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SPECIES GROUP OF NORTH AMERICA

#46 Spring, 1991 pp.1659-1698 SIGNA S.Fu.E: C.:!iE:S r: ~u s G~:•,.)U? Q,F IN!l •ft,-,1 H A.'!'IE R ICA 1 Spr- i n g; ,,, 1 '99 1 Nuam,b e ir- ~6

OFFICERS & EXECUTIVES

CHAIRMAN: Colin. Rigby 2087 Curtis Dr. Penngrove, CA 94951 VICE CHAIRNANl:; ILee, Q.belsh 7979 W. D Ave. •,alamazoo, MI 4912)12)9 SECRETARY : F Jl. oire lllioe S tout 150 N. Hain St. Lombard, IL 60148 TREASUHER::: !Roib:,e,r•t; IP·r i es 602 3 Antire Rd.. High Ridge, MO 63049 SEED· E XCHANGE :; Cons:tance Han sen 1931 N 33rd Lincoln City, OR 97367 R()P.JN DIRE CTOR:: Dort filu j sa.ll-~ 322 7 So. Ful ton Ave. Tulsa, OK 74135 SLIDES CHAlRll'tAN:: He ].gia. A mcttn~eu.s 11 Maple Ave. Sudbury , MA 01776 PUBLICATIONS SALES : Alan NcKurt rie 22 Cal deron Crescen~, Willowdale, 0l'll'Tl tar io, Can,a.dla M2R 2E5 S I GN.~ EDI 1''('.9R:. ,,Ftcr~m, Oo.arpe;r 212 WJ . COLCnt :y Road C. Roseville, MN 55113 PAST PRE:Sl :0-E!'~nT" ::- E la:iim.e IHu lbef"t !Rouit:e 3, !lox 57 Floyd, VA 24091 AIDVISO!RY JS'z)#;iRIDJ::: :If?, ~ ILeR:QI:!: Dav:i.dsion,;; JJ'ea,n Witt;; Bruc e Richards on

CONTENTS CHA I Rt'\A,IN." S lttlE:ss+\I.Gl!::: Col in Riglby 1659 N4...1tUNA:TllNtli, ' O'-O.!l'IJl'll!lf7flEJE. REIPQR:li 1659 SL IOC OHA l ~Ni"' S IRENR11" He] 9J

Last year, SIONA applied for a non-profit tax exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service, and I am happy to report that that status has been granted to us. This action helps to bring SIONA more in line with some of the other Sections of the American Iris Society. Any donation made to SIONA is now tax deductible by the donor as prescribed by law.

Response to the Jean Witt watercolor Iris prints has been very favorable, especially among the SIONA membership. We hope we did not mislead you. It is true that the printing plates have been destroyed, but we had a sufficient number of folios printed to last us for quite a long time. If you hesitated to order a set, thinking the supply might be exhausted, be assured that there are sets available. The watercolor prints are being offered at cost, and unless postage costs increase, the price of $8.50 should remain the same for some time yet.

Constance Hansen will be SIONA's new Seed Exchange Director starting this year and we extend a warm welcome. It will be a challenge to surpass the dedication and attention that Phoebe Copley displayed when she sorted, packaged and shipped our orders, and we extend a special thank you to her for a job well done. Even under the most trying of times, Phoebe was always bright and cheerful, a cheerfulness that helped to make all our jobs more pleasant. We appreciated working with her. We know the Exchange is again in good hands and we thank Constance for taking on this very important job. We've no doubt the challenge will be easily met. Please look for the notice on the inside front cover in this issue that lists Constance' address. ·

The movement to establish awards for species and interspecies cross irises is gaining momentum. Interest is very high and reaction is favorable. We hope to have more to report on this in the Fall issue. And a special thanks to Howard Brookins who has agreed to do the index for us.

Spring has at last arrived with the anticipation, frustration and sometimes disappointments of bloomtime. It seems like a long time ago that our irises were in bloom, but here they are again. It was worth the wait. Hope you all have wonderful bloom and a very pleasant spring.

Colin Rigby Penngrove, CA NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT

Dave Silverberg , Nominating Committee chairman, reports that all of SIGNA's elective officers have agreed to serve another term. Therefore, as required by the By-Laws, we are publishing the s late of officers from the Nominating Committee: CHAIRMAN : Colin Rigby ASSISTANT CHAIRMAN: Lee Welsh SECRETARY: Florence Stout TREASURER : Robert Pries 1660 IBACIK IISSILJlifS Of" SIIGlrilAl All back issues are available for $2.00 each (from # 1 to current), which includes postage. Riso available i.s the Species Iris Study Manual for ~5.00. Send orders to our Publications Chairman Rian McMurtrie (address inside front cover]. Make cheques payable to SIGNR.

SLIDE CHAIRMAN'S REPORT Helga Andrews

It is most heartening to know that my request for species slides missing from our collection did not vanish into thin air; in fact, the response has been wonderful and 27 new species have been added, along with many other fine new slides.

My thanks to all of you who responded so generously. Sharon McAllister in New Mexico must have hit the phone the minute SIGNA arrived and sent along a great group of slides with at least a dozen oncocyclus species new to our collection. And Alan McMurtrie from Canada sent a magnificent collection of Juno and reticulata species, with many new additions. Jim Waddick sent some of his Chinese finds, including I. speculatrix, a slide of which also came from Berry Judd in New Zealand, along with other slides.

Panayoti Kelaidis, bedridden with a bad back, found time to sort his slides and send a good selection, and Dr. Gordon Loveridge sent some no longer needed slides from Australia; he has, alas, had to close his nursery in Leura due to ill health.

Joe Mertzwiller responded immediately when I asked for additional slides of our Louisiana species and Jean Witt and Elaine Hulbert, whose names are already on so many of our slides, continue to send along new ones. Maurice Boussard even enclosed a few slides with the seeds he so generously contributes from France.

It is a special treat for me to have the chance to see all these new slides and also to realize what a diverse group SIGNA represents and what fascinating species are being grown in such varied parts of the globe. I assure all the rest of you that your slides will be warmly welcomed here in Massachusetts, and I am always glad to send out specific requests for slides from our members as long as I have adequate time to respond. It is encouraging to see that many Iris groups are now asking for species slides and write back about enthusiastic response from their members. 1661 SLIDE CHAIRMAN'S REPORT (Continued)

Never content, however, I now issue a further list reflecting some of the weak spots I have found in putting together programs, and hope for an additional generous response from who-knows-where. I like to include good garden or wild shots showing the growth habit of the iris, as well as close-up shots, and particularly welcome such clump shots.

I. verna I. uni/fora alba I. gracilipes I. caespitosa · I. graminea (challenge class) I. delavayi I. f orrestii I. fernaldii I. setosa nana (hookeri) I. hartwegii I. siberica I. purdyi I. ensata I. xanthospuria I. chrysographes I. lactea (close-up) I. schactii I. kernerana I. tenuifolia I. prismatica (close-up and general) I. loczyi Spuria species in general I. ung-uicularis I. missouriensis (close-up)

ERRATA & ADDENDA

Nigel Service writes from France: "I always enjoy getting my copy of SIGNA but it is not so good when old errors and misconceptions are perpetuated through the republication of old articles. In the spring, 1990, issue you reprinted Dr. Randolph's piece from AIS Bulletin 144 and on page 1607 he goes on ( last paragraph) about the bright red-purple color of I. perrieri. Well, I looked at this iris in the wild in June, 1984, and there is no color in any way approaching red-purple; all flowers were shades of violet. The tallest stem was little over a foot. I cannot think where Dr. Randolph got the with the 24 inch stem he wrote about but I do hope it was not this iris he used as his material for his karyotype study. I don't know what you can do about this sort of thing though as these older pieces are fascinating, still mainly relevant and tell us a lot" ·

We hope that our knowledgable readers will continue to point out errors whether in older pieces that are reprinted or in original material. We welcome any corrections aue are more than willing to print them. Editor 1662 SEED EXCHANGE REPORT Spring 1991 The Seed Exchange i s s till growing. Each year the number of donors increases and the variety of seeds becomes greater . The response o f the members ordering seeds has also grown . Following are some points I would like to mention concerning the Exchange .

Everyone involved in the Exchange, including the members who buy and plant the seeds , is important . However, without the donors who spend a great deal of time gathering and cleaning seeds there would be no program and we owe them our gratitude. Some members send many varieties a nd some only one but each offering extends the range of plants we can have in our own gardens . I greatly appreciate the fact that in the last three years the seeds which hav.e been sent have been clean and well labeled . A word or two as to the color, description or origin of the plant makes the list more informative but there is not space for cultural directions . There are books available for the members interested in knowing more about the irises they grow and a very good way to exchange information is to join a robin .

Some different and unusual seeds have been listed and it s eems when I look at the orders and check the numbers that every other person wants the seeds which are in very short supply . Substitutes are just that - substitutes - and may not always be what you want. With over two hundred orders coming in it i s impossible for very many people to get all of their first choices. From the number of nice comments sen t in it seems that most people realize these things and if no substitutes are wanted that box is marked. If you do want substitutes you are far more likely to be satisfied with the ones you get if you have l isted a generous number that you would like to have.

Carla McGavran writ?S that when she is doing her pollinating she does some for SIGNA too . She suggests that is a good way to have some interesting seeds to send to the Exchange . Some of the donors appare11tly do this and Carla always does . It would seem to be a way to get some nice seeds for SIGNA while doing your own work. Whether seeds are specially pollinated, purchased from other sources - and some are each year - or gathered from the garden and dried, . cleaned, packaged and mailed, the donors make it possible to have a seed exchange to s e rve all the members and to help keep the species in cultivation

I have enjoyed the contacts I have made in the last three y ear's and have learned a lot. I'm sure next years Exchange will be even better than this years and will be handled more expeditiously I thank everyone who took a moment to write thank you or a friendly comment on the order as well as friendly notes . Good luck with all the seeds that have or are still going out and if you have something interesting or different in your garden send some seeds to the Exchange next year.

PHOEBE COPLEY 1663 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING, MAY 20, 1990

The first meeting of the SIGNA Board of Directors was called to order in Omaha, Nebraska, May 20, 1990 at 4:50 PM by Chairman Colin Rigby. Elected officers present were Chairman Rigby and Bob Pries, Treasurer. Also present were Joan Cooper, Editor; Jean Witt, Elaine Hulbert, Jim Waddick, Jim Mur­ rain, Larry Lauer and Jean Erickson. There was not a quorum. Chairman Rigby announced that the Board had agreed to reproduce the watercolors done by Jean Witt and that her work could be seen in The World of Irises. There will be a total of twelve sheets in tlhe portfolio consisting of nine of one subject on a sheet and three with two subjects on a sheet for a total of fifteen subjects. The color separations will be done at a discounted price in San Francisco. That cost will be in the vicinity of $3000. In order to save SIGNA another $2000. , Colin Rigby will do the necessary work preliminary to printing. They will be printed on archival paper 8 1/2 X 11 inch size. Elaine Hulbert has agreed to be responsible for the title page. There will be 1500 printed; the color separations will remain with SIGNA.

A discussion followed on how they would be offered, to whom besides SIGNA mem­ bers, how they would be distributed, and for what price. It was finally deemed nec­ essary for SIGNA to recover costs. Treasurer Pries presented his reports for 1987, '88, '89 which indicated a final bal­ ance of $15,588.47. Ch. Rigby announced his readiness to apply for a nonprofit tax status for SIGNA under the 501C 3, Civic League, classification. The application will show that SIGNA has assisted Jim Waddick with his important scientific trip to in addition to grovid­ ing moni~s for the translation of the Flora of the people's Republic of China,, iris section. Application will be sent with the required $150. fili'rig __ fee. Regarding the index for the SIGNA publication which has not yet been completed, it was decided, after much discussion, that Ch. Rigby would attempt to find someone to finish it incorporating the last completed volume with the new. The possibility of hiring it done was also considered. The Board would be involved in the decision. Regarding the possibility of SIGNA employing tissue culture to increase valued species, Ch. Rigby announced that Evelyn Lenette, a member of SIGNA, has a laboratory in Berkeley, California, and has expressed an interest in doing the culture for SIGNA. There followed a long discussion on the options available in the generation of indi­ vidual plantlets from the tissue culture medium to the realities of planting out and having the plantlet adjust to our rather harsh environment. It was decided to ask Mrs. Lenette to do the initial work and to explain, in the SIGNA publication, the growing conditions needed after the material is ready to be removed from the tube-­ what the grower could expect. It was suggested that an article advise members that these would take some care, would be shipped in a vial of sterile agar medium , to be removed to a sheltered location and ultimately hardened off for planting in our atmosphere. It was also decided SIGNA could contribute enough funds to pay for the necessary chemicals, vials and other materials needed by Mrs. Lenette to begin the project, probably not more than $300. SIGNA members would be alerted on which species were being cultured and their cost to them. This information could be listed in the seed exchange literature. These requests would then be tranferred to another responsible person. Ch. Rigby offered to receive and mail the vials. The cost would depend on the number of 1664 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING, MAY 20, 1990

plants m a tube and the time necessary to bring them to the required size. Species considered at present are speculatri>., three regelias: tigridia, manchuria, citronensis, and a Siberian, typifolia. Since the time span necessary to reproduce these species is unknown at this time, the dare of spring '91 is unverifiable. The need to have an awards system was brought up for discussion. It was noted that the Judge's Handbook mentions awards for species, but there are none. These species must be registered because there are better-than-average clones which may, or may not, have a varietal name but are not eligible for an award unless they are registered. Discussion followed on what the award should be called, and it was agreed it not be named for a living person and that it should be an American. Treasurer Pries was requested to find out from AIS what is required of SIGNA before an award can be initiated. The question was asked if it should be an occasional, spontaneous award or given on a routine basis. It was the opinion of those present that there would be two awards: one for straight species and the other for wide cross­ crosses. Chairman Rigby displayed one of the five hundred copies of the flyer done by Florence Stout, stock of which is already depleted. A revised copy has been done and is be­ ing circulated. A suggestion was made for one in the future to be in color similar to that which AIS sent out recently with the Bulletin. The possibility of obtaining copies of that flyer was mentioned, to be funded by SIGNA and given out at our shows and programs. Chairman Rigby will pursue this suggestion. Editor Cooper displayed a booklet which was printed by the Median Iris Society in 1970 which is unavailable now and desired by many members. This is The Eupogon Iris Species in Cultivation. Ch. Rigby will contact Bea Warburton and the Median Society toward the possibility of a reprint of it either by them or SIGNA. Chairman Rigby expressed a desire for free exchange of information between other sections as we do with the Aril group. The question arose concerning the· SIGNA membership in the British Iris Society. Treasurer Pries will arrange this either on an exchange bas is or as a regular membership. The editor receives pub) ications from the Ari! & Japanese societies and the New Zealand species group. Ch. Rigby will send copies of the current SIGNA publication to other societies with the intent of exchanging information and publications. Jim Waddick expressed his thanks to the Board and members of SIGNA for their sup­ port for his travel to China to collect irises and for the translation of the iris section of The Flora of the People's Republic of China. He reported that the irises brought back have been distributed and all out one of the species have been established some­ where in the U.S. The one which did not survive was a Siberian collected in Sechuan. Translation of the work has been done and edited into iris terms. It was then sent to Jean Witt who worked over more endless details. The first section which included the introduction and key has been approved by Dr. Zhao Yu-tang. He now has the species account and will return it soon. If the timetable goes well, the book, published by Timber Press and retailing for twenty to twenty-five dollars could be available by spring, 1991 SIGNA publication time and could be ordered from that notice. It could also be made available at the National Convention. Two marketing options are being offered to SIGNA. Members were told that Dr. Zhao whould be traveling at present on another collecting trip to secure two uncollected live irises in China with funding, in part, from the SIGN A fund left over from the first collecting trip. He will be near the Russian-China - Continued 1665 and Korean-China borders. These irises have never be_en seen. alive in .most of _the world. If he is successful, he has enough funds to ship the hve mair.enal to this country. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:15 PM.

Jean Erickson, recorde r

CHINA CASH CALL f:.y James W. Vil 3.ddick

t',egin the countdov,m for a rare visit. Following the sucess of the <:"Tr~t,. --.,., ...... -...... ,.,,-1 f"i, 1'n- , •. ;- n .... ,..;,.,A• ;• ··-- ••AAA-•1 •• ,...... +; •• _.., ___ ,., •t....-• T"\ __.._,,.. __ ,.._ .)11J1'!.M. ::OfJ'..,tU~l..,11t:c'U 1..,11 10. 111::0 .l"' lVJt'l..l, ll, 'NO.~ lt'l..t'UW)' '-,\JUUUU';:;'U WUll, .l:'1V1t'~::OV1 1 Zhao Yu-tang v..111 be attending the American Iris Society's national me~tings in lNashington D.C. this May. Proi. Zhao is tlle foremost iris expert in China.

He has v,.,ritten a lanzeV 3.mount of informa.tion in Chines-? 3.nd a translation of his major iris sur vey of China vvill soon be published in English (Iris of China by J. W. 'Naddick & Zhao Y-t, 1gg 1, Timber Press). Proi. Zhao is an amiable,. lrnov,11.edgeal)le and interestJng person 'v\:'liO vvill be a joy ior you to meet. This v,lill be Prof. Zhao·s first visit to the United States and v.fill give him tlle opportunity ti,:, visit ·\·\7itl1 iris growers across tl1e country. So iar llis itinerary may include visits ti) the San Francisco area, Kansas City, St. Louis, ,~T-=-,c·t-.1· nrrt,,..... n r t 1·,,~ i:, ,·h,,.,. !u'J '.\nd t11{:, <:-.:::.~ttle ' Pot"tl-:-,,.-,ct -:.re-:. 8 t o-:-,,'·11 1 • v.... •4.a. .&..a.~ Ai./,.,., .1-~ ."'tJ.1 j, .1. ,u. .1 .& -".l t/V.l J vl v. ·~ - ..., ....,.u . I .a. "' ,__,.i..1.· ~• ~-v .. J. J. ·vu'-' loc3.tion he V·lill be giving illustrat.$d taU:.s, meeting irisarians and seeing tlie ,-\ide ~rnriety of iris V-H:. grow in tl1is country. Hosts in eacl1 oi these locations wiil be he1ping v17itll tl1e travel costs involved in tllis visit and tlie last oi tt1e China Iris Fund monies \qill be incorporated into tl1e travel needs. More money is needed to fund his basic travel to and from China and completel;.r a.cross the Unit~d States ·~·\7it.11 numerous stc.,ps in-betv-.reen. Room, board and incidental costs v.. 1 i11 all need t, be covered . How often do SIGN A mi?.mbers have the chanc~ to contribute in a. person-to-person effort k• improve international iris v,1ell being? Tliis is your chance to give iris interests a tremendous boost and meet a 'A"()rld authority. A ie'N local iris s(~cieties liave contit>u.wd up t() $500, but other generous contributions are still needed by otlier societies. Individual contributions ha~re also been very helpful. Please contact me if •;,;rou., v-.rant to help individuallv, or on behalf oi vour' k,cal society. 'Nrite or call Dr. James vr V?addick, 3233 McGee, Kansas City, lv10 64111, (816) 531-2373 for details. 1 666 SIGNA PRESENTS THE IRIS WATERCOLORS OF JEANwrIT The set consists of some twelve pages w1th a total of f1fteen d1fferent 1r1s subjects printed 1n full color on heavy, acid-resistant, non-yellowing paper. Page size 1s 8¼ x 11 1nches and each is suitable for framing. All were painted from life of 1r1ses raised and flowered 1n the Seattle area and give us an opportunity to see in color some rare and unusual species. Irises included in the folio are:

I • ruthenfca

I • mlssourlensls

I • tenax

I • bakerlana

I. decora

I • ungulcu/arls 1 Mary Barnard 1

I . retlcu/e.te. 'Purple Gem'

I . rossl I \ I . chrysophy I I a \ \ I . buche.rlce. \ \ I • kolpakowsk.lana

I . setosa ce.nadensls

I . verna I. lnnomfnata l':.- 1, '\wlet Scauty' Ind ividual sets are sent 1n their own envelope and are backed both sides - · with heavy clipboard to insure safe arrival. Cost of the complete set 1s $8.50 postpaid. Th1s 1s first class ma11 in the United States and Canada and surface mail on overseas orders. For overseas a1rma11, add $2.50 additional. Make check or money order payable to SIGNA and send to: SIGNA, 2087 Curtis Drive, Penngrove, CA 94951. The Watercolors are being offered at cost, and although a sufficient number of sets were printed, when current supply is exhausted, the offer w111 not be repeated as the printing plates have been destroyed. 1667 IRIS BELOUINII by Nigel Service Martel, France

On the steep sides of an oued, a deeply eroded ravine, lying to the west of the city of Fes, Morocco, in 1913, Captain Belouin of the French Foreign Legion found a splendid and tall bearded iris growing. He introduced to France where it was cultivated and flowered at Longchamps and was described as Iris belouinii by Boissier & Cornault in the Revue Horticole 87: 547 (1915).

Save for one brief mention, unpublished, to be touched on later, I can find no other references indicating its continued existence in cultivation so presumably it did not long persist, despite good increase reported by Boissier and Cornault.

In 1959, when he wrote ofit in his flora of the area, "Flore de l'Afrique du Nord" (vol. 6), Rene Maire reported that the type location in the Oued Madhouma was associated with the remains of an old abandoned cemetery.

Apart from this publication there seems to be really very little on I. belouinii. Authors, if they refer to it at all, lump it into the I . germanica complex and the fact that the authoritative A.LS. publication "The World of Irises" categorizes it as a Border Bearded Iris when even a quick look at the description would give a stem measurement of around 49 inches makes one suspect the species has not been perhaps regarded very seriously in the past. ·

The three sheets in the type folder in the North Africa herbarium at the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris consist of a stem with , flower parts and spathe valves and leaves. Other sheets I saw labeled I. belouinii, even some reputed to come from the Oued Madhouma, appeared to be I. germanica

In Morocco, as so often with members of this in Muslim countries, I. belouinii is almost solely associated with graveyards and, in such places, can be found often enough in the Fes area. It is not, however, the only iris so used and does not occur in all or even in the majority of such places. Indeed in the huge series of cemeteries around the city it seems nearly wholly absent. Other species used are I. albicans, I. pallida, I. germanica and a Xiphium, presumably I. filifolia.

The Oued Madhouma lies almost exactly midway between Fes and Meknes; the road crosses the upper end and, to the right, the gorge swiftly develops into an increasingly deep, steep-sided ravine eroded out of only gently sloping land. The sub-soil is a heavy clay becoming blue-gray and without rocks. In the depths oleander grows by the stream and there seems no sign of a graveyard, and no sign of irises either. 1668 IRIS BELOUINII (Continued) An old man remembered irises growing down there but the three boys he told of to guide and escort me in the search had seen nothing of the sort. They held that erosion of the edges was not swift, but the span of their lives had been brief up till then and over a longer period much might have gone. My guess would be that in the 30 years since Maire wrote what was left of the cemetery has gone and the irises with it. ·

I. belouinii is a tall and imposingly handsome plant with a stout stem which is often three-branched. The branches are long and there are up to ten flowers, three at the apex and on the lowest branch, two on the other branches. There seems little variation in the plant and none in the color of the flowers I saw, though Belouin did mention a mauve variant.

With the leaves we come to a very curious thing, it is here that the most distinctive feature of this species lies. After flowering, late April to early May in Morocco, May near Paris, early to mid May in central France, the foliage completely dies down and no obvious green remains. The plant is quite dormant through-the summer and growth does not recommence until September. By late October the new leaves have grown to more or less equal in length those of the other Pogons. With the slight protection I gave, the leaves persisted through the winter.

This characteristic, so reminiscent of the arilate ·species, is unique in th~ section Pogoniris; it is clearly an adaptation to a very dry summer climate but, as will I hope become clear, it looks unlikely it is specifically the dry summers of Morocco which provided the impetus for it to evolve in this way.

The drawing in the Revue Horticole, taken from herbarium material, shows a mucronate tip to the leaf, much off-set to the central axis, the apex of which is otherwise somewhat obtuse. This shape, in spite of the fact the authors stress it as a point of differentiation from I. germanica, is not really typical.

Another feature of the drawing is that the falls are flared out quite horizontally; fortunately, in nature, the falls are set at an aesthetically more becoming angle.

The flowers are up to 13 cm in diameter and very fragrant; they seem to me to smell of verbena and honey. In color there is more than a passing similarity to I. albicans var. MADONNA, a similarity not only in color but in the gradations of tone over the blade of the fall. Despite the sound injunction to place little reliance on flower color, I found this similarity disturbing as I had been given a piece of var. MADONNA collected a few years ago by Ligia Betty Jones further west in Morocco, near Rabat. Even with that flower seen a week before in my garden some 1,000 miles away the similarity was strong enough to strike me and persists when they are viewed side by side. With this feature, though, the similarity ends ln69 IRIS BELOUINII (Continued) and, beyond the fact that both are bearded irises, there is really very little in common; it will however give a more accurate idea of the color than words could.

Description

Rhizome massive. Leaves somewhat glaucous, ensiform, more or less acuminate tipped, widest in upper part, dormant in summer, 40-58 cm x 3.5-4.5 cm. Stem 89-137 cm usually with 2-3 long branches from rather long green bracts and each bearing 2-3 flowers. Spathes a rather pale green with a scarious apex, sometimes somewhat purple stained at margins, rather inflated, the inner valve normally slightly longer. short, 2-6 mm. Ovary roundedly triangular, grooved at angles, 1.7-2 cm. Tube green barely marked with some obscure darker spotting, about 2-2.5 cm long. Fall obovate-cuneate, light purple-violet with a short pale blue line beyond the end of the beard and a bright blue infusion towards the center of the blade, haft white, veined ochre darkening to mid-brown at the base of the blade, beard white tipped yellow, yellow in haft, not persisting far onto blade, 8.6-10.2 x 4.1-5.8 cm. Standard broad-ovate, wider than fall and slightly paler, narrowing into a short off-white haft marked dark fawn, 8.5-10.0 x 5.2-6.0 cm. Style-arm white-colorless with a purplish keel, crest broad, divergent, serrate, more purple than fall, about 1.8 cm long. entire. Filament white, 1.9-2.2 cm long. Anther cream, 1.5-1.7 cm long. Pollen cream. Capsule and seed, see below. 2n=48

It may be of interest to set out a description of one flowering stem, from base to apex: at 111 cm, 8.7 cm up from upper branch, a spathe, the inner valve longer at 6 cm, enclosing three flowers; at 102.3 cm, 12.3 cm up from second branch, a bract 5 cm long subtending a two-flowered branch 6.8 cm long; at 90 cm, 20 cm up from lowest branch, a bract 5.5 cm long subtending a two-flowered branch 14.5 cm long; at 70 cm, 37.5 cm up from upper stem-leaf, a bract 7.5 cm long, subtending a three-flowered branch 23.5 cm long; at 32.5 cm, a bract-like sheathing stem-leaf 12 cm long; a near-basal foliate stem-leaf 35 cm long. 1670 IRIS BELOUINII (Continued) No description of pod or seed is included in Boissier and Cornault's account and Maire states he had never seen a pod formed in either natural or cultivated conditions. My contacts in Morocco were unable to send any seed.

However, in a note attached to one of the type sheets in the Paris herbarium. F. Denis, a friend of W. R. Dykes and a very successful grower of Iris species wrote "Capsule more or less 6.5 x 2 cm. Seeds irregular, D-shaped to more or less pyriform, dark red-brown coarsely wrinkled" (translation). My own plant formed a pod in 1990; in this case it was not very well formed and appeared somewhat beaked, but Denis has exactly described the seeds which are quite large, about 7-9 x 4-4.5 mm. The leaves die down, leaving the green stem and capsule standing isolated.

It does appear therefore that though I. belouinii may set no seed in Morocco this is not due to any lack of fertility and can be put down perhaps to an absence of suitable pollinating insects in that country. This would seem to support the possibility, suggested by its pattern of occurrence, that the species is not native to north Africa but must take its place with the many other graveyard irises.

Indeed, for want of any obvious affiliations I. belouinii is classified with such species as I. trojana and /. mesopotamica as a close relative of I. germanica. Morphologically it probably has a certain amount in common with these two and with I. cypriana, but much less with the other species so classified, I. biliottii a11d with I. germanica itself. In fact I think that perhaps I. belouinii's connection with I. germanica is pretty tenuous, lying in its origins, which are unknown and in its reputed high sterility, which is suspect, as its chromosome count indicates.

FLORENCE'S MAILBOX

Susan Smith, Kirkwood, MO: Bob Pries and Phoebe Copley manned a lovely species booth yesterday (June 2, 1990) at our Greater St. Louis Iris Society Beardless Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Bob had made many lovely enlargements of species, and he'd brought beautiful cut specimens in bottles and vases. I think SIGNA probably will have some new members as a result of their efforts. I know I am renewing our lapsed membership.

Phoebe and Bob are both such warm, energetic, intelligent, and fun people. We are lucky to have them in our area.

To top off the day, we had a lovely show with many gorgeous Louisianas, spurias, Japanese, Siberians -- even still some TBs, MTBs and SDBs!!-- but the Queen of the Show was I. pseudacorus "Ivory'' (brought by Jim and Jean Morris)!! So how about that!! 1671 SEARCHING FOR IRIS PHRAGMITETORUM by James \v. Waddick

One uf the longterm mYsteries in the iris world starts with an herbariu m sheet labelled Iris phrag mitetoru m. This sheet is the only known record of a plant found in a reed (Phragmitesi swamp near '-fu" in Yunnan Provrnce in I 925. The iris is at least one and a half feet tall: the leaves a.re ~lightly shorter than this and ahout 112 inch wide. The nowers are a ricl1 dark blue and over three inches acro~s. Pale. near white veined areas are seen in the center of the falls. The flowers are born on an unbranched scape. Ii has never been reported since and no living material has ever been introduced into cultivation. Although the singJe existing herbarium specimen is in excellent condition the relationships of this species remains a mystery. It is believed to be a Siberian iris. The Series Sibiricae consists of two distinct groups - the Sino-Siberian species (six species) found primarily in southwest China and containing forty chromosomes each. and the garden sil)erians which include the typjcal J. sl!2.i.Li~i~ and the closely related L sanguinea as well as the newly introduced l_. !Y...Rhi(Qjj.a. all of which haYe twenty-eight chromosomes. Hyti1·icts and selections of l. sibirica and l. sanguinea form the basis of most garden Siberian irises. T()day Yunnan-fu is known as Kunming City. the capital of Yunnan Province in south\vest China. The reed swarilps are filJeq and the city has grown well beyond its borders of 65 years ago. In 1989 I visited southwest Chma and as.kP.d about this srecies and was met with blank faces. Since then I have corresponded widely to try to locate any news of this elusive species. \'Vhy has this large flowered distinctive species never been brought into cultivation and is not even known in Chinese horticulture? The i VoL 16( I J) covering the does not mention this species at all. There a.re some possible conclusions to be drawn. 1 i. This iris is extinct. It may have been highly adapted to specific swamp conditions and pollution, population pressure and habitat destruction may have caused its elimination. Its first collection was the last flower. 2'L Tl1is iris is rare. It may have been affected by all the conditions mentioned in 1) above. but is now found in only a few relatively inaccessible locations. It is awaiting rediscovery out there somewhere. 3.L This iris is misidentified. There are four other l'llue · species of Siberian iris in southwest China and this species may be misidentified repeatedly by naive collectors. It could most possibly be confused with one of two other Siberian species, l. delavavi or l. clarkei. Iris delavavi has angled standard~. 1s qune tal.l and the ~capes are usually hranched. I have seen flower stalks reaching over six feet high or as much as four times taller than J. Qhra_g_miteturum. Iris. clarkei a.Im has angled !-tandards. branched 1672 SEARCHING FOR IRIS PHRAGMITETORUM --continued , flower scapes and solid flower stems, This is the only Siberian iris to have very distinctive solid flower stems and this character alone makes it difficult to confuse with any other Siberian species. The other two Siberian irises. l. hulleyana and L chrvsngraphes are very distinctive and really not 'blue· enough to be confused with l. phragmitetorum. However, this species might also be confused with another water iris. The most likely species is I. laev1ga·ta. Jris Jaevigata has been recorded onJy from Yunnan, Province and the three most northeasterly Provinces of China I Heilongjiang. Jilin and Liaoning ·,. These latter provinces are thousands of miles from Yunnan. This is quite a geographical disparity. lris laevigata may weU grow in reed s\\·amps. but has wider leaves and the flower scapes are u~ually branched. The status and identity of lru. L11lragmitetorum remains ,·ery fuzzv. J recently obtained some interesting and new information on this species. The pJant is listed in "The Register of Seed Plants of Yunnan" l 1978, p. 978 ): "found from 1890 to 3200 m. in the marshland or grassy marshland near the lake. Dian Cl1i. Kunming. Dali". Prof Zheng Jue-min saw a blooming plant of ~ phragmitetoru m in a small inn at the lakeside resort village of Dian Chi a few kilometers south of Kunming in July of 1987. It had attractive blue flowers and was growing in a pot. Today it is hard to see the marshland from Kunming as the lake is almost totally enclosed and marshlands have been cultivated for crops. It is difficult or impossible io find this iris around Kunming. Dali is a well known spot for botanical collecting, and numerous recent collectors from both East and West have failed to locate, coHect or perhaps recognize this iris. At the very least. Prof. Zheng ·s field identification and the Yunnan listing give new hope that the species does still exist. In the fall of J 990 a seed collection expedition sponsored by the Royal Horticultural Society, Royal Botanic Garden (Kew I. and the Royal Botanical Garden (Edinburgh) went to Yu nnan Province. They returned with more than a dozen accessions of Iris seed including coJJections from wet areas near Dali and Huadianba. Some of the. seed appears to be of species in the ~eries S1birjcae, hut identification cannot he made until the seed~ germinate and the plants bloom . Perhaps .lrn phragmitetorum wiH bloom in t11e West. This continuing trail of clues again points out the need for more field work in China. Iri~ phragmitetorum is possibly a garden Siberian iris. As a twenty eight chromsome· Siberian it has the potential to add a whole new gene pool to the hundreds of garden Siberian cultivars. As a relatively southern species it has the potential to allow Siberians to prosper in m~re southern and California climates. I'd be glad to hear from anyone with more infor mation on this species as well as anyone interested in helping to support a Chinese student to collect living materials of this species if possible. 1673 IRIS PAR1ENSIS - THE SEARCH CONTINUES by jam~s Vol. Viaddick

In the last issue of SIGNi·~ I provided a st:ttus report on the Paria River iri::., Iris p,\ri~nsis. Now, tJ1e plot tliiclcens. By mid-autumn a couple of us g~)t intrigued by the lact <)f su-~cef.S .:,f the 1990 a.tt~mpts and decided to mal-:~ a. full scale attempt in Ivlay of 1gg 1. I began by eliciting interest and support. S,)c;n I had some local participants; Mr. Jim Murrain of Kansas City, MO, and h-Ir. Bot, Pries oi St. Lou.is, MO. Mr. Roy Davidson c)f S~f1.ttle, WA llc1.s indic8.ted li~ Vv'ill try t(, join in the search again, too. I 'v\1rote to sources in Utat1 and ,.,,as soon ovePvvllelmed by tlleir respon%s. First Dr. Weish, tlie original desc:ril)er <>f Iris parit?.nsis volunte-s-red to join u.s, then .an agent from the US Fish and ':Nildlife So;:rvice told me of his attempts to find this species and their interest in proposing it for endangered species status. But they had to find it first. Then representatives from the Bureau of Land lvianagement (Dept. of Interior) told me of tlieir interest and experience and supplied detailed maps and offers of help. Then Dr. }\l Tait rrom t.11e nearby Southern Utal1 University has indicat~d t1is V·liliingness to join in the project. So far I have been contacted by seven interested Utah searchers vmo 11 1 • · • • ,.,f t~ ...... "~ V·f.Ul J'v'l.U;A ; _. ! VU.!,.. , ... \)u.1.--•v...... 11-::H.().l,l;;'!~+--• A-~ :::> . r'A::.'·- ··-·\ 11/t: V"t·a bc:i.·-n; U,t:- ,. l','""!",•u -~·••\< Ut:t" 1 - dr1·TT"\ l;;' t·--111·"'{l;;' 1...1t:::., l"l,j\,,"a l 11-s-8.dquarters and detailed t1:>pographic maps, the chances seem slim or unclear at best. None of tl1e previous searchers has sought this species in more than a couple of tlie lil!..ely locations and n()ne has gone in early ,,r mid­ Jvlay, al\,1.rays nearer the end oi the mont11 . We hope to search a number of pnmary and secondary siti?.s tJ1e iirst. '/·leek rJi May. ~Ne wi11 have t.v-.ro or three vehicles and experience(l iield botanists. i·~ll 'Ne need is Iris pariensis. Stay tuned.

OUR READERS WRITE

!foward L. Brookins, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Might I offer a suggestion for future issues: When a person asks for information from fellow members, why not print a return add~ess ~here t~ey can _be con~cted? I'd like _to furni~h James Waddick information in reply to his article asking for mformation on rebloommg species, but don't think using "Missouri" as an address will cut it with the Post Office!

Editor's Note: ~his is deliberate because I want the replies to come through me so I can forward and/or pnnt them as seems appropriate. Anyone else have comments? P . S. See page 1665 and/or 1698 for Jim 's address. 1674 HOW ORGANIZE AN IRIS COLLECTION? Jean Peyrard, Seyssinet, France Translated from the French by Elaine Hulbert

The amateur philatelist has his albums, the collector of rocks or fossils has his drawers, but what does the iris fancier have, once away from his garden? For several years I felt I could keep track of the species I was growing on a few sheets of notebook paper; but shortly after having joined different societies I realized that I must register and organize ve ry careful ly all the plants and seeds received. It became al 1 the more necessary, given the diversity of cultural methods , to reorganize all the information about the species in a notebook utilizable in the garden. After a couple of years thi_s notebook , often erased, dirtied or wetted, became a mess. As meanwhile I was beginning to photograph each species and attempting some drawings, I sought a formula of organizati on where I could at the same time enter the photos, the general information about species, and the plants being grown. I used among others an articl e appeari ng i n a B.I.S. Yearbook. On the face of the page I set out the name of the genus, the name of the species, a little map givi ng the distribution, and a little mountain giving the altitude.

In the first table I show from top to bottom the height of the foliage, the characteristics of the flower, the appearance of the bloomstalk, the form of the capsule, and the characteristics of the seed (it can even be sketched.) A second table gives the conditions of culture: from top to bottom, "humidity/dryness, " "acid/alkal ine," "fertility/poverty" of the .soil, 11 shade/sunlight, 11 and finally, the temperature. Re l ative value can be indicated by the l ength of the black bar. The third table gives the time of flowering and that for transplanting.

On the back a space is reserved for the name of the species and another can be used for noting the placement in the garden where these plants are presented.

Here is the explanation of the col umns. In the "Number" col umn I show the number given the plant or the seeds when they arrive here (I have formed the habit of register ing in a notebook all those received: one letter to show the year, I for iris, R for rose, etc., and one number for the item in its order. The number [inventory?] changes in July- August. I note next the name of the person or the so·ciety of origin (in the case of SIGNA the entire number from the seed list). The "Name" column corresponds to the name of the form, or variety, or other particular ity. The following columns allow for noting dates of sowing, of coming up, floweri ng, and eventual l y fruiti ng.

This presentation I know full well can still be bettered, and I hope two thi ngs, fi rst that other fanciers may improve th i s pl an, and then if they may interest a certain number, our group wi 11 undertake to have an improved version printed on quality paper (my version made by hand and photocopied is not very good.)

If that shoul d not be possible, I wou l d still hope that reading these lines may help the beginner and spare him the mistakes I made at IT\Y outset (confusion of pl ants, defects of l abeling , etc.) About labeling--! think I have found an interesting solution in labels cut from sheet aluminum and engr aved with an electric stylus (not very difficult in hobby shops) . Side 2 r=:=si=·d=;=e:=:=:=:=l=:===i-==:::======~===-- ·· ------·------; 1 1 L"ev gat,.,. 1 · ------I Iri s Versicolor

I Linnaeus I Seeds l

No. Orig'in N11me Flower pol · 1218 "-IS l IA:c ..1, hn var. Rosea

I ;,;; Plant I ~ ... ~ 0 No. ot:i'gin Plant Fl. t~1 . I I Ca co.· "I ' )) I ~ {} J •lC '? ...-!:o . 1

I ~ - I 1 .1. .~·4 _5 _1· J 8 , ;10,, 11 -A. '

Maps to cut and paste Curope

Asie & Middle East 1676 Juno Notes -1990 (A further discussion about Juno Iris) By Alan McMurtrie

I trust you enjoyed my 1989 Juno article. I would encourage you to read it if you haven't already done so. This year's article provides further information about my experiences with Junos. Pure White Ruch eri from Leylek Station, Turkey This year's most important news is that a pure white form of Juno aucheri from Leylek Station bloomed. It was extremely beautiful! Three other forms of pale blue Leylek aucheri also bloomed. One was particularly lovely. What made it so lovely was it's exact shade of blue, and it's flower shape (the falls were a little wider and not quite . as long as the typical Leylek aucheri). I do very much like the typical Leylek flower shape; it's more showy than aucheri hort. The second form was the "normal" pale blue, and the third was a very very pale blue. After seeing the "normal" pale blue, plus this year's lovely pale blue, I must admit I really didn't care for the very very pale blue form. It will however be interesting to see what it's progeny a.re like. Two crosses with the white form, and one with the lovely pale blue, yielded 55 seeds. It was Dr. Adil Gilner who discovered the Leylek site. His picture of it is shown in colour plate 28 of Brian Mathew's "The Iris". In 1986 Dr. Gilner helped me to locate the site. The previous year I had driven right by it. The site doesn't look at all like a spot where one would find Junos. Other Juno Bloom Two particularly lovely bulbs of nicoiai bloomed this year. Their flowers were noticeably whiter than other nicolai flowers, and their parts were wider. I intercrossed the two in hopes of propagating more bulbs of this clone. Last year a friend sent me a bulb of magnifica 'Alba'. I had previously heard of it's existence, but I had no idea of how it was different from the normal commercial form of magnifica. After all, magnifica is itself white. The difference lies in the fact that magnifica 'Alba' has only a few light green viens running beside it's crest. In magnifica there are a number of dark blue and dark green viens beside the crest. Of the two, my favourite is the commercial form, though I do quite like magnifica 'Alba'. Both magnificas are refreshingly beautiful. With 11 to 13 flowers per stalk, mag nifica is the most flo riferous Juno. . I now believe the "willmottiana" I got from a friend in Czechoslovakia is a veined form of vicaria. Several bulbs of vicaria from other sources (some of which were misnamed), bloomed this year. They had varying degrees of veining on their falls, though not quite as strong as on the plants from Czechoslovakia. Both kuschakewiczii and .orchioides seem to have done well out in the open in sandy loam. I hope this continues. Bulbs of Leylek aucheri which I moved to sandy loam last fall, are fairly large. The real test will come next year however, when I see how many bloom, and whether any of the three that bloomed there in 1990, do so again next year. I purchased a number bulbs of kopetdagensis last year from Potterton & Martin. They all bloomed quite well, but I'm very much wondering whether they are kopetdagensis. I feel they may be either a form, or hybrid, of vicaria. None of the 15 flowers set seed in spite of being hand pollinated; 5 of which were selfs. It's pollen was used successfully in similarly successful crosses involving vicaria po 11 en. Interestingly a cross onto vicaria worked, but 3 tries of the reverse didn't. Willmottiana was offered for sale last year by Potterton & Martin. Two of the bulbs I purchased bloomed. They were fairly similar to graeberiana, except the falls were more white, and the markings beside the crest were not as strong as graeberiana's. I was a bit disappointed that the colour and markings were not more like colour plate 60 in Mathew's "The Smaller Bulbs". The picture's greyed-blue colour looks lovely. Mathew's text description however refers to willmottiana's colour as "pale lavender 1677 blue". I tried selfing one of the flowers but the cross didn't take. Only on~ ·qf the other crosses worked. It yielded 6 seeds: willmottiana x {Leylek aucheri (white) + graeberiana} It was interesting that a cross of willmottiana's pollen onto bucharica yielded 5 seeds. Graeberiana doesn't cross onto bucharica at all. One other point of note was the fact that willmottiana bloomed later than graeberiana (see figure 1). In part this may be due to the two being in different spots in the garden, and possibly the fact that the willmottiana bulbs were newly planted. I plan to compare bloom times again in 1991. A bulb of stenophylla ssp allisonii bloomed for the first time. It was gorgeous! The falls had beautiful strong purple veins on a white background, and the style arms and standards were soft purple. I couldn't stop taking pictures of it, I liked it that much. Understandably I selfed it, but sadly the cross was unsuccessful. I tried using its pollen on the normal purple stenophylla, but only got 2 seeds. Two other crosses onto stenophylla were unsuccessful, as were two crosses onto vicaria. What's needed is stenophy.lla ssp allisonii's flowers on a Juno like bucharica or magnifica. It would mean 7 or 11 flowers per bulb (rather than just 1 or 2) on an easy to grow Juno.

Mjsce!lctneous Question: will Junos planted without their fleshy roots bloom the following year? Quite often bulbs are received from nurseries with their roots broken off. Answer: yes. The key factor seems to be whether the bulbs are large enough to bloom. Last year I purchased 6 bulbs of auche ri which arrived without any roots or side shoots. The bulbs were quite large. They all bloomed, with between four and six flowers each. Bulbs of stenophylla without roots also bloomed. It's very easy to send Junos in the mail. Normally this is done when the bulbs are dormant, but they can be sent when they're just starting into growth. For dormant shipments the important thing is to make sure the bulbs have been properly dried so no sweating occurs. Packing material such as wood shavings or loosely packed paper, will help ensure the bulbs stay dry. If the bulbs are starting into growth they should be wrapped in lightly damp paper towel and put into plastic bags. In both cases, the most important thing of all, is to clearly mark the package airmail! Last year, a package of Junos came by surface mail. The one lone airmail sticker had been overlooked. Bulbs in most of the packets had some degree of rot. I thought that possibly half of the bulbs would survive. Only 10% did -- very very sad! The second most important thing is to make sure the bulbs are in a sturdy container so they don't get crushed. I was lucky the one time this happened to me, about half of the bulbs were still good. I've heard of a case where some rare bulbs in a small packet were crushed almost flat as a pancake. I was quite shocked to find that the leaves and stalks of a number of mag nifi ca plants partially rotted this year. The partic_ular plants are in southerly exposure where they get lots of sunlight. Typically most of the Junos in that bed have leaves 4 to 6 inches above ground well before the snow has completely melted. Other Junos at the back of the house haven't even poked their noses through the ground. We had a week of very warm weather near the end of March, followed by a cold snap. Discoloured green patches appeared soon after on the plants. It could have been that the patches appeared right away after, but I can't remember. I hadn't expected anything like this would happen. A couple of aucheri Leylek plants nearby were also affected. I used fungicide powder, as well as gypsum, to dry up the rot. I wonder if some rain we had just prior contributed in any way to the problem. Another symptom of the cold snap was aborted bloom on a number of Junos. Flower buds formed, but the flowers themselves didn't develop. Most of the affected p!ants _were in the Juno hut, which is at the back of the house. I was quite d1s?ppornted that albomarginata was affected. I had been g reatly looking forward to seeing it again, as well as using it in hybridizing. Willmottiana 'Alba' was the hardest hit variety. Flowers of magnifica, both at the side and back of the house showed 1678 JUNO NOTES - 1990 - Continued flowers Apr 15 Apr22 Apr 29 May6 May 13 May20 May27 such,ul • Turklah 1-4 sucherl • hort. 4-6 BU~~~:.l .. : -~~¥~~~-- ...... } ... •• ...... buchsrfcs 2-5 csucsslc11 2-3 1-3 'Kara Kum Desert' 2-4 "kopetdsgensls" 2-6

nlcolsl orchloldes perslcs 1-3

stenophylls 1-3 vfcsrfs 1-2 'Warlslnd' 2-3 wl/lmottfsna 2-4 willmottfsna 'Alba' 1-5 Apr8 Apr 15 Apr22 Apr29 May6 May 13 May20 May 27

Figure 1 1990 Juno Bloom other signs of being affected -- many flowers were deformed; in several cases the flowers had only two sets of parts instead of three. Juno bloom can be extended by planting bulbs in both a sunny location, and a shaded spot. As the flowers in the first location are finishing, the ones in the second location can be just starting. Figure 1 shows when various species bloomed this year, a few of which were in different parts of the garden. The following are successful crosses from this year which were not shown in Figure 1 of my 1989 article: caucasica x aucheri, orchioides x bucharica, vicaria x bucharica. This year the only seeds to germinate from last year's crosses were of albomarginata x five pollen parents. I was disappointed that none of the other 1989 seeds germinated. I had been hoping that fresh Juno seeds would start to genninate after one year, but the reality here in Toronto is two years; which is what I've found to be the case with fresh Rcticulata seeds. FLORENCE'S MAILBOX

Lisalotte Hirsbrunner, Switzerland: Yesterday, I went to the meeting of the Swiss Perennial Society. Eberhard Schuster gave a nice talk and slide show about I. sibirica, I. ensata, and Louisiana irises. He also showed others like I. versicolor, pseudacorus, along with all kinds of crosses and hybrids. Many of his pictures were taken on his trip to the States. I found out that many of the members were Iris people. The young man sitting next to me turned out to be the person in charge of the Iris collection at the Basel Botanic Garden. They have the Zeppelin collection of tall bearded iris (1,200), but he is very interested in species. When I told him about SIGNA, he got very excited. I offered to sign him up for SIGNA .. .It will be nice not to be the only Swiss SIGNA member. 1679 METCALF ON MISSOURIENSIS Roy Davidson Si nce his 300-plus page thesis has not received formal publication, we present here the jist of t he conclusions as Dr . Me tcalf contributed them to SIGNA (p . 120 in 1970) . "I'm of the opinion that the series Longipetalae is comprised of one single polymorphic species, Iris missouriensis, with possibly some subspecific categories worthy of recognition. My thesis analyses are still incomplete as we found some calculation error in t he previous analysis and have incorporated further computer work entailing travels to Fort Collins, Colorado before final conclusions are possible, but it seems a very good bet that I' 11 submerge al 1 the other taxa under Iris .missouriensis Nuttall 1834, whi ch is of course the earlier name as Herbert published I. longipetala only i n 1841. There are just not enough good clear- cut characters to seg regate the variations at the species lP-vel . 11

"We should ignore R.C . Foster's report of 2n = 38 for missouriensis as I'm sure it resulted from an error in t he lab; all my work tends to support Simonet's cou nt of 2n = ca . 88 (as montana). This is of co urse the same as his count for longipetala, 2n = 86-88 and makes it quite obvious how Michael Foster had obtained his superior TOLL0NG f rom ( I. tolmieana = a synonym for mi ssouriens is x 1. longi petal a), a cross that was repeated by Lenz. " Both I . montana Nuttall ex Dykes and I. arizonica Dykes had already been submerged by R. C. Foster (1937), the former as I. pelegonus Goodding. Both were kept by Fo ster at the varietal level under I . missouriensis . Metcalf ' s detailed field work shows many mi ssouriensis to be mo rphologi ­ cally i ndistinguishabl e from the coastal 11 l ongipetala, 11 ordinarily thought to be the stockier and larger, and that many of the slighter "longipetala" i ncluding the controversial streamside co lony at McDonald, the old coach station at the top of the Hopland Grade in Sonoma County, appear simply an ordinary missouriensis. The one consistent new piece of evidence, red leaf bases on colonies west of The Rocky Mountai ns bore no correlation to the prior-designated taxa , and were by them selves thought insufficient evidence for asserting new ones. Metcalf wrote further on the garden merits an d bui lding potential of these western irises in SIGNA p. 330-331 (1974).

THE MAILBOX AND A SIGNA SHOPPER by Roy Davidson

My mailbox is no longer at the entrance off Richards Road where the busses disgorged and reloaded so many of you in 1984. An enormous retirement home now occupies that upper 2 1/2 acres that was principally woodland and driveway; even the eight-foot hill was hauled away! Some good trees were saved including many magnolias and the pair of tetraploid Japanese cherries called 'Tai Haku' (FCC 1943), but many others, oaks, beeches, maples, and pines are gone. Down on the ten acre meadow the garden is intact and being constantly improved. It now seems safe, by corrected street drainage, from the winter flooding of years 1 680 THE MAILBOX AND A SIGNA SHOPPER--continued gone by which will considerably lighten the chore of annual soil rejuvenation, and irises of all sorts occupy new sweeps out there in full view from the windows, and of course, like everybody else, I hope to add others as they might become known from a SIGNA SHOPPER column.

Among our SIGNA membership are perhaps a dozen (or more?) people who propagate the lesser known Iris for sale, and the editor has asked for a volunteer to do for them what Allan does for bulbous sorts, keeping others informed of availability. I'm wondering if SIGNA might provide a service for all by listing these growers annually in the spring issue in time for later planning and shopping. I'm not of course volunteering to organize this since I see it as perhaps compiled from membership records. I would wager that all these lists together would result in an amalgam of hundreds of sorts, some of the real rarities among them, old and new together. Probably every one of our members has a "wish-list," and the mail-order mode of shopping suits Iris well.

Iris Sources Update By Alan MCMurtrie

You will be interested to learn that Potterton & Martin's 1991 catalog lists a new Juno hybrid Ii. bucharica x aucheri (£3.50). I believe the plant is from Czechoslovakian sources. I received two bulbs of it last year from Jaroslav Cuba. I haven't yet learned who the hybridizer is. I didn't have any idea what it looked like until I read Potterton & Martin's description: yellow and white flowers with blue margins. This still leaves a lot to the imagination, but at least it gives some idea of what· the flowers are like. Potterton & Martin's catalog also lists for the very first time· I. maracandica (£5), and graeberiana Dark Form (£3). The normal form of graeberiana is also listed for the same price. If you are interested in any of these I would urge you Potterton & Martin to place an order as soon as possible. Neither Ii. Moortown Road, Nettleton, cycloglossa or "kopetdagensis " were listed this year. Caistor, Lincolnshire Your guess is as good as mine as to when these will be England LN7 6HX available again. Also missing was I. winogradowii. Still missing were the collected forms of Ii. histrioides and reticulata from the Armenian Caucasus. (See "Juno Notes - 1990" for comments about Potterton & Martin's Ii. "kopetdagensis " and willmottiana.)

I would highly recommend the Reticulata 'Jeannine' (available last year from Avon Bulbs at 5 for £2). Its most notable feature is a very strong fragrance, by far the strongest of all Reticulatas.

A footnote to my SIGNA #44 Iris Sources Update: two bulbs of I. winogradowii bloomed in 1990. Unfortunately neither of the flowers set any seed. One had been crossed with diploid I. danfordiae pollen. However I. winogradowii pollen was used successfully on a cross with I. histrioides sophenensis, and on Potterton & Martin's Armenian collected Reticulata. I am keenly looking forward to more bloom this year.

Please Write! Please DO write to me. I need your help to know of any changes, new sources, companies going out of business, complaints/problems, incorrectly labelled species, etc. My address is listed on the inside front cover. 1681 A STUDY OF SPURIA IRIS SEED GERMINATION B. Charles Jenkins SalinasJ California

A discussion of the subject with Ben Hager of Melrose Gardens revealed that his method of handling spurias is to plant the seeds directly from the pod when they reach maturity without allowing for a period of drying. In 1985J following my retirement at the end of June, I had an opportunity to compare germination of seed from crosses I made that year with several made in 1983 and stored in their pods in my garage. From eleven of the crosses made in 1985 I divided the seeds and planted 597 fresh from the pods on September 5 and 568 after drying on November 21.

From the fresh seedsJ 241 plants were obtainedJ giving an average germination for the eleven crosses of 40.4% with a range of 20.0% to 57.3%. Seed from the same crosses allowed to dry until planted in November gave only 99 plants or an average germination of 17.4%. The range was much widerJ actually fluctuating between 4 . 2% and 63.4%. Only one crossJ namely CLARKE COSGROVE x CROW WING., from the 2-year old seed was planted in September with the fresh seeds. From 32 seeds plantedJ 23 plants were obtainedJ representing 72% germination. With this one example it would appear that it is better to store the seed for as much as two years,

HoweverJ from 80 crosses made in 1983 and of 2J490 seeds planted on November 25 with the above mentioned 1985 crossesJ a total of 921 plants were obtainedJ giving an average germination of 37.1% with a range of all the way from 0% to 100%. Of the 80 crossesJ 160 seeds involving eight crosses failed to germinateJ but from one cross with STRUTTIN as the pod parent 35 seeds planted gave 35 plants.

In summary, based on averages, it appears that planting spuria seeds direct from the pod is to be recommended. There is a higher average germination (40.4%) and at least a reasonable germination from all crosses. When the seed is allowed to dry there is a marked reduction in average germination ( 17. 4%) but fluctuation between crosses increases. This would indicate that' crosses vary in dormancy requirements. In the case of seed stored for two years,, it is evident that inviability is beginning to take its toll. As mentioned above the 160 seeds from eight different crosses all failed to germinate. The surprise is that every seed from one cross germinated so that after two years of storage at room temperatureJ there was the greatest range of variability in germination of seeds from different crosses.

My theory is that if you plant the seeds fresh from the podJ they are able to germinate before dormancy sets in. The variability between crosses is probably a function of the depth of dormancy. Additional experiments dealing with timing of removal of seeds from the pod need to be done to determine if average germination could be improved. The greater range of variability in germination of seed planted after drying a short time with a marked reduction in average germination indicates that crosses vary in dormancy requirements. Perhaps the seeds that germinate best after two years in storage are the ones with the greatest requirement for a period of after-harvest dormancyJ while the ones that failed to germinate are those that require little or no dormancy and are already becoming inviable. In 1682 A STUDY OF SPURIA IRIS SEED GERMINATION (Continued) ]this experiment there is a remarkable similarity between average germination of mature seeds planted directly from the pod ( 40.4%) and those stored for at least two years before planting (37. 1%) This probably means that dormancy was not fully established in the first case and that it was fully satisfied in the latterJ with a factor such as longevity having its effect.

Is There A Horticultural Future For I. X Sibosa?

Copie d from AIS BULLETIN #246, July , 1982 In 1934 M. Simonet published the chromos0r:ne count of his cross of /. orientalis Thunb., n = 14 (/. sanguinea) X /. setosa Pall., n = 19, and found it to have 2n = 33, with characteristic elements of the parents. Through correspondence with the AIS seed exchange diirector, I received in October, 1973, twelve seeds of the analogous cross, SNOW QUEEN X /. setosa, successfully made by Jean Witt. I was unable to save the resultant four weak seedlings through the next two winters. I learned how to execute the difficult cross of the two self-pollinating species, /. sibirica and /. setosa. Horticultural varieties of sibirica have been used: WH ITE SWIRL, CAMBRIDGE, SEA SHADOW, SWANK, SPARKLI NG ROSE, HELEN ASTOR and hybrids of it, PURPLE CLOAK, and three unnamed sibiricas from an old collection in England. The setosas have all been raised since 1970, from seed received from AIS, the British Iris Society, and Germany. There are great variations in the available setosas. Most of them bloom out in the fourth year and must be preserved by resowing. Some have a tendency to be monocarpiQ and die after flowering, such as the very nice setosa from the Botanical Garden of Upsala (Sweden), with white and yellow colors. The same can be true with red purple setosas raised from Japanese seeds. The best garden plants with two branches have been obtained from AIS seeds in 1973 (marked 'Alaska Blue') and in 1971 (marked 'Extra Choice'). By far the best heart-shaped falls were seen on plants of unknown origin with a purple base to the leaves, pu rple-flushed spathes and ovary. They also had a double-branched stem as described by E. Anderson, 1936, for /. setosa interior (Alaska). Both species,/. sibirica and/. setosa, can be used as the pod parent, and in both cases a well-developed capsule may contain 20 to 40 seeds. The hand­ pollination of /. setosa is more delicate to ensure, as the tongue-like stigma is not receptive when the bud is opened the first time. The main effect of the setosa parent is to decrease the size of the standards, which can be held oblique or flat when very short. In most cases the standards form a rosette with the style-arms. The falls are flaring and broadened by/. setosa. When WHITE 1683

SWIRL or CAMBRIDGE are used as the other parent, the sides of the falls are rolled slightly, forming a channel, which is not pleasing. In most cases the stems have three to five flowers, often two, and up to seven. From about one hundred flowered seedlings, three have been most interesting and have encouraged me to proceed with this breeding. The first seedling is a very vigorous plant with 95 cm high double·branched stems with seven dark violet flowers. Height and placement are excellent, but the flowers are too small. The second has 75 cm double-branched stems of good placement, with seven big mid-blue, heart·shaped flowers with a light blue spot in the fall and a crown. The third is only 40 to 50 cm high, with one branch, but it has five eye-catching, light blue well·formed flowers with a white spot. The two· flowered varieties have all been eliminated; some five·flowered ones are being observed for further growing qualities. Only one has overbloomed in the fourth year, but could be saved. Five others from WHITE SWIRL and CAMBRIDGE became big clones and very strong plants. The sibosas inherit, from the sibiricas, the vigor and vegetative resistance, structure and height of stem. and from the setosas, the easy culture and adaptability to every moist soil. The flower is a mixture of both parents and is very attractive when it resembles an enlarged and good setosa form with a crown above. The essential element in developing necessary qualities will be the polyploidizing of the sibosas to the amphi-diploid level by the method tested and elaborated for irises by Currier McEwen, published in Bu{letin 223, October, 1976. His clonal method applied to the above described sibosas (better characterized as double-haploid) will induce the formation of two complete diploid sets of chromosomes of both the sibirica and the setosa to (2n = 28) + (2n = 38) = 66 chromosomes. These flowers will be fertile and produce seeds with much more chance for color variation by intercrossing . . The other way to reach fertile sibosas. namely the use of the sprouted seedling method for inducing tetraploidy of the chosen sibiricas and setosas to start with, and crossing later the tetraploids that are obtained, will demand much more time. for the tetraploid seeds need three to four, sometimes five years to show flowers. Our proposal is therefore first to collect strong sibiricas with high and branched stems with five to seven flowers of interesting forms and colors in white, light clear blue. red and lilac. We should examine all available garden forms of /. setosa with high and branched stems and flowers with heart·shaped segments in white, light or dark blue, and red violet. Then we should see how the sibosa hybrids of these interesting parents look on the diploid level. So let us start now with the more difficult step, the selective choice of setosas to furnish seeds for the AIS seed distribution program this coming winter. It is obvious that the same considerations are valuable for the crosses of /. laevigata X I. setosa.

-Robert H. Egli, Switzerland 1684 ROLE OF NUTRIENTS IN PLANT GROWTH

*NITROGEN *PHOSPHORUS ·necessary for ·needed for full growth ·helps roots absorb ~production

*POTASSIUM ·~TRONG chlorophyll •BUILDS

PROTEIN

*IRON *ZINC •carries ·necessary for oxygen normal growth arid . for cell structure chlorophyl ~-- .... ·Seed Production ·circulates water *MOLYBDENUM *CALCIUM ·helps plant use other ·Keeps leaves from nutrients twisting · ·Helps root tips function

*MANGANESE ·necessary to mature w~~=-ards against CHLOROSIS DISEASE

*COPPER

•aineral nutrition •pollen germination •cell growth

(Can anyone tell us where this came from so we can give credit? Ed.)

' • ' \ '1 1685 SYMPTOMS OF MICRONUTRIENT SHORTAGES IN PLANTS

By Cleo Palmer (Taken from Region 22 News - Fall 1985 - with thanks)

The following symptoms are for plants in general and not for irises specifically. It is likely, however, that they would be similar in irises in most cases.

Many of the micronutrients are carried over in the organic matter in the soil, and many soils are becoming deficient in organic matter, resulting in micronutrient deficiencies. Minor plant growth element shortages are the greatest in sand and sand-loam soils, but outright deficiencies are showing up in some clay soils as well.

Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are the recognized primary plant growth nutrients. Calcium, magnesium and sulphur are the identified secondary nutrients. This does not mean that they play a secondary role in growth. They are as important to plant nutrition as are the recognized primary nutrients.

Many plants contain as much sulphur as phosphorous and sometimes more. Secondary nutrient deficiencies can depress plant growth as much as the major nutrient deficiencies.

Calcium in plants stimulates root and leaf development. It forms compounds which are part of cell walls. Poor root growth is one common symptom of calcium deficiency.

Magnesium is a mineral constituent of plant chlorophyll. It is actively involved in photosynthesis. An atom of magnesium, as one example, is at the heart of every chlorophyll molecule. Magnesium also aids in phosphate metabolism, plant respiration and the activation of several enzyme systems within the plant. Magnesium deficiency symptoms usually appear on lower older leaves. It shows as a yellowish-reddish color, while the leaf veins remain green.

Sulphur is essential in forming plant proteins because it is a part of certain amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Sulphur is fairly well distributed throughout the tissues of the plant. Sulphur deficiency shows up as a pale green color in plants, generally appearing first on younger leaves. Leaves tend to shrivel as the deficiency progresses. Leaves die only in extreme cases, although plants can die in the seedling stage. Sulphur deficiency shows up most often in sandy soils low in organic matter in areas of moderate to heavy rainfall.

Organic matter decomposing in the soil influences how much sulphur is available to the living plant. The reduction of some pollutants in the atmosphere has reduced the amount of sulphur once available to plant growth.

Aside from the three secondary plant growth elements (calcium, magnesium, and sulphur) there are seven recognized micro-nutrients needed for plant growth. These are boron, copper, chlorine, iron, magnesium, zinc, and molybdenum. It is widely held that acid soil conditions will reduce the availability of iron, magnesium, boron, copper and zinc. 1 68 6 SYMPTOMS OF MICRONUTRIENT SHORTAGES IN PLANTS (Continued)

A key to plant deficiency is the color change in the lower leaves as follows:

Nitrogen: Plants light green -- lower leaves yellow. Phosphate: Plants dark green -- leaves and plants small. Potassium: Brown discoloration and scorching along outer margin of lower leaves. Manganese: Lower leaves have a yellow discoloration between veins. Finally, reddish­ purple from edge inward. Zinc: Pronounced interveinal chlorosis and bronzing of leaves. Calcium: Emergence of pr1mary leaves delayed. Terminal buds deteriorate. Color change in upper leaves. Terminal bud dies. Boron: Leaves near growing point yellowed. Growth bud appears as white or light brown dead tissue. Terminal bud remains alive. Sulphur: Leaves, including veins, turn pale green to yellow--young leaves first. Iron: Leaves yellow to almost white; interveinal chlorosis to leaf tip. Magnesium: Leaves yellowish-gray or reddish-gray with green veins. Copper: Young leaves uniformly pale yellow--may wilt and wither without chlorosis. Chlorine: Wilting of upper leaves--then chlorosis. Molybdenum: Young leaves wilt and die among margins.

FLORENCE'S MAILBOX

PANDORA WILSON, Lakewood, CO •• • I am joining the Species iris section this year because I am very much interested in growing some more American and exotic iri ses for my rock garden . I have created a scree berm, a "woodsy" area, and a regular sunny rock garden area. I also have just a regular iris bed for the TBs, etc . and a special raised bed for the aril s. I already am growing a few species for the rock garden, such as I . cristata, I. missouriensis, I. pallida, I. forrestii, I. setosa, etc. and absolutely love the look and the versat1lity they show in the rock garden schemes, especially in conjunction with my small and major bulbs. Right now, I am looking for the blue-black cultivar of I. chrysographes. I was hoping that you might have some suggestions for plant sources. Also, I am interested in locating a knowledgeable person (or persons) who is (are) familiar with the genetic makeup and count of these various wild species (and TBs and arils) and could give me a good idea of what possible crossings might be made among all these.

Do you offer for sale any pins which represent the Species Iris section? 1687 REGISTRATIONS, INTRODUCTION, AWARDS ETC. Joar, :·. C<.K,~..,er, Editor

Whether because I edit SIGNA or because I am therefore on the Executive Board I can't say, but I have received quite a raft of communications regarding registration, introduction, awards_ and other matters, some of it laced with a good bit of vitriol and too little knowledge. I therefore set about finding what information I could on these subjects, and that proved to be too little. It occurs to me now, at press time, that I should have gone to the AIS' source of all such knowledge for clarification of the questions raised--that is, Kay Nelson, Registrar. In a sense I have done so, but actually, to an article by the then Assistant Registrar (our same Kay) published in the Golden Anniversary issue of the AIS BULLETIN, January, 1970 . But first a few quotes from the HANDBOOK FOR JUDGES AND SHOW OFFICIALS. Page A-10, first paragraph under Judging in the Garden: "Every category of the official AIS Awards Ballot is based on the performance of irises in the garden ... AIS awards should be based totally on garden performance." Page A--21, first paragraph under Dykes Memorial Medal: "The Dykes Memorial Medal is the highest award an iris can receive ... The Dykes Medal for America is awarded annually by the British Iris Society through the American Iris Society and is restricted to irises originated and introduced in the United States· and Canada." This is footnoted as follows, "Irises originated elsewhere, although not eligible for the American Dykes Medal, are eligible for other AIS awards provided that the iris was first introduced in the United States or Canada." Page C- 2, first paragraph under Horticultural Division: "Classes for bulbous irises, collections and seedlings are encouraged. The first three listed are eligible to receive award ribbons, special section awards and section rosettes. Award ribbons are included in the tally for Silver and Bronze Medal/Certificates although these entries are not eligible for the "best specimen of show" award."

Page C-69, third paragraph under Selecting the Best Specimen of the Show: "The choice is made from al 1 the competitive specimen classes except seedlings and bulbous."

These quotes which are about all I can find regarding what irises may or may not be eligible for a not-yet-specific AIS award . The footnote on page A-23 could be interpreted two ways-- must the iris be introduced into commerce in the US before it is introduced into commerce in another country or only before it is eligible for an award? This is a matter of interpretation, and I might add, it does not specify registered by the AIS though I had 1688 · REGISTRATIONS, INTRODUCTIONS, AWARDS ETC. ·--cont. does not specify registered by the AIS though I had always understood that to be the case. Does this mean that , should SIGNA and AIS originate awards for species and near species hybrids (an unfortunate choice of words since hybrid means a cross between two species) , a bulbous iris hybrid introduced into commerce in the US or Canada would be eligible for an AIS award , but not for Best Specimen in Show?

Not only do interpretations need to be made, presumably by the AIS Board, but also, since rules are not engraved in stone they could be changed by the Board if good reasons to do so were presented intelligently after asking appropriate questions and without making uncalled for accusations.

In the following, Kay Nelson explains how the Registration and Introduction system of AIS began and follows it through to the time in 1955 when AIS was designated as the International Registration Authority for Irises ( other than bulbous) by the International Horticultural Council. The 19 29, 19 3 9 and 19 49 Check Lists included bulbous irises. It seems probable that the Royal Dutch Bulb Growers Association (if that is the correct name) had been designated the official registrar of bulbous iris (or even all bulbous plants in commerce) before that date and that it could be difficult to change that status. we' 11 try to find additional information for the next SIGNA. Meanwhile, I hope this clarifies more t han it confuses , and would appreciate comments. The status of bulbous irises seems not closely related to the proposed awards for species and hybrids but a separate issue, perhaps not solvable through AIS.

REGISTRATION AND INTRODUCTION Kay Nelson from AIS BULLETIN No. 199 · Perhaps the most compelling motive for the formation of The American Iris Society was the desire to have a registration and recording system so that irisarians and gardeners could buy irises under name, and be rea­ sonably confident that the varieties were true to name. The letter of call for organization dated January 10, 1920, lists as the first objective "Com­ p~a~ion of a_Iist of horti_cultural varieties, with their parentage, synonyms, ongmators and dates of introduction." · In the organization meeting on January 29, 1920, it was noted that "The confusion of names in nursery catalogs was mentioned, as was the lack of proper classification or description. To remedy these conditions it was pro­ posed that the Society publish a catalog of all varieties in commerce.1'' Work on Check Lists had been started in 1919 by Mr. R. S. Sturtevant, Mr. E. H. Krelage and Dr. John C. Wister. By March 1920 the Check List already had more than one thousand names, and by May of that year this had g:rown to 2,300 names. The early work of registration and cfassification 1689

was Jef t with the Society officers ~nd a committee of ten. "Mr. R. S. Sturtevant conducted a wide correspondence with Mr. A. J. Bliss, Mr. B. Y. Morrison, Mr. C. H. Hall and Dr. John C. Wister, in reference to a data card on which standardized descriptions could be readily entered. 1" "In May 1920 the registration of new names was started .. . As early as September there were notations of names which had been changed at the request of the Committee of Nomenclature because the names conflicted with those of other irises in commerce, and in November a code of nomen­ clature was published. 1 " In 1921 the Check List had come through six revisions, and authoritative • descriptions of over five hundred varieties were ready for publication. The Check List and detailed variety descriptions were published in later Bulletins. In 1924 the name of Mr. Charles E. F. Gersdorff appears as Chairman of the Registration Committee. In 1929 the Alphabetical Iris Check List, a volume of three hundred pages, was published, as a result of years of pains­ taking work, including the checking and rechecking of mimeographed check lists and catalogs and hundreds of letters to obtain accurate information. This volume, with Mr. Gcrsdorff as Registrar, and Mrs. Wheeler (Ethel Anson S.) Peckham as Editor, stands as a monumental achievement. Every ten years thereafter the Society has published an alphabetical check list of irises registered and introduced during the ten-year period, and an­ nual booklets of registrations and introductions. The 1939 Alphabetical Iris Check List again was the work of Mr. Gersdorff as Registrar and Mrs. Peck­ ham as Editor. This 1939 Check List stands out as an even more monu­ mental achievement, for it not only clarified and corrected, and duplicated a.11 meaningful material, of the 1929 Check List, but added the data on varieties that had been registered and introduced. Both represent a pro­ digious amount of work by dedicated people. The 1949 Alphabetical Iris Check List was prepared from the files of Mr. Gersdorff as Registrar and with Mr. Geddes Douglas as Editor. The 1959 Iris Check List was prepared by Mr. Harold Knowlton, assisted by Mr. Thomas E. Jacoby, from the files of three Registrars. Plans arc being made for the 1969 Iris Check List to be published in 1970. The Society has had five Regi~trars: Mr. Cha:-!es E. F. Gcrsdorff, who served until 1950; Mr. Robert E. Allen, 1950-51; Mrs. George D. Robinson, 1952-56; Mrs. Walter Colquitt, 1957-64; and Dr. J. Arthur Nelson, 1965- . Originally-registrations were free, but now a registration fee of three dol­ lars is charged to cover part of the costs of record keeping and publishing the annual Registrations and /11troductions. Introductions arc recorded with­ out charge. In 1955 The American Iris Society was designated by the International Horticultural Council as the International Registration Authority for Irises ( other than bulbous), and registrations and introductions from all over the world are recorded with the AIS Registrar. A complete alphabetical file of registrations and introductions has been completed now, and is in the AIS Registrar's office. No effort has been made to count the number of name cards in these files, but it seems safe to estimate that they exceed 30,000.

'D.r. Joh_n C. Wister, unpublished. paper "The First Fifteen Years of Th, A.merica,a Iris Society." ' 1 690

HYBRIDIZATIONS INVOLVING IRIS VERSICOLOR, IRIS LAEVIGATA AND NATIVE IRISES OF LOUISIANA

CLYOE CHANDLER AND A. B. STOUT The New York Botanical Garden repri nted from AIS Bul letin #66 ; September, 1937 • The breeding of beardless irises at The New York Botanical Gard <.1 11 during the pal)t nine ~·ears has itn-oh·ed several definite projects which may be summarized briefly a.s folJows: (1) The hybridization of the hardy northern species Iris vcr.~i­ color and its near relatiYe Iris vfrginica (a) with various types of Asiatic irises, especially lri.c; lacvigafo., and (b) with various types of ~out.hern irises of which 88 have been described by Small and .Alexander (1931) ; and (2) selecth·e breeding and also hybridiza­ tion wit.11 various of the more attrar.tiYe of the southern or Louisiana 1 ri ses. The main aim of these breeding- effortc; is to obtain hardy, some­ what new, and att.raetiYe t:vpes of value for g-arden culture. The work WHS begn11 in 1927 _with a sl'11olari,;hip ~rant by The American Iris Societ~· obtained largely through the interest of Mrs. ,vheeler 11. Peckham and Mr. John ,vister and a similar grant was also g-iven in 1928 and 1929. But since that time the ·work has been continued with the sole support of the New York Botanical Gar­ clrn . l\frs. P eckham has continued an interest in the results and in the evaluation of the seedlings grown. Considerable data have 110w accumulated relative to the Jimitat.ions and the rE'sultc;; to be E'Xpectt•cl in the bree

lIYDRIDS BETWEEN IRIS \"ERSICOLOR AND I. LAE\"IOATA Of the various cross-poJJiirntions macle between plants of Ins ·1·. It. close]~· conforms to the description of Iris lacvigafa giYen by Dykes (191!3 and 1924). Sixteen seedlings were obtained whieb are with­ out question h~·brids of this parentage. A description with a photo­ f?raph of a typi<'al plant of this ,:?roup has already been publishetl 1691

(Chan11 pnrcuts.· Kxm11inatio11 of the po1le11 re\·eals that from :~5 per ct~ut to 83 per cent of the pollen is aborted but that germination on artificia~ media may be as much as 10 per cent. It would seem, therefore, · thnt further progeny of some sort should be possible. During the past two years n few seeds were obtained from these hybrids for ftowers wl1iclt were subject to chanee open pollination. See<•ing- g-1·0\\'11 fro111 these sN•ds :-; houhl flow<'r i11 the HPar future. Ht.•t•e11tly, Heed (ID3u) l1as repol'tecl that he has obtuiue

HYBRIDS OP IRIS ,·mGJNICA x I. LAE\"IOATA Eight J.\ hybri or no pollen and in the other seedling-$ if uuy pollen is present it is usnally caketl and falls from the anthers in sliYers. Compared with their pare;1ts these hybrids are intermediate in habit of growth. 'fhe form of the flowers is Jikc l.viryh,ica (fig-. 2) but tJ1e color is the clear blue of the Japanese species. 'fhe l'&·est is pale yellow interrupted by dark Yiolet markings. The flowers of the Yarious see,lliug-s are Yery uniform ,·arying only in the mat·k­ in :.:,rs 011 tlte crest.. H~·brids resulting from tl1is same cross lun-e nlso been reported recently bJ· Reed (1936). H e stntes that Yegetu­ tively these hybrids show inc.-rense

FIG 1 A typical flOl'ler of a seed l ing from the progeny obtained by crossing Iri s ve rsicolor x I. 1 a e v i gat a . Nat ur a 1 s i ze • Th e inset , somewhat smaller, shows somewhat di fferent crest markings which is the most varying character of t he sister seedlings .

FIG . 2 A seedl ing from the cross Iris virginica x I. laevigata. The flowe rs are clear violet blue with a pale yellow crest interrupted by darker violet markings. Natural size . 1693 Of the cross Iris virgnnca x I. laevigata Yar. albopurvurea

three F 1 hybrids have thrived and flowered we1l. 'fhey a~e rather uniform in vegetative vigor and they resemble J. virginica more than the other parent. At the New York Botanical Garden the stock obtained of I. laei,igafa albopurpurea grows pool'ly and the plants are always light green in color and are very weak, procluc­

in0·b few flowers • 'l'he hvbrince. 'l'he falls recurve as. do those of the pollen pareut. The flowers are about the size of those on pla11ts of I. virginica. The <·rest is deep yellow smTomHled by violet. 'l'hese hybrids also have poor pollen, they are Jess vigorous a11<1 prodnee fewt>r tlowtn·s than the hybric18 from the cross J. virg·inica x I. laevigata and the flower parts are thinner and are more blue-violet in color.

Ims VEHSICOLOR X l. J<'UL\'A Spedal effort has been made to obtain h~·brids between the two species lri~ vc1·~icolor and I. ful-l'a. In 1H2H it was reported (Chandler and Stout) that capsules containing- a few see

Another seedling of the F 1 generation resembles the red vnriet~· kermesi'.na of I . versicolo1·. This plant produces seed freely to self­ pollinations and an F:! ~ene1·atio11 is bein~ g-rown from the seed obtained. One see~ling has been obtained which is, without doubt, a hybrid between I~ vers1color and I. fulva. The flowers are rose-colored with a di st inct green _cres_t on the fa 11 s. This seedling produces some seed fr?m self poll mat 1_on from wh i_ch another generation of seedlings is bern~ grown. [_re~ainder of article deals with crosses among Louisiana species and var1et1es. JGWJ 1694 OUR NATIVE AMERICAN IRIS B. LEROY DAVIDSO:'11 Reprinted from AIS BULLETIN #154, Part 2, July i 95~ entitled WHAT EVERY IRIS GROWER SHOULD KNOW The American species of iris come in many colors, varying from a few inches to several feet in stature. Because they grow naturally in a great variety of soils and climates, there are some suitable to every garden. l1nderstanding the natural situation of eilch is the best way to assure success in growing them. There are no bearded or bulbous natives; their beardlessness and distribution-pattern relate them more nearly to the Asian Apogons than to any others. I. setosa is the one species to occur naturally in both the old and new world, usually near the sea, from Kamchatka, the Aleutians and Alaska; and a small form called variety Canadensis separated by the glaciation, is found in the St. Lawrence and the Maritime Provinces of E. Canada and coastal New England. I. setosa is distinguished by its very short standards. Iris versicolor and virginica, two similar species in both appearnnce and requirements, often confused in nature, spread over the lowland E. North America from Hudson's Bay to the Gulf Coast. I. versicolor is northern, from the Great Lakes area north, west, and east ( somewhat overlapping Canadensis) to coastal New England and south to Pennsylvania. I. virginica occupies the Niississippi Valley ( in its variety shrevei) and the SE coastal plain to the Virginia coast. Iris tridentata, the southern ally of setosa, alike in short standards, is found from the Virginia coast to the swamps of Carolina and N. Florida. Together these form a closely related group and hybrids are known where t,vo are growing together. They alike present a strong re­ semblance to the Gulf Coast I . hexagona ( discussed under Louisianas )* and like similar treatment, variability in frost tolerance influencing garden performance; the hexa.gonae, triclentata and oirginica, being of southern occurrence, are damaged by frost and react to warmth. All belie their love for moisture by the telJtale "water-marks," i.e., short, blackish, transverse veins connecting the strong main parallel veins of the soft deciduous leaves; and they will tolerate more standing water than other irises except the related yellow European I. pseudacorus which is found naturalized in many wet places in America, appearing as a native. The usual place for all of them in the garden is the sunny waterside or bog or in ponds or pools. All except the naturalized immigrant come in light-to dark blue-purple, rarely white. Soil must be high in humus content. The \Vestern American irises differ in their tough firm leaves, many of them evergreen, and in general intolerance of excess water. They are roughly divided geographically by the Cascade-Sierra Nevada moun­ tain chain into two natural groups, the Longipetalae and the Californicae. Of the former, I. missouriensis, although found in a few remotely scat­ tered colonies westerly, is mainly a species of the easterly Basin and Plains states and throughout the Rockies. In general it is confined to the arid atmosphere in heavy meadow soils plentiful in moisture in spring 1695 but drying completely by late summer, ,vhere its blue-purple turns acres to color at bloom time. It is frost resistant. A close ally, the very similar I. longipetala, found only about the Bay area of central Califor­ nia, is intolerant of frost. The Californicae or Pacific Coast irises on the other hand, never found east of the mountains, consist of ten closely allied species, five subspecies, and numerous intergrades where two of them grow together. , singular among them for its branched stem, is found only close to the sea, and is more tolerant of water than the others which insist on perfect -drainage at a1l times. It and I. munzii, which is found in nearest to true blue, are alike in liking warmth and in sensitivity to frost. , bracteata, imiomina- ·ta, chrys,ophylla, and lwrtwegii are most resistant to cold. . and chrysophylla are usually narrow-petaled and almost white, the latter stemless or nearly so, with long tube. Iris f ernaldii is valued for its strongly erect stem, much more so than most. has lovely form of its flowers, as has brncteata, the only one found only in yellO\v. Most of them are extremely variable and come in many colors. Iris macro­ siphon is particularly variable, is another of the nearly stemless with long tube. Gardeners should attempt to know the bloodlines of hybrid strains as a clue to culture. Found naturally in the sunny openings of coniferous forests in well-drained, often gravelly, soils that are neutral to acid, they never like much shade. Five other natives belong to independent groups; I. cristata and lacustris of the Evansia. (Crested) irises -are found in the Appalachian­ Ozark landmass, the latter about the Great Lakes and into Ca.nada, in leaf mold under deciduous hardwoods and are themselves deciduous, stoloniferous, about six inches in height, light- to dark blue-purple or rarely white. The similar stoloniferous little tenuis with a taller deeply branched stem of a few small, paler, crestless flowers comes from a small area in NW Oregon, belongs by itself to the third group, Oregonae, and will grow in rather heavy shade. Found roughly in the same general area as cristata, but only in very acid soils, is the stemless and crestless, evergreen varna, in similar colors, both with brilliant yellow signals. It belongs by itself to the third grour), Vernae, and has the long tube of the stemless irises. The foregoing four are alike in preferring moist cool humus soil and light shade. The slender, blue prismatica belongs alone to the fourth group, Prismaticae, once con­ sidered with Sibiricae. It succeeds well with Siberian culture, differs in its short stolons, and is found in nature in open meadowland from New England to the Cumberland Plateau of east Tennessee. There are fe,,, troubles or diseases to beset the species in gardens unless they are unsuitably placed, as with too much shade or too much water, in which case one of the types of rot attacking bearded iris may be induced. A thriftily growing plant is ordinarilv ve1T health\' Rust will attack the Longipetalae in some areas; controi' is a; for ru;t on Japanese irises. 1696 OUR NATIVE · AMERICAN IRIS--continued

It is thus seen that our native flora provides a wealth of irises for our gardens from among the twenty-four native species. \Ve should perpetuate the best of these, for unfortunately many are becoming fewer in nature, and from our work will come the hest for the gardens of the future.

*From_ the article on Louisiana Irises in the same AIS BULLETIN we print only the part relating to Louisiana iris species. by Charles Arny

The modern Louisiana iris is the progeny of four types of iris known as: Iris fulva, giganticaerulea, brevicattlis, and a giant fulva-type of iris referred to as Abbeville fulva. The fulva iris has many flowers borne on rather straight 30-inch stems, usually small, rusty red or copper colored with all floral parts drooping. The giganticaerulea are the giants of the Louisiana family, sometimes five feet: flowers are large, five-to seven-inch spread, usually blue and white. These flowers have or falls held horizontally with the petals or. standards vertical. The brevicaulis are the dwarfs or babies. Their flowers are of medium size, three to four inches across, with a great deal of substance, and are usually colored blue and white. The flowers are borne on a zigzag or straight stem below the top level of the plant foliage. T l~ese iris are upland iris found natively out of water. The Abbevilles or giant fulva are for the most part giant reds, but yellow shades are found. The rather flat full flowers of these giants often have thick, leathery, overlapping petals and sepals with varying signal patches. Ylany blooms have excellent substance and occasionally have a crepy or velvety texture. The growth height of these iris is usually about three feet. These iris frequently have branched flower stems · that extend well above the foliage height. Two flower buds are found at each flower position. The rhizomes are large in size and at times as long as a foot. The i;irginicas are another species of beardless iris found in Louisiana, but have played no part in the development of the present-day hybrids. These iris are noted for their exceptional foliage which has a very pronounced midrib. The flowers are generally blue and white, heavily ,·eined with a sort of flaring form. Flowers tend to be small and have less substance than those of our other iris. Growth height is about 3 feet, although many do not exceed two feet. 1697 A WORD FOR IRIS SPECIES DY A, A. SAMUELSC:--1, Pull,M:l I w,uJ. ,· While it is rntertaining to explore in our minds the reactions and im­ pressions that modern iris gardens and varieties have left-and perhaps it is interesting lo rea

Jim Waddick reports that the ''Iris of China" book will be out too late for the DC Convention, but soon after that . But he will have a brochure about the book and a special pre- publication price available for that event . He reports over 20 full color photos taken in the wild in China and most other species illustrated with gorgeous black and white line drawings from China .

Jim als.o tells us thast the China Iris people--those who subscribed for his trip to China and received plants in return­ have not been too efficient at reporting how those plants have thrived or not . I'm afraid I am one of those sinners . Lets all get those reports off to Jim as soon as possible so we can have a full report for fall SIGNA. Jim'·s address is 3233 McGee, Kansas City , MO 6 4 111.

Florence Stout and I are still having problems with people not reporting changes of address. Changes should be reported to Florence, who provides the mailing labels though if it is a -long time since the last issue (or November or April), please drop me a note also; so I can correct the address before it is mailed. Both our addresses are inside the front cover. Bulk mail saves us a lot of money, but address changes after mailing cost a lot. At pre- increase prices, we paid 16¢ for bulk postage, 30¢ for notification of new address, 95¢ for remailing and $2.00 for a second copy since bulk mail is destroyed, not returned.

The minutes of the Board of Directors meeting in Omaha show that we have made a lot of progress since then, but still have more to do. The watercolors are accomplished and aren't they lovely! Non profit tax status has been achieved. The Index is still to come. we have no report at this time on the tissue culture project. An awards system is in the discussion stage. Florence's flyer has received considerable distribution, has been reprinted and is being used by those giving programs on species iris to recruit new members . Reprinting of the "Eupogon Iris Species in Cultivation" is being discussed with the Median Iris Society. SIGNA ' s editor has yet to receive the BI S YEARBOOK. Dr . Zhao is expected to attend the DC AIS Convention this year. All in all, a momentous year for SIGNA! May this year bring more accomplishmentsp, /J . ~.. c.:, ... y /