the type, and it demands rather than responds to , a rich loose soil and o~re frequent division and replanting.

I . japonioa grows well almost anywhere in New Zealand, though the flower-stems require some shelter from frost in many gardens. I find it f l owers best where it gets a reasonable amount of sunshine and the soil is not too rich. It makes far too much increase in too rich a soil and spends its energy in foliage instead of flower-stems. Under good conditions the flower-stem reaches two and a half feet, and last year I had as ID3ny as eleven perfect flowers open on a single spray. It seeds only rarely, and, like that of most Evansias, the seed does not germinate the first year after sowing.

Two years ago Major Par.1 very kindly sent me two plants of the true I . 1.,){lttii by air mail. Since plants transferred from the northern to the southern hemisphe~~­ must adapt themselves to different seasons,! potted up these precious plants and nursed them along in a c'old greenhouse until they fell into season by responding to our springtime. They were then planted out against an eastern wall of the house. :­ The site was chosen for shelter from wind - o~r greatest garden drawback - and the · plants grew amazingly, though they did not f lower until the following spring. Then in August, as the first large daffodils of spring were in bloom, nineteen sprays .. showed up from the five .foot high foliage, and by 29th of August the first blooms .. were open on sprays which were just an inch under six feet in height. From then o~ the clump remained a lovely picture of soft lavender-blue all through September and October, tailing off in November until the last flower faded on the 2nd of December. While at their best the very f rill:ed blooms were four inches ac 1s, though they ~­ became somewhat smaller towards the· end of the flowering season. Quite a number ... of pods have formed, strange little irregular trigonal pods about one and a half inches long and containing up to a dozen seeds, though obviously many seeds had failed to develop. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about these seed pods is the length of time they take to ripen. I . wattii proved itself an early spring- f l owered species, yet its pods are the:. last of all iris species to ripen wir;h me, and at this date, March 16th, only half the pods are yet harvested.

This year Major Pam han added to his kindness by sending me I. confusa, and this is now a small but rapidly-growing clump which, since it is already running up a stem, I hope will flower next spring. 765

Another iris which I had not previously seen also flowered last spring, about five weeks later than I. wattii. This was the hybrid DARJEELING, which I under­ stand is a seedling of the japoniaa x aonfusa hybrid NADA. A single piece sent me' from Australia nine months before had grown amazingly, and despite the fact that I . had given away an early increase, it produced five flower-sprays with many beautiful blue-white frilled flowers. Much more compact in the spray and strongly upright in stem, DARJEELING is obviously a good garden plant, remains attractive in appearance throughout the year. The stems reached three and a half feet this year, though it may be taller on an established clump. I had some misgivings at first that like I: japoniaa it would atcempt to. take possession of the garden by means of rapid stolon­ iferous increase, but for the time being at least it has settled down as a contained clump.

Many years ago we grew I . speaulatrix raised from seed from Hong Kong, and th~s grew and flowered in a climate subject to long frosts from 10 to 14 degrees. How­ ever, during our shift from that garden to our present one the plants were somewhat neglected, and when I wen t to get stock for this garden I found that the larvae of a native bettle had eaten almost all the roots, and I was unsuccessful in getting the weakened plants established here. Last year, however, I heard there were still plants of I. speaulat:t'ix from our old stock .growing in a friend's garden in Dunedin in the far south, where the winters are longer and colder than in our old garden, which is only thirty miles from her e. From a small plant obtained a year ago from this friend's garden, I . specula-f;rix has now made a sizable clump with good dark foliage and splendid increase. It produced l ast spring one flower-head with two flowers on a ten-inch stem. The flowers were only about one inch across, and despite the intensity of the tiny violet patch below the. crest· could hardly be called showy, though the foliage is at all times n~at and attractive. One seed­ pod formed, but unfortunately a caterpillar attacked it, and, despite the small damage done before I discovered it, the seeds failed to develop.

Another Evansia which I have only recently managed to get again is I. milesii. This is now making rapid growth from seed, after taking two seasons to germinate, Well grown, with four-foot spikes, I. milesii is far from being negl;igible in the garden, and flowers for a long season, though one always seems to re_tain a sense of surprise when the slender sprays develop to reveal their relatively small flowers from such superb foliage.

I. gxiacilipes does very well indeed when once established, if given semi­ shade and a loose, fairly rich soil that does not dry out in summer. I have seen it growing in full sun, and in a very dry position in poor soil, but though the clumps increased well, the foliage was yellow, and the flowers about half their normal size. The dainty white form of I. graaiZipes is very resentful of disturb­ ance and must be nursed carefully after a shift. I am only now getting it going again after a lapse of some years. It will not tolerate any lime in the soil, and I have had to reduce the pH of this soil to get it to look at all happy.

The lovely I. cristata is very often confused in New Zealand with I. Zacust1'ia, due to the fact that an English nursery firm sent out plants of laaust:t'is labelled as cristata in the years between 1920 and 1935 . I tried to import I. a1'istata myself many times, and each time was sent I. laaust1'is, even when I tried to get the right plant by ordering both species in the same consignment. Others must have had the sam~ experience, as it still quite common to see Zaaust:t'is masquerading as aristata in gardens here. Just when I was despairing of getting the right plant a friend arrived to see me, bearing in her hand a plant of the true I . aristata with a flower still in bloom. She had obtained it from a garden on the East Coast 766

wher e she told me it erew in a great drift which every year was a sheet of colour. And so at last I obtained the true plant. It has proved very easy to grow, and is not in any way fussy as to soil or aspect, though the flowers are f iner where it gets partial shade. Provided that it is r eplanted at once, it shifts easily and quickly re-establishes itself any time in the spring or autumn. I. Zacustris is not so ~asy, requiring here a loose soil which does not harden as it dries out in summer. I have never seen any autumn bloom on I. aristata, but rain after dry weather will often induce I. Zaaustris to send up odd flowers in summer and autumn

Reprinted from the British Iris Soaiety Year Book 1950 **********

EDITORIA L COMMENTS

It. is my sad duty to report the passing of one of our esteemed members, Mr . Skip R.>ss. of Huntsville, AL on July 19th, 1979. Skip had been ailing for some time with lyffi~~~~9 there was hope that the treatment for it was succeeding, but he developed spinal meningitis which proved fatal. Skip had contributed to SIGNA in the past and about a year ago undertook to make an index of the first 20 issues of SIGNA. It was to have been ready for this issue but his illness prevented him from working on it last spring and summer as intended and left it half completed. I will very much ~iss h~s frendly letters.

This October issue of SIGNA is late as usual as I type this final page on Nov. 9th, but I note it is still two weeks ahead of last year. Thank the weather for this as a few bad days prevented outside work and allowed me to continue on SIGUA . Actually the reprints portion was ready last April, but the other half ha.d to take its turn after the apple crop was off.

It has been a cool summer here - 88°F. was the highest reached - but the iris oloomed very well and las t ed longer than usual. Seed production on the sp~cies was better than last year, due. likely to lack of rain at bloom time for most. J::t:y in May, wet in June and a moist but not wet fall - nobody got stuck in the orchcird thip year, and you can still drive anywhere on the sod.

}1rs. Buckanan is still trying to get information on species seed germination with mixed success and sotte frustration as well. More replies are requested. It is our joint intention to have a very comprehensive article for the spring, 1980 issue, but it is far from being ready yet. To accompany Mrs. Buchanan's work will be reprints of Dr. R:mdoli;,h ' s study on germination published in 1943, and as well one or two other articles of more recent writing. We do hope you will co- operative and send in what you know about germinating species seed to either Mrs. Buchanan or myself . Her new address is : 113 Southoak Drive, Winston-Salem, N. C. 27107 .

SIGNA seems to be a continuing success after ten years of steady uphill progress, with our membership the largest, renewals coming in well and a ·fair number of new members too. Most encourging for the Exe~utive. -Se.ed exchange did very well too, with one of the highest returns so far and this points out the need for all the seed you can send to Mary Ibvall. This has been a .prime factor in keeping our membership fee constant in this age ~f inflation and merits your continued support. SIGNA is like a bank account - the more you put in, the more you can take out - and we all do want to have lots of information for you to take out. ***