D

~ SIG NA 0

: ~ .

,, j ' THE SPECIES IRIS STUDY GROUP OF THE AMERICAN IR IS SOCIETY J/20 THE SPECIES IRIS GROUP OF NORTH Aiv:iERICA October, 1982, No. 29 OFFICI:.RS OF THE SOCIETY

CHAIRMAN Jean Witt 16516 - 25th, NE., Seattle, Wash. 98155 SECRETARY Grace Carter 1212 Tucker Rd ., Hood River, Oregon 97031 Treasurer Francesca Thoolen 255 Manzanita Drl., Orinda, Calif. 94563 (As of Jan. 1, 1983) Gene Opton 12 Stratford Rd., Berkeley, Calif. 94707 SEED EXCHANGE l1ary Duvall Route 1, Box 142, Dassel, Minn. 55125 SPECIES ROBIN 212 County Road C, Joan Cooper DIRECTOR St. Paul, Minn. 55113 SPECIES SLIDES 3227 South Fulton Ave. , Dorothy Hujsak DIRECTOR Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135 BACK ISSUES AND Evelyn Hayes 611 S. Lemoore Ave ., Lemoore, Calif. 93245 PUBLICATION SALES EDITOR OF SIGNA Bruce Richardson 7249 Twenty Rd. E. R.R.2, Hannon, Ontario, Canada LORIPO

CONTENTS Page No. Chairman' s Nessage Jean Witt 979. Growing Iris (Review) (Roy Davidson) 980 Garden Plants in Japan Fumio Kitamura & Yurio Ishizu 981 I . tridentata John W. Wood 982 Sytema tics of Gynancb:>iris (Iridaceae) Peter Goldblatt 983 New species of Iridaceae Pierfelice Ravenna 985 Drawing - pod of I. unguiaularis Jean Witt 986 THE IRIS - Brian Mathew (A review) Roy Davidson 987 Questions Please · Roy Davidson 989 The Clouded Iris bulleyana Roy Davidson 990 Iris hexago.na - Divergent Views Frank E. Chowning 992 Iris Production in the U.S .A. U.S . D.A. 995 Iris pseudacorus Fl owers in Alaska Angus Robertson 996 Some Uncommon Yellow Water-Flags Roy Davidson 996 Cultural Notes (From a robin) Jean Witt 998 Slides (Want some?) Dorothy Hujsak 1000 Letters David L. Heikamp 1001 Ruby Buchanan 1002 The Three Graces Mary Benlo~ 1003 From"Flowers and Folklore from Far Korea 1004 Iris teatorwn Taiwan Form Robert H. Egli 1005 Some Colour Forms - Iris unguicularis John Redfern 1006 Blue Flag Bennie Bengston 1008 Irises For The Alpine Garden G.P . Baker 1010 Editorial Comments Bruce Richardson 1019 Membership List Grace Carter 1020 .E(ecent new members (not on the membership listing) Dr . Robert L. Bledsoe, 2024 S. First St. , Sious Falls, SD 57105 Nrs. Francis F. Garvan, Jr., 308 Bellaire Dr., Hot Sp rings~ Ark. 71901 Caroily Haukadottir, 2501 Hemlock Dr., Visalia, CA 93277 Anthony W. Lange, Rt. 2, Box 8, Norton, TX 76865 Northern Ill~aois Iris Society? c/o Florence Stout, Lib. 150 N. Main, Lombard, Ill. 60148 979 CHAiru1AN 's MESSAGE

Jean Witt

Signa's membership continues to grow, and after attending the Section President's meeting at the AIS convention, I am pleased to report that we seem to have a few less problems tham some of the other sections, due largely to the con­ tinued succes of our seed exchange. My husband Joe, and Roy Davidson and I drove from Seattle to Denver, and saw acres of Iris missouriensis in bloom in the valley of the Powder River near LaGrande, Oregon, and others later as we approached Denver. Several kinds of speciEs irises were making a fine show in the rock garden at the Denver Botanic Garden -- Ii. setosa and tenax f. gormanii were especially notable. Because of a crowded Sections schedule, our Signs meeting was small. We show­ ed about 35 of the most recent slides from the Signa collection, and the audience participation was tremendous! Nearly every slide brought forth a bit of information from someone - how- to- grow, additional colour forms, hybrids etc~ Our board members managed to squeeze in a dinner meeting; while we didn't so~ve all our pro­ blems, we made a beginning, and face-to-face discussions save a lot of letter writ­ ing! Time, as usual, was all too short for visiting, but we greatly enjoyed meet­ ing members with whom we had corresponded over the years. We are pleased to welcome our new publications director who is Evelyn Hayes of Lemoore, California. All orders for back issues of Signa should now be sent to her. My thanks on behalf of our board and our membership to our retiring director of publications, Maryann Anning. See roster for address. And now to some of our problems: First, we are in need of a new Round Robin director, as Joan Cooper would like to be relieved of this duty soon. This is an interesting job, as it brings one in contact with many of our members via our ~obins. If you can help with this program, please contact Joan or me. Signa will be changing editors in the near future and faces a crises in the printing of our publication. If we go to commercial printing, our costs will sky­ rocket, necessitating a dues raise. We therefore appeal to our membership: HELF! ~ELP! Does anyone among you have access to a copying machine, and the time to print, assemble, and mail out our publication twice a year? Signa would pay for paper and supplies as we do now -- what we need to find is free or near-free use of a suitable copier Alternatively, do we have any member(s) experienced in cutting mineograph stencils in the old fashioned way, and/or access to a mimeograph machine? This is our current method of printing text (illustrations are done in a print shop) and we could continue by this method if we can find the necessary volunteers. Signa has been extremely fortunate over the years in having members who stepped forward to answer our appeals for help with the job of running our society. We are blessed with large numbers of willing and capable people--but in a "mail order" operation such as ours, our major means of locating you is by these direct pitches asking for your help. PLEASE LET ME HEAR FROM YOU! Our special thanks to those who have sent slides for our collection. At this rate we will soon have a second complete set available for loan. Your board has also voted to .have a traveling species display, to exhibit at future conventions. We can use some volunteers on this project, too. Keep the supply of seeds coming in to our seed exchange-this is what keeps us going. And remember to send your comments and garden experiences to our editor-we have lots of new members and they are anxious to know what we are growing and bow we man~ge to do it under our widely varying conditions of climate and soil. Be.st wishes to all for a favourable winter! 980

GROWING IRIS (Re view}

G. E. CMhidlj and S. U111tegaJL Commentary by Bruce Riolia:r>dson

This book, p~Eact in 1982, arrived here in late July: for review before going on ·to be acposi~e~ in the Canadian Iris Society's library at the Royal Bot­ anical Gardens, Hamilt?n? Ontario. The title is somewhat misleading, as the work covers. far m~re t~an m~rely growing irises, although that theme is paramont through­ out the book. _I expected it to deal largely with the ~ultivars and was plesently surpriseq to fin4 it leaned heavily to the species, with t he cultivars only casually mentioned as part of the garden picture, and not the whole scene as most of the gardens in North America seem to be. The book is not a large one, being some 160 pages, but manages to cover its subject very cempletely, although naturally briefly i n some instances, but s till most ~on~t~z:r fP~ ~P, ~nf:~t~?~in~ manner of writing. The firs t appendix gives lists of the favourite irises of ~hese ·two gentlemen of which fully 1/3 of those named are species. Growing such a diversity of species is proof positive that the authors are experts in their field. One smal~ example of this is that this is the only book I have ever seen that told hot:7 to remove spent bloom stalks properly -- by bending to one side and snapping them off ... Wf!.1. Miles told us and from there it was pas~ed on through the Canadian Iris Society. Most books say cut them off which i s all wrong. and nQt nature.' s way. The book opens like mos t iris books with the story of the iris but soon gets into classific;.ation and line drawings of the different t_ypes of root stalks, and the geo_graphical distribution of the species. There ~re several very interesting pages describing early history of the iris from ancient times to the near present and the early discoverers like Linnaeus, to Foster, Baker, Lynch, and Dykes to name only a few. A chapter is given over to garden design and an ideal layout is drawn for a yard of about 50'x60', with space for every type. Because close attention is given to the species and their special needs, methods are described on the preparation of suitable beds, from wet to clay, clay to sand, and acid to alkaline and what goes in each. Although the work is scientifically accurate, it is not written in such a manner that one needs a degree in chemistry to understand it. A beginning amateur will feel just as comfortable reading it as an advanced expert. Detailed varieties are suggested for border beds, with colour harmony in mind, not small ideas either with from 33-51 clumps in the various plans. Another chapte~ deals with iris in a mixed border and again the drawings and nam_ed va:i:-_iet:j.es sho.w you how to put together a harmonious whole . The next chapter goes into the wild or woodland garden, again with many sug­ gestions as to wh~re the species would do well. Continuing we have chapters on the bog ga:r;.den , again with suggested s pecies, and the rock, scree or hot dry border locations; again a number of species suggested that like these conditions. The bulb frame and Alpine House complete the cultural part of the book, with once more a long li:st of s uitable s pecies. Somewhere the authors mentioned tha t they only dis­ cus_sed $peci es tha t they had grown and designs and methods they had used with success. It would, and likely has, taken a lifetime to try out everything detailed in thi~ book. Cut flowers are given a chapter with Dutch ~ris and I. unguicularis being noted prominently. Several ot.her sp~cies are noted too but only a couple of lines are used ju~t to mention tall bearded; even indoor plantings and window boxes with planting methods and culture described, TilE~- nin.tµ chapter describ~s· the various iris societies around the world and gives a little of the history of two of the oldest and largest -- the B.I. S. and A.I.S. The names and addresses of the Secre taries of the others is also given and I was part­ icularly pleased to see the address of the Iris Soci ety of South Africa, the only one Signa has not had correspondence with as-yet , 981 The balance of this chapter is devoted to iris shows, with tips ~or growing especially for shows and methods of transporting fragile iris blooms and a final riote of what is good in a show stock and what is not. The last chapter gets into hybridizing and how it is best done, includd.ng a bit on seed germinating and even a paragraph on its near relative tissue culture. The book concludes with six appendices, a Bibliography, a Glossary or iris terminology and an index divided into sections of general, iris species names-­ nearly three pages alone of these-- and names of cultivars mentioned in the book. These sections are essentially tabular in form, condensing a lot of information in a small space. The 6th appendix is a particularly useful one for the iris species beginner as it not only gives the classification of the Genus Iris, but goes on to details of the various sections, and their subdivision with the iris species that belong in each, with short descriptions of each. I found this very readable and easy to under­ stand, more so than others I have run across. Of course not all iris species are covered here because· the authors have only attempted to describe iris that will grow in England and almost exclusively ones they have had personal experience in raising. It is this feature that makes this work so interesting to read and gives one confidence in accepti:rg the advice given. It is a most worthwhile book to have for most anyone interested seriously in iris and not at all hard to understand. It can be obtained from the publishers Croom Helm Ltd. 2-10 St. Johns Road London Swll, England at a cost of 7. 95 pounds. sterling. ******

GARDEN PLANTS IN JAPAN by Fwnio Ki...tamUIUI. and Ywuo 1hfuzu. 1963.

,., p. 240: Hana-shobu. Japanese Iris . "This plant has been a representative Japanese flowering plant for more than 300 years. The plants are mostly used in mass planting on the ~ater's edge in the Japanese garden such as on the shallow shore of a pond. Sometimes they are spot planted on the lawn or in a flower garden. This plant is enjoyed as a pot plant. Cut flowers are used in flower arrangement." "There are more than 1000 horticultural species for this plant." Iris ensata Tunberg var. spontanea Nakai (No-hana-shobu), habitat: Japan, Korea, North China, Siberia, is considered t he original breed of this plant.

p. 241: Kakitsubata, Kao-bana. Rabbit-ear Iris. Iris laevigata Fischer. Habitat: Japan, central and northern districts. "Mostly used for mass planting on the waterside in the garden such as near a pond or stream·. Sometimes they are mass planted under larger trees or between garden stones. The beauty of the flowers in early summer is often described in Japanese literature and poems. This ii? -u.sed as ·a·pot plant, Cut flowers are used in flower arrangement." Varie ties: f . albopurpurea Makino (Washinoo) £. leucanthum Makino (Shiro- Kakitsubata)

p. 242: Ayame, Hana- ayame. Ayam Iris. I. sanguinea Hornem. Habitat:Japan, Korea "This is a flowering plant which has been planted in Japan for old times . The elegant beauty of its flowers in early summer is wlll described in Japanese lit­ erature and poems. The plants are suitable for planting on the waterside in the garden. Sometimes they are planted at the foot of larger trees or between rocks . Cut f lowers are used in flm,1er arrangements." Varieties: albiflora Makino (Shiro-ayame); pumila Makino (Chabo-ayame) violacea Makino (Kamayama-shobu) 982

I. tride ntata

John W. · Wood

The elusive I. tridentata of which so little has been written was first ment­ ioned to me by Jean Witt. Jean told me it probably grew along s treams in the coastal plain of North and South Carolina and that it bloomed in July. I tucked away a mental note and have searched areas of the coastal plain to no avail. In the latter part of May, 1980, while attending a Japanese iris show in the low country of S. Carolina, a lady brought a tub which contained wha t she said were native iris. The blooms were quite wilted, ·but being a species buff I took two plants, brought them home to the foothills of N. Carolina and planted them in one gallon nursery cans . The plants were given copious amounts of water during the summer. They wintered over outside going dormant in the fall. I had ordered a plant of I. tridentata f rom Lorena Reid of Lauri~'s Garden in Springfield, Oregon and when this plant put out foliage in the s pring of 1981 I noticed that the foliage of the plants in the cans appeared to be· the same as the Reid plant. None of the plants bloomed in the spring of 1981 . I obtained a half dozen additional plants in May of 1981 from the low country of S. Carolina and planted them at the edge of a pond. I also planted the plants which were in gallon cans in the yard with the siberian iris . Most of these plants bloomed in the spring of 1982. Most were a dark purple but two of the group were much lighter in colour. Each of these plants put out two additional plants which emerged in a lateral fashion 8-10" from the parent plant in much the same fashion as the Evansia "Nada" does . The micro climate where these pla~ts were growing in the wild was very wet and althoug~ frost occurs, the ground is seldom if ever frozen; The water table is very near the s~iface and the plants usually have wet feet. The summers are very hot and humid and -the plants thrive in semi to deep shade for part of· the day. None were growing in fully exposed sun areas. They apparently seed readily in the wild. How­ ever none of those I bloomed set seed unless I pollinated them. They apparently love the same condi~ions as the Japanese iris or Siberian iris~ for they are doing well for me with Japanese and Siberian irises. The rootstalk is a very slender rhjzome of wide creeping somewbatl sto.Iaoiferous character. The leaves are finely ribbed a~d a light green with a red edge and become linear on the stem about the time the flower opens. The stem is 18-20" tall, dark in colour, with several reduced l eaves on the terminal which contains two buds.. The second bud opens 3-4 days after th.a first one. The flower remains good for two days. O~e lateral branch with only one bud .on the ones which bloomed for me. The spathes are narrow, pointed and unequal. The outer is usually less than half the l ength of the inner valve. The ovary is triagonal and the tube funnel shaped. The falls are suborbicular and a bluish purple with conspicuous veining. The lighter ones are very heavily veined. The signal is white with yellow in the center. The haft is yellow-brown with reticulations. Standards are al most non-exist~nt. One must search to find them as they appear the second day the flower is open and thenl/8 to½;" long and toot~ed. (C) The stigma is semi-circular in outline. _The anther is bluish in colour· with yellow pollen. I could not detect any aroma coming from the flower. I am wo~de.,;i_ng if it would be possible to cross I. tridentata with I. eetosa? I have not been able to mature I. setosa from seed here. Small I . setosa plants die over the winter here, but I intend to order mature plants and hopefully attempt this cross next spring. I also suspect there may be an alba form 1-.n view of ·the colour variation and will search f or it. May also have some seed for the exchange this fall. 983

A REVIEW

SYSTEMATICS OF GYNANDRIRIS (IRIDACEAE), A MEDITERRANEAN-SOlITHERN AFRICAN DISJUNCT

Peter Goldblatt. Botaniska Notiser 133: 239-260, 1980*

Whether one is accustomed to thinking of Gynandriris as a genus in its own right or as a part of the genus Iris this interesting paper is full of surprises. Goldblatt gathers together a single once-upon-a-time Iris species, some of its rarely-mentioned southern African relatives, and several newly described species into a logical and cohesive grouping.

Distinguishing features of the genus Gynandriris are: (1) a short stalked ovary, with a long sterile extension, the beak, which supports the flowers; (2) a tunicate corm; and (3) large rnembranaceous, nearly transparent spathes with prominent vertical veins. The capsules also are transparent, so that the large dark seeds are visible through the spathes and capsule walls. Three to four pale membranaceous cataphylls (under­ ground scale leaves) sheath the basal parts of the stem, and the one or two long, channeled leaves, The stem is branched. The fugaceous (fleet­ ing) flowers are iris-like in form, and range in color from deep blue­ violet through pale blue and lilac to white; one species has 100ttled flowers.

As defined by Goldblatt, Gynandriris consists of seven species in southern Africa and two in the Mediterranean-Middle East. He considers it more closely related to the large southern African genus Moraea than to the Northern Hemisphere genus Iris. All nine species are described in detail. Since this is the initial publication for the four new species -- · G. hesperantha, anomala, cedarmontana, and australis, their descriptions appear in Latin as well as English. Three species, G. pritzeliana, setifolia, and simulans, are shifted into Gynandriris from Moraea, as a result of the author's previous studies in that genus. Several entities from the summer rainfall area of southern Africa, previously described as species, are reduced to synonymy in G. simulans. Distribution maps of the various species are provided and-6 species are illustrated with line drawings. Results of cytological studies are summarized in a table of chromosome counts and a page of chromosome diagrams.

Gynandriris sisyrinchium is the common Northern Hemisphere species, found from Morocco to Pakistan. The other northern hemisphere species, ~- monophylla, is restricted to the eastern Mediterranean. Both of these northern species are tetraploid, 2n=24, and have the haploid chromosome number 12, while all but one of the southern African species are diploid, 2n=l2, and have the haploid number 6, which is considered the base number for the genus. Goldblatt implies that tetraploidy is an adaptation to climatic adversity, Species from the winter rainfall areas of southern

* Ed. note: Dr. Goldblatt is B. A. Krukoff Curator of African Botany at the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis. Botaniska Notiser is an important botanical journal that has been published in Sweden since 1841. 984

Africa are diploid, 2n=l2. G. s imulans, which is widely distributed in the summer rainfall area, is polyploid, with counts of 24 and 36. Since most of the species of Gynandriris , and all the diploid ones , occur in southern and eastern Africa, this is considered the place of origin of the genus, with the Eurasian- North African distribution secondary. [Presumably the two groups were once connected.]

Most species are adapted to arid habitats and poor soil . G. sisyrin­ chium maintains itself in agricultural areas and on roadsides, and the suggestion is made that it may have spread from the Mediterranean basin with primitive agriculture. G. monophylla is coastal, growing best in areas with little other vegetation. One species, G. setifolia, is a lawn weed in the southwestern Cape region and has now become naturalized in Australia. Another southern species, G. pritzeliana, is suggested as coming closest to an ancestral prototype, while the two Northern Hemisphere species are tentatively considered the most specialized. Flowers of some of the new species are so fleeting--open only from 4:30 to 7:30 P.M. -- that they have seldom been collected in an identifiable state.

These plants were assigned to the genus Iris by Linnaeus in 1753, later included in Moraea, and given at least two invalid generic names before being returned to Iris. The name Gynandriris dates from 1854 and is the oldest valid one, but many 19th and 20th century botanists, includ­ ing Dykes., continued to include the Northern Hemisphere species with Iris, often ignoring the Southern Hemisphere species or assigning them to other genera. After more than two centuries there is still no concensus on the problem--some floras and other studies of the last decade still list Gynandriris sisyrinchium as Iris, while others endorse its separa­ tion. Goldblatt's treatment reflects the difference between his studies of living material in the field and under the microscope and former work based chiefly on herbarium specimens.

Over the years, Gynandriris sisyrinchium has accumulated a large number of synonyms and varieties, and depauperate examples have been much confused with G. monophylla. Goldblatt finds that there is no type specimen and that therefore the illustration in Clusius' Rariorum plantarum historia (vol. 1, pg. 216), published in Antwerp in 1601, entitled 'Sisy­ rinchium majus', which Linnaeus cited, must serve instead. Goldblatt's field observations have convinced him that G. monophylla is distinct and deserving of species status. Where the two grow together in some parts of Greece, he says" • .. the difference between the two species is quite striking. Flowers of G. monophylla are pale blue-gray, dull colored, and less than half the size of the large, bright and often deep blue- purple flowers of G. sisyrinchium ••• there are no signs of intermediate forms •.• " The number of leaves is not definitive--G. monophylla, despite its name, can sometimes have two leaves, though one is usual; G. sisyrinchium is more likely to have two leaves, but may occasionally produce only one.

Goldblatt's treatment of Gynandriris is far more comprehensive and cohesive than anything that has gone before. One can only hope that future floras will reflect his views . -- (J. G.W . ). 985

New species of lridaceac from Galapagos and Colombia

Picrfelice Rnve1111n

R.ivenna. P. 1979 11 15: New species 1,f lridaceae from G al:\pagn~ and Colomhia. /lot. Notis,·r 132: 46'.\-4(,6. Stockholm. ISSN 0006-8195. Si.tyri11d1it1111 galllfJl/1-!t·nsc Ravenna is a new spccie5 endemic to the Gal:ipagos Island~. It ha~ previuu\ly hccn misidcntilicJ as S . 11111,·r,w,·pl,11/11111 R. Graham from ca,tcrn S America. Suggested relatives arc S. llri:1111i1"11111 R,,throcl. and S. ,·,111 ,·,,/11111111 N,,cc:,. The new species lfrsflt'r11.ri{ll1io11 l111i/1•11s1• R,ivenn:, fr,,m Colomhia represents ;, con­ siderahle range extension for 1he i;:enus. previ,,u~ly km,wn from 1hc Andes of Peru an,I Bolivia. A key Ill the species of llc·sflt'ru.rip/ri,,11 is pnwi,lcd. l'icrf,•lin· Rm·,.1111(1, INT,I . U11i,·Nsid"'I dt• C/ril,•. Sa11tillgt1 . C/ri/t>.

Sisyrinchium galapagcnsc Ravenna, s p. nov. - perhaps affinities with S. ari::.onic11111 Rothroc k Fig. l . (Arizona. Mexico. C America. possil-ly Orig. coll.: Adserscn 980 (C holotype amf-isotype). Colomhia) and S. c11111·11/11t11111 Nocca (Mexico. Guatemala). which hoth have a similnr in­ Planta caei.piwsa pcri:nnis 15-36 cm aha. Rhi:m11n verticali~ usqu.: 30-75 mm l,,ngus 10--13 mm latus flore scence. However. they are vivaceou~. radicibus plurihus fibrosis cmittcns ct fibris rather small. have very short rhizomes and foliorum vctustorum Villdc obtcctus. Folio bll.rnlin thcn:fore do not form clumps. S. n,,11·,,/11111111 plura lincari-attcnuata suberccta vcl asccm.lcntia agrees with S. ga/11pag,•11xe in having free fil.i­ 23-J0 cm 1,inga 4-11 mm lata suhlaxc nervosa. Cauli.< .incipi1i-al:11us fol iatus rnmosus internodio mcnls. infcri1,ri c. 14 . .'i cm lnngus et 5-{, . .'i mm latns. Foli11111 Portcr(l971) includes t his spei.:ie s in .. Flora or t'll11li1111111 inferius usque 14-17 cm longum cac1cra the Gal{1pagos Islands·· under the name S. apiccm innun:sccntiae versus gr.idatc rcducta. macrnc<'p//(//11111 R. G raham. a very diffl'rcnt Spu1l111e plurcs ad la1 eras compressae 3-12-norae '.!0-24 mm long:ie valvis suhacqualihus vcl lcviter spei.:ies from S Brazil. Uruguay and C Argentina. suhacquilongis. Flores e;.~erti pcdicclla1i lutci. The species is also. incnrrec1ly. cited from Peru Pc•tlin-1/i liliformcs 15-20 mm longi. (Ji-11ri11111 ohova­ and Colombia. His description is rnther con­ tum glahrum :,d :?.4 mm longum c. I mm latum. flk1ing and it cont:tiris fc;rturci: from t, ,,th P,·rig1111i11111 late infundihula111m ad If, mm !arum. T,·pa/11 late ,,hlancc,1la1a castaneo-ncrvata usque S. ga/{(pag,·11sc• and 5. 111an-occ(lhal11111. The I mm ad ha~in connata. Cltleri,,ra 'J-9.4 mm loni;a c. figure. h,,wcver. ai;rce!,, completely with 1hc 3.5 mm lata. int.:riura suhaequalia. Filam.-11111 usquc Gal:ipagos plant. The main characters sc.:parating basin lit,cra tt·m,i,sime lilifurmia apii.:em versus S. galapagcns,• and S. 111m-roccrlw/11111 arc givL"n h:vi1..-r clavata ad 5.4 mm 1,inga. A11tlll'mr· t>asifi.rnc u1'1ongac luteac inf..-rne hil!,hat.1c 2-:?. 4 mm lungae in Table l. aJ dchisccntiam provccrnm versatiles probahili1cr minun:s. S1yl11., lcnuis filifurmis usque 6.5 mm longus Distrilnf/ion and ha/Jiw1. Only known from th1.• ariccm versus lc: virer ampliatus. Styli rami crccto­ Gal:ipagos ls l.rnds. Montane: ct>llcl·red betwL"en patcnte ~ IJ . '.! - 0.'.!.'i mm longi aJ api..:cm sti i;nrn11,si. oOO and 850 m . According lo Porlcr ( 1971) 1he C111•.,11/u latl! cllirtica .'i-1> mm l,,nga 3.5-4 111111 Iara. spcl."ics occurs in sw:rmps. mcad,,ws. on s;md. s.. 111i1111 suhgh,h,,,a vcl late ovata in rq!i,, hyli lcvi11.:r ;11:u1a nigra min u1c fo,·eulata c. I mm lata. and on rncky hillsides. Co/l,·r1io11.<. S1111111 Cm:. I km W of Pun1udo. 7tlfl m. Sisyri11 c hi11111 g11l//{'ag,•11s,· seems IO he ra1her muntane ··pampas ··. 4. lll. 1'174. A,hersen 9NO ll"I - 11nn.:latl'd with the continental speci~s. It has L,,~ Huecus. Santa R1•~a. MIO m. 7.~.1974. A,1,~·r,en 986

464 /'in:Jdin· Uu1·1·111w

Pod of 1. unguieula:ris~ 1981 Fig. I. Si.,yri11c/1i11111 g11fop11,:r,1st' . Amlroccium and gynoecium (x 7.5). Drawing by P. Ravenna. Most of us are aware that what appears to be a "stem" supporting the flowers of J.'02 (Cl - N slope of Ml Crocker. 750 m. in open ;ircas between rems. 2.3.1972 Hamann 538 (Cl - I ris ungu.icularis is actually a greatly s.loc .. 27.2. 1939. T;iylor & Taylur G-55 (NY, K) - elongated perianth tube. Pods form at lwh,,f,,, Cerro Azul. S-SW slope, 800 m. occasional the base of the tube, down in the fans in open "pampas ... 26.1.1972, Hamann 2366 (CJ. of leaves and do not ripen until late summer or early fall. At this time, ·rather surprisingly, an inch or so of true stem is evident under the capsule. (See drawing). One wonders, in its natural habitat, what are the advantages to this species of a long and fragile periant tube and a seedpod at ground level.

Subrrritted by Jean Witt

T able I , Main ll ifrcrenccs bctwc.:n Si.lyrinchillm 111t1 t·mn·phalu111 aml S . ,:11/upa,:e11.1e.

C'harac1cr S. macrm·epha/11111 S. 1:ulnp11,:ens,·

Stem scapiform re pcatclll y branc hell

C;iulinc kaves single, apical, rclluccll several. lower one ~imilar in length 10 b;;sat ones, upper ones grallually shorter lnflorc,ccncc pseudolatcral, congested. fasci­ branches spread out along the stem culate, al the lop or the stem Spath.;, ~essitc or . ubscs ile long-peduncul,11<: Filamcnls connatc below free to the base St}k arm~ t,,nger than style shorter than style 987

THB IRIS - Brian Mathew

Rev~e.wed by Roy vavicUon

It is now some years since I made the comment to Mr . Mathew that I sincerely hoped he would be the one to give us an updated treatment of irises in the tradition of Dykes. What has arrived in my mailbox is all that could have been hoped for. I do doubt very much that he even remembers the occasion, but I am still filled with pride and gratitude. This book is, and will remain I am sure for a very long time, the standard reference of the genus, the result of his personal concern with the iris in the wild, in the herbarium and in the garden.

We are fortunate in having in the author a combination gardener, Wisley trained, and scientist, with over fifteen years as field observer, fourteen of these as taxonomic botanist at Kew, where he is presently a Principal Scientific Officer. His approach to the subject will remind us very much of Dykes, and in that tradition we still have a few unresolved problems, some un-named plants, some areas as Turkey and the Orient in which they have not yet been sorted out properly, and much as we might wish once-for-all to tave had the oncocyclus nailed down , these matters were left to the explanations of the future.

"As far as possible the information is from my observations of living and herbarium material". So begins the preface to understanding some 250 species of the genus, and as it is regarded, it is one woven of familiar old fabric, strengthened by fresh discoveries and attitudes, one directed at fellow gardeners rather than fellow botanists, and dedicated to the late Paul Furse, a contemporary in both the garden and the iris fields of the Near East. Those familiar with the author's prior writings will again be attracted to his easy, yet authotitative, direct and friendl y style. Each species is carefully described, as are its variations, habitat and other considerations.

The sturdy binding of dun-green buchram looks as if it would take much wear; there is a very flashy jacket of purple, lettered boldly in orange and bearing a striking rendering of Iris korolkowii with a clump of Iris meda against blue sky on the back. Inside are 36 more excellent col our reproductions, many the suthor's own photos, plus 32 in black and white and 16 excellent line drawings, all of which contribute to the point, illustrating and understanding the diversity of irises.

We can be much relieved that the familiar natural grouping of the species does not depart from our precepts, and that there are few nomenclatural changes. The basis of classification is that of Lawrence> which was of course derived from Dykes, with the departure of following Taylor in disposition of the pogons, plus a few innovations in the lesser categories.

It will seem to some that, although the work is for gardeners, it is unrealistic to have omitted the garden-derived irises whi~h fill our gardens. This was intent­ ional since the majority of what is published on the genus has contentrated on those at the expense of the hundreds of other good plants. The cytology and other scientific aspects have been ·kept to. tha;...abeolute 'minfoUI:: discu·saion, since: they are ·mainly . : the concerns of science rather than of gardeners . Yet they have obviously been con­ siderations of the author and have ce~tainly influenced his opinions.

First-off, certain iridaceous relatives are laid to rest, most of them northern hemisphere subjects once considered to be irises, Gynandriris, Henmodactylis, Pard­ anthopsis plus Balamcanda. The concept of Iris as the familiar genus of many variables is then elucidated by its disposition into six sub-generic components: 988

Hermodactyloides (reticulata) Scorpiris (juno) these three with bulbuous rootstalks Xiphium (Spanish) Limniris (beardless) Iris (bearded) all from rhizomes, minute to massive Nepal ens is (an odd-ball)

Not much new to this point. Rather than concentrating on the .flower itself, other plant ·par.ts are stressed fo_r their diagnostic points, and the discussion can help the gargener succeed with growing the plants. There are considerations of plants for general garden conditions, in borders, in rock gardens, in water gardens and in peat gardens as well as in bulb frames and in pots. Propagation of stocks is part of this· discussion. The subject of diseases is dismissed with the wise instruction that "it is better to concentrate on growing the plants well than trying to cure sickly ones which have succumbed to disease" since most disease is the result of ecological imcompatibility (too wet or too dry, etc. ) yet advice is given on what to · do for infections and infestations should they become manifest.

All' changes of nomenclature are not without the general sanction of the taxonomic community. In order to retain Iris foetidissima in Dykes's original position along with other beardless, rhizomatous plants of Limiris, the author has established the category of Series Foetidissima merely by modifying the rank; it was the su. section as driginally established by Diels . Iris lutescens supplants I. chamaeiris, and Iris sua.veolens replaces I. mellita, thus laying to rest two old problems. As gardepers we may protest, but we can learn in time to accept such. (It helps to put up ~ew garden labels to remind us.) Iris subbiflora is not altered in rank. In the ver1 compl ex Evansia group, it is suggested that t he oddest, I. speculatrix might be more nearly related to the variable I. ruthenica.

There is much progress here in sorting out which are the good distinct spuria species and which ought to be regarded as the synonymous . The species I. spuria itself is.regarded ·as a complex of eight subspecies, three of which the author proposes as new: ss~. carthaliniae, ssp. demetrii (=prilipkoana) and ssp. sogdiana. Others are ssp. spuria with two vars. danica and subbarbata, ssp. notha, ssp. halop­ hila (=guidenstaedtiana), ssp. maritima (=reichenbachii) and ssp. musulmanica (=vioZacoea =daenensis =klattii) . (Unfortunately we do not find that the "Turkey Yellow" problem is cleared up).

The little known Tenuifoliae species and Ventricosae (of Rodionenko)' are united in the Series Tenuifoliae of Secti on Limniris; Subgenus Limniris {Apogon of Dykes). We find the note that Iris formosana. is something of a mystery, that unlike its look-alike I. japonica, it does set seed in the wild, not yet explained, along with a lot of similar questions concerning the related I . wattii and confusa. Iris Zazica is retained as a species distinct from the near-rel ated I. unguicuZaris on ecolog­ icai grounds, as it occupies a cool habitat, moist for most of the year. In the Junos, most of which are still unfamiliar to most gardeners, wear~ told that the familiar golden "I. orchioides" is a form of the variable I. bucharica, and that what we grow ·as willmottiana alba seew$ to ~e another of its forms. True orchioides is quite another thing and is not in·cultivation. There are some speculations on the idehtiti.es of certain oriental plants: I. oda.esanensis Lee 1974 appears to be a white counterpart of I. koreana, rather like I. henryii, while certain evidence seems to link these Chinese irises, or some of them at least, to the melange of Evansia classification.

The author .has departed in the bulbous section to five descriptions of consider­ abie garden material as it related to natural populations he has studied in the wild. Many forms of horticulture are distributed by cultivar names through the Dutch bulb· 989 trade, most of them increased to great numbers as pure strains by colour. In addition are the hybrids, which are not here detailed in the discussion, however.

Fortunately there are few minor blemisnes to this altogether splendid treatment of a most beautiful an

THE IRIS by Brion Mathew, Batsford, London 1981, belongs on the bookshelf of all dedicated irisarians. As a young man yet (born in 1936) the author has many years ahead of him in which to puzzle out the yet-unknown.

ED: This article was intended for SIGNA 28, but unforti..""lately arrived just five days after tJuzt issue had been printed and could not be included. I print it heie now in spite of the fact tJuzt I wrote a review of the same book in SIGNA 28. However, Roy has approached the subject from a somewhat different viewpoint than nrine and Juzving known and met Mr> . Mathew was able to give the mitter a more in depth study than I could. After having read the book carefully from cover to aover, I strongly support his opinion that this is a lasting reference work that will be consulted for rrr:zny years and is weU worth acquiring. B.R. **********

QVESTIONS PLEASE

Q. How does one distinguish between the Siberian I. clarkei and biglumis lactea? I swear howsoever these are variously identified around here, they they are all biglumis.

A. There should be no difficulty at all distinguishing Iris clarkei and Iris lactea- which name, by the war, we are now to adopt if we consider all of those variously named Asian Ensatae irises to belong to the same species. The difficulty in your case seems to have come from a misidentification somewhere along the line. I. clarkei is the only one of the Sibiricae species NOT having a hollow flower stalk, so that is no help. It does, however have the "flanges" to the hafts of the falls as do all the Sibiricae. There is an entirely different texture to the foliage, thin and smooth to clarkei, heavily fine-ribbed and tough to the Ensatae species, the leaves, of which remain green far longer into the autumn than any other non-evergreen species. The unmistakable difference however is in the ovaries, which become the seed capsules, and in the seed itself. As with all the Sibiricae, the ovary of I. clarkei is trigonal (three-angled) maturing to a capsule more or less round in cross section, but 3-ribbed while the ovary of the Ensatae species is strongly six-ridged and six- grooved, a long thin ovary that is scarcely a swelling of the upper part of the peduncle in the bud stage, while the capsule is a consequently longish, thinnis h one, six-ribbed. The seeds are rounded and bead-like to pear-shape while those of the Sibiricae species are scarcely so, if at all and are more inclined to be angular or 0-shape. The flower stalks of the Ensatae species are never branched (normally) and that of!.:,_ ;~ clarkei is most frequently branched once or twice, frequently quite low-branched. The flowers themselves are not similar, anc.l in I. clarkei they are more like the other Siberians, but with exaggeratedly "hooded" styles, while the Ensatae the 990

the segments are rather long and narrow their entire length, giving a grac~ful but not plushy effect. (Se,;e AIS bulletin 21.1 p. 12.)

Q. I notice that Brian Mathew gives the range of Iris versioolor as "from eastern Canada south to Texas". How does this relate to what SIGNA has been publishing?

A. Mathew has apparently based this range on the reports in recent regional floras, and not on the facts as recorded so accurately by such authorities as Edgar Anderson. These later workers have not distinguished clearly between Iris versicolor and Iris virginica shrevei, and in fact they are lumping the two together in re­ cording such a distribution. See prior discussion in Species Gallery of AIS bulletin 235. Since Linnaeus did not clearly distinguish between ·the members of this con- - fusing group of 11 Greater Blue Flags", and Dykes lumped them, we consider that ··. Anderson should be regarded as the definite authority as to their identification -and. ranges. ··

THE CLOt:,;DED IRIS BULLEYANA

There is a fine clump of iris in the Siberian planting of the Denver Botanic Garden received there as authenticated Iris bulleyana, and when in the course of discussion during the 1982 meetings it was disputed as representative of that taxon some eyebrows were raised. As will be here explained, confusion has always r idden with the name, and in fact there may actually be no such species· in the wild per se, whatever it is supposed to be.

Irregardless the name was given us by Dykes in 1910 at the same time he de­ scribed its yellow counterpart as~ forrestii, and we must try to deal with it or else forget it. In view of what he was to subsequently observe of its behaviour we get the idea that he may have been overstepping his usual caution in having named it. In the original description published in Gardeners Chronicle for 25 June 1910 he wrote that it "supplies the link between I . sibirica and I clarkei, for it has the hollow stem of sibirica although in foliage and growth it is very similar to clarkei • . . the standards .••• blue-purple and. the falls mottled the same colour on a creamy ground." After· further consideration he noted in The Garden for 23 June 1921 that "bulleyana seems to be of hybrid origin as it does not breed true from seed. Its parents however are unknown and there is no suggestion as to which species could have given rise to it." In that same publication for 18 July 1925 he furthered this idea with the declaration "Variation among its seedlings casts some doubt on its claim to specific rank; it grows to about two feet with somewhat narrow leaves and flowers veined and blotched with blue on a white ground." . In his Handbook of Irises of 1924 he. _had observeYunnan are available to plant explorers once again. It might be quite correct and proper to think of Iris Bulleyana as the blue-flowered form of the (otherwise yellow) Iris forrestii,or it might be just as acceptable to express it vice-versa. The rules of nomenclature maintained by the International Botanical Congress must surely have taken suchI instances into the realm of probable occurrence and therefore they have undoubtedly provided a rule to cover. In this .. ;instance it is the issue of two described taxonomic species published at the same ti.me which may actually represent colour forms . of a single biological species. For th~ r ecord, the description of Iris forrestii precedes that of Iris bulleyana in Gc1rdeners Chronicle, 25 June 1910 .

by ROY DAVIDSON • Ii<.IS HEXAGONA - DIVERGENT VIEWS FltaYtk E. Chown-i..ng

In much of the writing on the development of the 11Louisiana Irises" in cult­ ivation it is not made entirely clear as to just how Iris hexagona fits into the picture, and in some it has been ignored entirely, especially when listing the species regarded as ancestral to our improved present-day hybrids.· So in order to collect available information, both from published and private sources, this will attempt to reliably answer two questions: 1.) Were there any forms of I . hexagona indigenous to the State of Louisiana? and 2.) Have any such made a significant contribution to our garden Louisiana irises? Iris hexagona was first described by Thomas Walter in 1788 from specimen material cited as from "Carolina." At various ti.mes it has been confused with I. 'fxt>evicauZis or I. giganticaeru.Zea. In 1912 one of Dykes described an iris he had grown and studied as I. hexagona; carefully reading of his description and oberv- · ations (Genus iris, p . 82-83) leaves no dqubt that the plant was in fact typical of wha·t was later to be described as I. gigantiaaeru.Zea by Small. Its refusal to bloom at Cambridge Botanical Garden except when grown in a highly protected location, its very robust foliage and stalk, its long creeping rhizome, the size and form of · the seed capsule and the colour and form of . the flower all help to confirm this. H~ .did not state the source of his plant, but in all probability it came from the ·· vicinity of New Orleans. Dr. John K. Small described in Addisonia 1924 a plant from Point Pleasant, a suburb of Charleston, South Carolina, as Lris hexago-r1.a; also a plant from southern Louisiana (1929) as his new species I. gigantiaaeruZea. This latter was to come under a cloud when Percy Viosca and two others pointed out that most of the southern irises were in fact colourful hybrids of I. fu.Zva crossed with blue-flowered species. The collecting fever that spread over southern Louisiana as a result of Small's explorations and the attendant publicity never affected the wildflower lovers of the states to the east of Louisiana, so that today irises Small collected and named in those areas are not preserved in private or public gardens and.are lost to further study. It is probable however that his Ii. savannarum, rivuZaris, kimbaZliae and aZbospiritus would now be considered ~s forms of I. hexagona. (See foo"tnote.) In the course of his Florida explorations Small identified with I. hexagona a blue iris found in a cypress swarap near the Steinhatchee River in Florida, pictured in his . 1931 accountins "Altitudinal Distribution of Eastern American Irises". This varies considerably from the Point Pleasant form. He later was to observe a "Blue­ flowered species, the botanical relationships . .. not yet fully understood, found at sea-level and along Bay Saint ~. ouis." This may have been his first encounter with 993 I. giganticaeruZea, as we know that it grows that far to the east. Up to this tine all the irises found by Small from South Carolina to Bay Saint Lbuis had been blues and whites, except for the Point Pleasant one which was a deep blue-purple; so he had observed all of the blues. But he was entering a new world of discovery when he wrote "As soon . • • as the lower delta of the Mississippi is reached one finds himself in perhaps the most remarkable development of species of iris in the world. 11 Once he was under the spell of the remarkable new forms which were the result of the bumblebees work in crossing and recrossing I. fuZva with the several blue species, he ceased to be impressed by any of the blues except I. giganticaerules which was such a giant and which grew in such vast colonies that it could not be overlooked. Were there lower-growing, straight- stemmed blues in Louisiana also? Blues that were forms of I. hexagona? We think there is abundant evidence that there were.

CA'l'HEDRAL BLUE

One of the dedicated wildflower lovers of southern Louisiana who had begun to collect unusual forms and colours of iris long before the first visit of Dr. Small was Mary Swords Debaillon, born and reared in Poelousas and after her marriage living at nearby LaFayette. She ranged far and wide on her collection jaunts and fortunately soon met and formed an enduring friendship with the remarkable Caroline Dormon, with whom she shared her choicest collections, among them a form of I. hex­ agona which Caroline remembered Mrs . Debaillon had found in the vicinity of" New Orleans and subsequently registered as 'Cathedral Blue'·, apparently under the esswn­ ption it was a wild hybrid of unknown parentage. This iris has an interesting and mysterious history.

I first observed it in several gardens in Little Rock about 1923-24 .•• and being curious about its origin I made enquiries, receiving s uch unsatisfactory answers as "a friend (or relative) gave it to me." I have myself grown it since 1924.

In the early 1920s I met T.A. Washington of Nashville, who was hybridizing TB irises on a large scale, with a seedling patch of several acres on a farm in the community. In his city garden he was experimentiag with "Southern Natives" and had already registered several which were to be introduced by Mrs. Nesmith's Fairmount Gardens of Lowell, Mass. He was using 'Dorothea K. Williasom', I. brevicaulis, I . fulva, one or more wild forms he had personally gathered in south Mississippi and a striking royal blue with a laree gold signal patch which he sometimes referred to as "Miss Priscilla", at other times as I . hexagona. I noted immediately that it was 1 identical with ' Cathedral Blue • When asked his source he said it had been given him several years before by a then quite elderly lady in Nashville, a lady he called Miss Priscilla, and that he had been told that "her grandmother had grown it in her garden a hundred years ago"-- thus referring to a point in time at least 150 years before 1979!

I used tnis in my earliest crosses, beginning about 1936. A review of my registrations shows several hybrids carrying I. hexagona 1 Cathe

I. hexagona. 11 She illustrates her article with line drawines of the seed capsules of the different species, calling attention to the fact that those of Ii. fulva, brevioaulis (foliosa) and gigantioaerulea arc all ridged and grooved, and . then she says, "The fruit of I • .hexagona is even more dt::eply erooved." Those familiar with 11Cathedral Blue" will remember just how deeply ridged and grooved are its pods. Miss Dormon in another article (AIS bull. 91) had included line drawings of· some flowers; she identified one as I . fulva, one as I . giganticaerulea, another.as the "Abbeville type" (later to be described as I. nelsonii) and a fourth one she did not i cientify but was content to describe a::: ,:a very lone-leaved form with short, round sepals which resembles the spuria form of flower, n very deep violet-blue with brilliant yellow radial crest." Thus she describes Iris hexagona "Cathedral Blue" as I know it. This iris was sold by Ruth Dorman in the early 1930's, and Claude Davis listed it in his University Hills catalog in 1960-61, and W.B . Macmillan listed it at about this same time.

CATAHOULA BLUE

Lake Catahoula is a well known lake lyine northeast of the city of Alexandria, Louisiana, a distance of over a hundred miles north of the Gulf Coast, the home of Iris gigantiaaerulea. Along th.e lakeside grows I. breviaaulis and a very hardy form of I . hexagona that Sidney Conger and I have both grown for raany years It is a dark blue of a dull cast instead of the vivid royal blue of "Cathedral · Blue" and a very late bloomer with an erect, thirty-inch stalk and 8laucous foliage, a sturdy grower in ordinary garden soil even in upland areas. I have a number of seedlings of this iris which I am using in my hybridizing experiments, but none have yet been introduced. Both Conger and I .:efer to this as the "Lake Catahoula hexagona.

PORT BARRE HE XAGO NA

Sidney Conger was very active i n the affa:i.rs of the Mary Swords Debaillon Louisiana Iris Society (now the Society for Louisiana Irises) in its early years . He collected and grew wild forms on an extensive scale and used them in breeding. He was very familiar with the area to which iris lovers gave the name "IRIS HEAVEN", a happy hunting ground of the coll ectors for many years, a large marsh in which a number of finest natural hybrids were found. The southern hybridizers seem to have assumed that the only species entering into those bumblebee hybrids were Ii. fulva, breviaauZis (joliosa) gigantiaaer>ulea and nelsonii. But Conger was of the opinion that genes of I . hexagona w~r e also a contribut ing fac tor through a form he refers to as the "Port Barre hexagona 11 o-.: "Tall foliosa", not f ar for t he sature but because of the flower forrr. which was described by Miss !)ormon as beinB campanulate. Port Barre is a small community a few miles east of Opelousas and near which this iris was found in the 1940's. Conger also found it within "Bee-flying distance" of I -ris Heaven. In 194 7 Conger and I cicchanged ].etters on Louisianas .in eeneral in which he expressed the opinion that this 11 Por t Barre hexa.gona" very probably was one of the irises entering into the Iris Heaven hybrids b~cause many of the controlled hybrids he grew showed evidence of such. Cited were crosses of,(foliosa ~ gigantia­ aeru.Zea) , (fo'liosa X nelsonii)., (Catahoula BlueXgigantiaaeruZea), ("Catahoula Blue" X neZsonii). · · All would agree that much work needs to be done before we can definitely say . what is and what is not Iris hexagona and befor e a larg~ part of the collected forms can be identified. In the meantime, it is my own opinion that I . hexagona is in­ deed indigenous to Louisiana in more than one form, and also that the species has made a signif icant contribution to t he development of some of the Louisiana hybrids. 995

NOTES:

The late Frank Chowning often recounted memories of the Delta Irises and some of the personalities of his long interest with them and their champions . it was quite obvious to those of us who listened that here was an unique well of information, particulary as to certain forms that have been lost due to extensive habitat dis- · turbance which has so muddled the picture. A Special Publication of the Society for Louisiana Irises (undated and un-numbered, issued in autumn 1981) has set down these recollections. This slightly revised and considerably abbreviated version expounds the main thems, hopefully a t no offense to accuracy.

1. We should note here t hat the Dykes date of 1912 is the date of authorship al­ though the publication date is acknowledged as 1913. Mr. Chowning's alluslon to 11none of the Fl orida irises having been preserved or studied" is not entirely accurate, for Small's own writings recorded the gathering of the rhizomes by the gunney-sack-full to be s hared with many individuals and established in the test grounds at the New York Botanical Garden. There is evidence in the many catalogs of the immediate time that they did enjoy a wide distri bu tion; although they may exist today only in very old established collections, it should not be difficult to locate representatives of Ii. aZbospiritu.s, kirribaZZiae, rivuZaris and savannarum if one has the persistance . They are, as Chouning has suggested, considered as being local races of I. hexagorza. (SIGNA pp. 950-53)

2. Viosca' s study did much to discredit Small's many "new species". The AIS bulletin 57, published 1935, carried his extensive analysis. These studies of irises evolving at ao incredible rate as the environment was altered have been of basic significance in fields of ecology and hybridity, as well as in t he unresolved question of the "Species unit" , a biologi cal anathema.

(in. view of all this, it would appear that Randolph was a bit hasty in dismissing Iris hexagona Walter in favour of I . gigantiaaeruZea Small, and in any event it was an act not acceptable in taxonomi c practice.)

Facts and Figures: Iris Production in the USA , 1970

We are obliged to acknowledge great surprise on readine t he foll owing USDA report of the evaluation of certain horticultural crops. This census of iris pro­ duction is broken down into several facets, production of bulbs, of cut flowers and of rhizomes. It is probable that the last total is not a true figure, since much of the sale of rhizomes is surely from production by unreported small businesses. How­ ever the last available figures are as follows, based on 1970 totals and issued October 1973. Bulbous Irises: 547 acres produced 44,411,530 bulbs valued at$1,013,511.00 Iris cut flowers; 20,785,799 with a market value of$1,975, 323.00 (It is likely that the majority of these are Xiphiums (bulbous) but there is also a ~upply of field-grown spurias shipped from California.) Iris rhizomes: 165 acres produced 1,763,753 rhizomes val ued at $688,243.00 (This figure i s based on figures from 24 growers .) With the total evaluation involvin8 bulbous irises at something approaching a total of three million dollars, it would seem t hat the American Iris Society's Com­ mittee for Awards should be paying greater attention to promoting the Genus Iris- as i ts avowed purpose is so stated in the by-laws. 996 I. pseudacorus Flower s in Alaska

Patient readers will recall a series of reports from Angus Robertson on attempt­ ine to establish some irises in the near-arctic at his home on a mountain above Palmer,Alaska. A first report appeared on p . 852, recording that in early spring of 1979 he had transported to his new home·above the Matanuska Valley some Iris pseudacorus 11 Variegata" and Iris foetidissima plus some primulas from a lower - 48 salesyard, and that all had gone into their first Alaskan winter looking very fit . Also that he had brought s ome Iris setosa up from the Eklutna Flats· along the local roadside. Then begin the interesting series of observations . The setosa behaved as one would expect, jumpinf, at the opportunity to grow, while the others "piddled along in growth as if they had a long time to get on with it" and later in earliest days of September 1980, winter set in with a heavy freeze, not a mere frost. That growine season the pseudaoorus had made two husky f ans while the normall y evergreen - foetidissima was dwindline, and did not survive this second winter. The pseuda.corus emerged from· snows the following spring not strong enough to flower; the setosa did flower. This 1981 season saw the pseudacorus fatten up, still just two fans. The polyanthus primroses had vanished but two of the Juliana Hybrids remained. A further communication, 12 July 1982 tells of the winning of the race with Nature. Both fans had f l owered and three increase fans had been produced " though there is probably not enough time for seeds to ripen" , he wrote; this plant hc,S survived two of the very worst winter conditions this country could visit upon it, so I guess you can definitely say that it is hardy." Robertson' s observations of this struggle make for interesting speculation, and although the iris has flowered it took four times as long to build up to that strength as under normal circumstances. It remains to be seen if there is enough reserve strength to ensure survival of the oncoming third winter.

"The pseudacorus blooms didn't even accomplish pollination, but the plant it­ self made good healthy growth. "

SQ.i:i,E u1~corr.1MON YELLOW WATER-FLAGS Anticipating the iris admirers when Ais meets in our area in 1984, I have gathered and planted a fairly good number of f orms of beardless sorts, among them a dozen or more Fleur-de-lis , the yellow water flag, ~i. pseudacorus. Actually this collection began quite a few years ago when I gardened in dry, hot eastern Washington on the ranch above the Snake River canyon. (See the Hawksbluff story, SIGNA,p.747) From the Little Spokane River, escaped from old estate-gardens upstream, there were a n~mber of smaller and paler sorts and from the Kittitas Valley in central Wash-· -· ington several full-gold sorts, but in the main they proved ordinary and have been · -discarded, though a few were brought to the present garden here in Puget Sound wetland. To casual observation there is not a great deal of difference between most of this species other than the two distinct colour forms, but last year when Jean Witt and I went· to Fosters Island off the University of Washi~gton Arboretum in Lake Washingtom we came up with several that were different enough to be quite individual~ and if there is sufficient interest they will be named and registered, and of course shared. All but one plant out there was the full gold colour; one of these we thought superior for the intensity of the brown blotch which on closer look was accented by an orange pubesence that was fairly glowing, while another had foliage stained heavily with mahogany and the stalks the same colour, very striking in garden clump and wi~h sood flowers . Naturally th:1-s is called "Polished Hahogany'' and the other goes as " Brown Bee" . Years ago I had been given a very large golden one from the arbor­ etum, where in one of the ponds it grew to eight feet by summer; I am not sure th-at "Golden Queen" is the correct name f or this , but it appears to be the oldest 997 name for the golden colour form. This might better conform as that. registered 11 Gigantea" and it does have a good stalk of flowers; naturally too, plenty of un­ wanted seed and seedlings. It has a brown signal, as do most, although I once had a gold form with none. I also had a double-flowered one, from an eastern nursery, not the same as the pagoda-shaped one I saw in Marie Magahee's Huntsville garden; there were supposedly two different doubles in Japan according to Mr. Horinaka and I am not sure how they were said to differ. I have put separate names to the three smaller golden ones here as follcwers to keep them straight in my mind: a very dwarf-growing one from a Colorado Garden, under 18 inches, I call "Boulder Dwarf" and a slim and gracefull one from the arboretum is tagged "Gracilis'' while the one Melrose catalogs has become "Melrose Miniature". Just how these last two differ is yet to be observed, if they do indeed to any degree. I highly value the form called "Variegata" ( or foUis-variegata in the registry) and have used it extensively as an accent with perennials and with daffodils out in the meadow where it contributes to the duck-proofing of the pond shorelands; un­ fortunately the poor golden flowers on bunched stems are a disaster with the elegance of the yellow and pale green striping of the spring foliage and even though it has turned to the normal green by midsummer it is worth the space, and trouble of re­ moving the flower stalks is no more bother when in flower than in pod to reduce the weeding chores of next year, and preserve tranquility of the pastel colouring this year, all at one time. As to the pale colour form that technically goes by the name bastardii(because Father Linnaeus once considered that it was of hybrid derivation!) there have been a number, most of which seem to now be dominated by a single survivor from .the ranch; it has a light signal patch of raisin colour. One that has greenish veining has been called "lime tines" and one with especially feathery styles has not been very constant and so it may or may not get a name, maybe "Burgundy Feather"? Some years ago I was .recipient of Al Mosch 's ''Vim and Vigor" which for him one year set a total of 1300 seeds per stalk. It has been now conf used with others of paler colour and perhaps is in the discard, but Dave Niswonger has sent his selection grown from seed of it. It was selected as nearest-white and has become "Niswonger Ivory" in this collection. This is a really splendid pale form, a well branched and vigorous high-topper out to take the world over. Even in dry ground it is almost as gigantic as the arboretum gold one. There is a registered "ALBA" and I once had a plant by the name from an eastern grower who had imported a great many historic iris clones; it was pale but not white. Mr.Horinaka sent here some years ago one raised in Japan from the mating of two very pale, near-white forms, calling it "white". After several nursing years (for it appears to lack the vigor usual to the species) it last year put up a stalk. From a long way off I was stunned by it for it WAS white ! True, it opens with a tint or hint of colour but soon fades to a rice-paper whiteness and for my money is near enough to purity to be called "Japanese White". I also grow two of Eckard Berlin' s tetraploid golden selec½ions of which so much has. been reported in the BIS yearbooks. They are long on substance but have lost much of the fluttery grace of the natural species in adding heavier substance and greater longevity to the flowers, which are of more intense gold and of form that is quite "conventional" as per what has happened in a most similar line of development in spuria cultivars; I really do prefer the narrow haft and oval blade to the falls in such species as this is natural to. These newer sorts will be· for sharing and for registration, those of sufficient individuality; certainly there will be one or two that will find approval for the water garden catalog. 99 8 CULTURAL NOTES Jea.n W-i..t.t

~~o is growing what species where--and how they manage to do it .

Virginia Winkler, Deerfield, Illinois. Her winter temperatures dropped to -28F with 56-55 mph winds. Survivors as of April 1, 1982 included I . pseudacorus, I . graminea, I. orientalis, I. brandza.e, I. laevigai;a, and 11Holden Clough". Non­ survivors included Ii. sanguinea, chpysographes, dykesii, 40 chromosome Siberians, and Cal-Sibes . . She concludes that spring planting is necessary in her area, since fall plantings do not have time to become established before the cold weather sets in. She describes four interesting variants of I. setosa from seed: "The first .was a beautiful deep intense purple on the orchid si-:le. At this time I cannot recall exact heights, but I'm guessing at 26". This I assume is what is known as I. hookeri. (sounds a little large; might be hybrid -- JGW) A very worthy plant. "The next was a series of lavender-pink to pink-lavender with colour intensity for medium to almost white. The heights r anged from 24 ·- 26' down to approximately 14". It looked as if just a cross or two of select plants would produce a true pink." "The third type was a large 30" plant with very wide leaves 2½ to 23/4" . For a long time I thought the two plants were tall bearded seedlings which got misplaced. The blossoms looked just like type #2, but larger and cplour was more on the lavender side, almcst in proportion to plant size. I ' m not sure I really like this big version." "The fourth type was a little jewel. There were five of these from 10' to 14" in height: true lavender colour with deep purple veining or shading to give an all over effect of a much deeper colour blossom. In addition to this pleasing colour effect the petals were so ruffled that unless one looked very closely one w6uld not suspect the blossoms were irises •.. the petals were so wide they touched each other •• they appeared as if someone had water-cotoured on the added deep purple col9ur • . . . " "Unfortunately, as autumn approached, it appears that all of the above with the exception of possibly three plants, succumbed either to borers or some kind of disease . •• ! think that borers love secosa above all other irises!" Joan Cooper, St. Paul, Minnesota had snow from early.November into April. Under the snow, rodents ate her Louisianas, a couple of Siberians, and some TBs, just in one bed. "Holden Cloueh" and I . foetidissima emerged from under the snow in the spring with their l eaves still green and shining; not so the Louisianas • • The Cal­ Sibes she took home from Seattle, Washington in summer came through the winter o . k., as did the Silver Star Mo untain (high elevation) I . tenax. "All the PCN's look the best ever coming out from under the snow and their heavy leaf blanket." "My setosa seems very l on8 lived, the oldest one being abo.ut 2 feet in diameter and bloomins well every year for the past 5-6 years." She reports that"J. S. Dijt" seems more persistant than other reticulata. She kept I. hoogiana, I. hoogina­ purpur-ea., and ''Bronze Beauty11 through two winters but a wet summer (not too unusual there) did them in, apparently. She seems to lose I. missouriensis rather easily , too, and suspects borers may be the culprit: "I can always tell when a bearded iris is attaked, but not so the beardless" .•. borers seems to be more common than they once were. Colin Rigby, Penngrove, California. He lives at the north end of San Fransisco Bay, and his climate is very much effected by the close proximity of it and the ocean. "A 35-50 degree temperature swing is not uncommon, especially in the summer . and fall months, when · the fog comes in. Winter temperatures will dip into the upper 20's but stay mostly in the 30-40 degree rang~. Warm weather and moist conditions bring out the snails in incredible numbers. This is the same snail the French im­ ported as escargot that escaped and has become a real pest. We do not have borers, nowever, and are grateful for that. Although the snail does not do much damage to 999 iris leaves, it is frustrating to anticipate a bloom only to find it has been had for lunch." "The water 1n.s I grow in 4'x8' "swamp"beds. I dig down about 12 - 18· inches and line the bed with 2 layers of heavy black plastic, then fill with clippings, tree branches, etc. and then a thin layer of soil on top. This keeps the plants growing in the summer months without going into a dorman period. I. fuZva, I. neZsonii, and I pseudaaorus fairly gallop with growth. I. laevigata "Semperflorens" flowers until cut 1--Y frost .••I. versiaoZour "Ker~sina" does moderately well but 11 Claret Cup" does not seem to be as strong. " "Siberian iris.es do not reach their full potential with me and I think they are influenced by our lack of winter chill. I. sanguinea "Kamayama11 looks good this year, put most years stops growing when our warm weather comes; it has not bloomed for me yet. "Kirigamine" is the only I. setosa I have been able to keep but it has not bloomed. I have lost I. missouriensis 2-3 times, and anything with I. tenax in it doesn't like it· here ••. these northern beauties stop growing with the warm weather and either sit or slowly give up completely. Apparently I cannot give them the right growing conditions. Our well water is on the alkaline side, and I think this has a big effect on the soil pH, especially toward the end of summer watering." "In spite of excess rains this winter the Aril bed looks wonderful, with lots of growth ••• this bed is a slightly raised sandy area with a covering of rock chips and gets so water other than natural rainfall. Calochortus and some species tulips grow here with the iris.11 Trevor Nottle, Stirling, South Australia (the driest state in the driest con­ ti,nent in the world, he says!) He describes his climate as follows: "Our weather is not as cold as in most of the U.S. We never freeze, hard though we do get light snow every 3-5 years, but it rarely last more than one or two days. Our winters are ·usually around 5-10° C, though we do get down to o0 quite often here, as we live about 150ft. below the height of our highest mountain •• we get rain and hail from April til December (our autumn, winter, spring, and early summer); average is about 60" per year. January, February, and March are baking hot with usually no rain at all. We can irrigate from tap water though." His autumn had just arrive in late April with 511 of rain, along with furious gales, thunder, and heavy hail •.• "I'm always amazed to see how rain sets things off. All the tap water in the world has no effect on seeds at:all, but as soon as the April rains arrive, just stand back and watch them shoot! On that fine theory I try to get all my seed planted by late March ready for the rains. This year I have put all my seed into polystyrene foam fruit boxes (12"xl8" x 8" deep). I get them from our green-grocer after he has sold the tomatoes and avacados which come in them. I use a soilless seed mix of peat, sand and fine pine bark; watering it thoroughly before and after seed planting. Last year I sowed a batch of I. sibiriaa seeds •••. by this method and they came through the heat waves with flying colours

and extra good root growth. I also use this method for Hosta3 HemeroaaZZis, LiZiwns, and other perennials." Lilian Bourne, Barberton, Ohio. writes that she was unable to garden for many months following an automobile accident several years ago. During this period of neglect, seeds from her Siberian planting blew everywhere and grew like mad. They wiped out four rows of choice TR! \ Homer Metcalf, Bozeman~. Hontana, on July 25, 1982, writes: "The spurias are \ flowering now, and they ar6 re~lly one of the most successful types of irises here, \ although not all cvs. thrive equally well. The chief fly in their cultural ointment J appears to be the usual recommendation for autumn transplanting, a practice which has realted in heavy losses for us. The initial stocks of spurias Bill Gunther brought up from so~hern California in June and planted himself. These, with good irrigation, took hold right away and have been the backbone of -the collection. 1000 Apart from the fact that open flowers are very attractive to ants they make ex­ c~llent cut flowers. I find that they can be cut in bud, like glads, and will open satisfactorily iu water. The wpurias close our iris season, as we've never attempted Japanese irises on the grounds they wouldn't adapt well to our calcareous soils. "Among the few 40- chromosome Sibiricae we've had, it appears that I. ahryso­ graphes is bett~r adapted than I. forrestii .. . I judge them to be lime-haters, as they've need iron chelates to grow well here." Christopher Brearley writes in praise of "The roof iris of Japan" in the May 1982 issue (vol. 107 part 5) pp 200-201 of the Garden Journal of the Royal Hort~ icultu al Society, with a colour photograph of a group of flowers . He describes · both blue and white flowered forms, as well as one with variegated foliage, along ·, with several hybrids. He recommends "a well-drained soil and a sunny position," and replanting every other summer or else "a generous top dressing of well-rotted compost" . • • Keeping the various Crested species well fed seems to be the ;Sec~et of getting them to bloom . .• how does I. teotorwn manage n the thatched roofs.in Japan? Paul Richardson, of New Zealand, tells me that heavy feeding is also the secret of getting I. japonioa to bloom well. •f course, plenty of god warm summer weather helps too. Repeated watering with Hyponex has definitely improved the growth of the various clones of I. aristata here, and appears to have resurrected the weak ones that don't care much for our gravelly glacial soil. A move to the hot and sunny west side of the house from a more shaded location has done wonders for both I. milesii and the Taiwan form of I. tectorum. The latter set pods to hand pollination; the former needs no assistance . . it did not set to my try with.T. tectorwn pollen. J.G.W. ED: The above notea were la:r>gely taken ·from a round robin by Jean Witt. ***

SLIDES - SLIDES

Dot Hujsak, our Species Slide Director, has asked me :to 1n-tng t9 .YQ\lI" ~t~ention the existance of an excellent collection of colour slides ,of many_ iris:.spe~l~t have been acquired by SI~NA over the past few years. Dot informs me the collection is just gathering dust from non use and there seems little point in maintaining it if no one wants to look at it.· Surely there are many among you who are in a pos~tion to persuade an iris group to use it as a theme for a meeting, or even get together a small private group to viev.r t hem . All that is needed is t o send a request to Dot with the date you need it for and she will send it a week ahead to look it over. Return it first class insured rr,ail and your bill is paid in full. Simple, is it not?

Dot Hujsak's address is : 3227 S. Fulton, Tulsa, OK 74135, U.S.A.

MElfffiERSHIPS are still $3.00 per year in U.S . funds. Please sent to our Secretary: Grace Carter 1212 Tucker Rd. Hood River, Oregon 97031 PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE: SIGNA: All the back issues are still available at $1. 50 (However:, the supply of the ea:r>ly issues is nea:r>ly exhausted, so don't delay too 1-ong if you wish a full set). AN ALPHABETICAL 'l'ABLE TO THE GENUS IRIS (B.I.S.) publication) $1. 50 ea. THE SPECIES IRIS STUDY fvlJ\.NUAL ( SIGNA publication) $5 . 00 ea· Any of t he above should be order ed from our Secr etary. 1001

LETTERS

DAVID L. HEIKAMP, 71-7 Giuf frias, Metairie, Louisiana. My main interest is in growing wildflowers, and that is how I got interested in native Irids (I've been growing Louisiana irises for a good while). The first Irid I got hold of was NemastyZis geminiflora or Celestial Lily. I found it grow­ ing on a clay hill in the city limits of Shreveport, Louisiana. It used to be common in northeastern Louisiana, but I think the group I found is one of the last groups growing wild here in Louisiana. I had this plant for three years, and it multiplied but never bloomed. Finally, last year I dug the bulbs, put them in pots and kept them dry after the leaves died down until early spring. This year, about half of them bloomed. I had figured this might work, because the northeast corner of Louisi?na gets a lot less ~ainfall than we do, and almost the total difference is in those in dryness is in those winter months . Also, I found out it was native to one spot in Alabana and none in Mississippi, and the county where it was found had the least rainfall of any county in the tri-state area except for Caddo Parish in northeast Louisiana. Again, the total difference came in the summer and fall. N. geminiflora is a beautiful plant when in flower; flowers are pale lavender, with the six "peta).s" almost egual. It should be fairly cold hardy too, as it did not· freeze in its pots in the 15 cold we had a few weeks ago. I have never gotten this species up from seed, although others I know have no problem.

The second Irid I found was AZophia d:Pwnmoridi~ or Pinewood Lily. This is another beauty, native to cen~ral Louisiana, and resembles a purple Tigridia more than any­ thing. Bloom lasts all day. It sets seed well, and although I ' ve never gotten any of my seeds to come up, I had good success this year with seeds from a lady in Texas. I have heard others have the same experience, and that sometimes all the seeds will come up a year later! It likes good drainage too, and it won't hurt to keep it dry­ ish after t~e leaves die back, though I've had times when for no good reason the leaves die back in midsummer and the plant sprouts back and blooms on into October. Pinewoods Lily has· the good feature of blooming within 90 days from seed planted in early spring.

My next Irid, Herbertia caeru.Zea (na,,Trifw:'cia Zahue ), I have from seeds given to me by the people at Briarwood (a wildflower preserve near Saline, Louisiana). They came up well from seed, and they haven't gone dormant as the preceding two have, though I did take them in when it went to 15°F. I have never seen a bloom, as I've just had them since April of 1981, but from pictures they too bear a resemblance to a purple Tigridia, though not as pretty as A. d:r>umondii .

The next !rid which I got from a lady in St. Augustine, Florida, is the very rare Bartram's Ixis Sphenostigma coeiestinwn. From pictures and books, it resembles a large vers_ion ( to 3" across) of the Celestial Lily. It is veryeasy from seed, but I have had problems with rotting, and I understand it does not like to be disturbed, though I have not found this to be the case. I don't know how many I have left after the bout with rot, but I know I have a decent number as I had 30 or 40 from seed before. It should bloom this spring, and I hope to take s ome slides which I'll send ~long when I get the~ developed.

Another Florida native which I got from the same lady is Nemast;yZis floridana. It is different from F. geminfZora in that it blooms for about two hours in the afternoon in the fall, whereas N. geminiflora blooms in the spring and in the morning for about four hours. I was given one bulb of this rare Irid, which had become two bulbs in less than a year. Flowers are a deep purple, and are more narrow petaled than N. geminiflora. Unfortunately, I lost both bulbs in the severe freeze a few weeks ago as they were both in a pot left outside that night. I wrote back to a friend 1002

in St. Augustine, and I hope I will get to try this one again; it is really pretty and blooms when so litt le else is blooming, and in blooming when I get home from work.

A later Zetter of Aug. 5, 1982 We had 13" of rain last month but the Pinewoods Lilies and Sphenostigma ooe­ lestinum are nevertheless doing v.1ell in a well-drained sandy soil in a sunny spot. I had a few S. ooelestinum bloom in late spring and they are beautiful. Basically they look like the Nemastylis geminifZora but the flowers are two and three quarters inches across; are open by 7 am and gone by 9 am. Every one set seed, and I planted some ·a week ago and they are already up in spite of the heavy rains. It ·looks like they will bloom again in about a week, probably because of the unusually heavy rains . I took a few slides when they bloomed, and will send one to our slide librarian when .I get them developed. Hopefully, I'll have some seeds for the seed exchange next summer.

I also have some Nemast;zJlis tenuis in pots that are doing very well in all this rain, but a few I pl anted out last week seem to be doing even better. I lost many Herbertia from rotting in their pots this spring even 'though this plant is supposed to like it wet. I planted my remaining bulbs ·in the garden a few months ago, hope­ fully they will· do bet·ter there. They are planted among the Pinewoods Lilies and since the leaves look the same, I can't ·even tell if they are up. I did have a few blooms on the Herbertia in early spring. They are pretty too but the flowers are -more blue than they look in the pictures I have seen in books, where they appear purple. That's about all I have to say· for now , but I hope more people get inter­ ested in these Irids; they are really worth the effort.

RuEY: .BUCHANAN, 113 Southoak Drive, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27107 .. I have finally got a start of both yellow and red I. fuZva, as ·well as one plant each of I . nelsonii, I. brevicauZis and I. gigantaaeruZea and have about a dozen plants of an unidentified speci es which was collected from the bank of the Blue Ridge Lake in southern Georgia . . . • One of my Dad's cousins sent the iris to my sisteit:evral years ago labelled Hawaiin Orchid - Ola brought me several rhizomes ,,,~t spring. I have had no success in trying to grow the PCN irises in my garden at this time, but do have a few Douglasianas and Innominata hybrid seedlings surviving in s~ed cans .•• There is a woodland bed of I . cristata Thriving near our garden.

The only problem I have had with rot this year is in the I. pseudacorus clump which came to me from Gordon Bleu Farms in October '80 . . . I am delighted with the tet Siberian seedlings which bloomed for me last spring. The seeds had come from the SIGNA Seed Exchange (79J203) and were all that I saved in the move from Tech Avenue. I think the seeds came from Dr. Boussard; they were labelled Blue Tets. Of the ten seeds, every one germinated. I gave three to a friend and of the seven I kept each has been different, but all are lovely. My favorite was a two-toned flower . There were thirty bloom stalks on the two year seedling. The falls are a dark blue with the standards and styles a very pale violet .

.. I noticed several 2" limbs were torn from white pine trees in the back yard by winds accompanying the freeze in late March. Strangely, the limbs were neatly piled alongside my Louisiana planting - I thought my brother John had put them there, but on inquiry, found that he bad thought that I had piled the limbs. I had known the wind~ were strong (50 MPH), but did not realize that green pine limbs had been ·torn (snap- · ed off as if sawed) from the tree. Even the King Alfred daffodils were completely de-flowered by those winds. ED: There is also reputed to be a white form of I. fuZva; the yellow may in fact be , actually an orange shade: . 1003

THE THREE GRACES MaJty Be.ntow

With our trio of irises, Iris spuria, the Butterfly Iris, Iris xiphiodea, the =~slish Iris, and Iris xiphiwn, the Spanish Iris, one is immediately reminded of :;hat well-worn theme, so beloved of the Italian Renaissance painters, the three G~aces, not alike in every way but each equally lovely in her own right. It is not for me to say which is the most beautiful, but merely to discuss for a little their similarities and their differences, with a word or two as to their origin and the culture needed to keep them young and fair.

Iris Spuria It has been said that Iris spuria bears some resemblance to I. xiphiwn, but the sight of the flowers, poised and trembling on the stems on a windy day, just like the early sUIDDier butterfly, does make it distinctive. However, I must admit that there is a certain something, possibly the greenish central ridge of the fall of the Butterfly Iris and the yellow streak on the blade of the fall of the Spanish Iris, or the sub­ quadrate crests of both, which gives them a rather sisterly look. There however the similarity ends, for I. apuria .stems from a hard rhizome and I.riphium from an ovate bulb. The standards of I.apuz>ia are closer together, more ruffled than in the Spanish type, and the style-arms are smaller and narrower. The stem is sheathed in t~ree or four reduced leaves hiding the internodes; this is distinctively a feature a~d a considerable aid to the identification of this iris . The capsule is oblong ~-id beaked, with a double ridge at each angle, which is unusual and only occurs ttK:1in in I. gi:iaminea. The seeds are brown, cubical, and smooth, with a loose pf'.pery covering. There are many forms of this species, the native range extending from the Far East to France, Spain, the Danish Island of Saltholm, and even England, {·~:ere it is recorded in Dorset. It can be grown in the ordinary border, but I ~i~d that it does not do too well in the hot dry soil of our garden in Kent. It ~c~r..s to require more moisture at the roots than we can give it, and its preference f0= mnrine stations would probably underline the fact that it does not like to be t-:i-:, dry . It flourished once in Lincolnshire in various dykes, where it was recorded ~-!l 1895 , but with the filling-in of the dykes it has practically disappeared. It would be interesting to hear of its progress in varying garden soils and ~~~itats; and with it of course I include the modern hybrids which have been de­ .cived from the speci es and its various forms.

Iris xiphioides A superb iris this , with its broad and exquisitely-pencilled falls, often as :-:.:ffled as those of any modern tall bearded iris . The s tandards are somewhat si~ilar in shape to those of I. spuria, but are rather short in comparison with the ~alls, whereas the Butterfly Iris and the Spanish Iris are perhaps a little better balanced proportionately. The colours of the English Iris range from purple and blue to white, but no yellow forms have yet been raised. The style-arms are broad, with triangular crests. The stem:, often from twelve to eighteen inches long, has a t!'.:::-minal head of two or three flowers, and the leaves are of a glaucous green, with ap. inner surface of silver. It is interesting to compare the stems of the English and Sp~nish types. The capsule of I. xiphioides is about 4 in. long, considerably larger than that of its relative, and tapers at each end. The seeds are wrinkled, rounded, and dark mahogany in colour. Clusius noted that the ripe seeds rattled in the capsule when shaken. It flowers later than I. xiphiwn and needs a damp situation, with plenty of sun in summer. It is noteworthy that the tips of the leaves do not pierce the soil until after the New Year, whereas those of other iris species mostly appear in the autumn. Its native range is confined to the Pyrenees a~d to hills and damp pastures of north-west Spain. Under these circumstances it l00.4 is st~ange ~hat it should have been called the English Iris; in Clusius's history 0f Spanish plants (1575} he states that it had been brought to him from Bristol, to -;1hich port it had probnbly been shipped by traders and subsequently planted in local gardens. There is one drawback, in that some of the hybrids show a curious spotting ~~ deformation of the markings on the falls, caused by a virus; in such cases the bulb should be burnt and a fresh stock planted. If one can obtain good ciean stock, :he English Iris is very rewarding, and can give immense pleasure. Iris xiphium The last of our three Graces, and certainly not the least lovely, it has be~ ­ come the Florists' Iris, a fact which seems to be a source of prejudice amongst some growers, although I cannot think why, as in all its varying modern colour-forms it can be most pleasingly decorative. It grows from an ovate bulb, producing _bulb­ lets in pairs, on either side. The stem varies from about 12 to 18 inches in height, and the spathe-valves, narrow and green, enclose 1-2 flowers. The falls are long and flaring, with a very striking yellow streak on the blades; the standards open stror.gly and are usually in a paler shade than the falls. The style-arms._ are broad­ er than the haft of the falls .and are very handsome. The capsule is long and narrow, but shorter than tha; of I •. xiphioides, and the seeds, which are small, yellow-brown and D-shaped, a~e quite u."'11.ike the round dark red seeds of. the English Iris. . The answer to the q~:aation so often asked, "What is the difference between the S;,anish and the Dutch 1:-:-:ts?" !.s that the D:itch growers have worked extensively in croosing I. xiphiwn with varioU3 related Spanish and North African species, and are ::·.ow producing the gre:it ra:ige of colours which appears in the florists' shops, and, ~f we wich, can so easily be repeated in our gardens. Both the ~panish and the \ 7brid or Ir..itch ir:!.ses are easy to grow in a sunny border, but as small bublets form : :1 ear~h side of the parent bulb, they tend to deteriorate unless they are lifted and ~,1.1:i-divided. Th.c species the:r.ceJ.ve:;, such as I. luaitaniaa., I. tingitana., and :[c.~~s-:-~:, .a.:c .~sre.,.:·!::f=~~~t 1t~ ..- 3row than the modern hybrids. The last-named -~::. f.:iirly hardy, but I hs.·1e found it shy-flowering, and unless ona is a real student :.•.= th<:? species, it is· better to gro-,,7 the hybrids. Plant in full sun in well-drained ~ ~:i..l, and replant every second or third year. Try all three of t~ese lovely irises, bearing in mind their likes and dislikes, ;.:·.,i ses T,;hat pleasure they will g:!.ve you •

.:.· .;: Reprinted from the 1957 .Year Book of the British Iris Society

.i:rom "FL~IB:e:-3 ]';~:n ~CT,ICT,(:~.B FR8!!.i F.l.R I

# 108, PLATE XXVIII, I:::is en::.c.ta, Thur.berg; Mountain Iris, "Servant of the Rainbow". P.!JS'.lSt. "Mountain Iris, Kore-.s' s :inest sped.m-£n, is called the "Servant of the Rainbow," l-ec::use o:1ce, dm::i.ng a l,:;ri.g cl::-~:1ght, the people prayed for rain and sacrificed to the n~-=-·1:>ow, accordir.g to a time-!a.o!loured custom. Seven different flowers sprang up, _c..iter the manner of se·,-,.~! :->rf'tty girls, all tryi:ig to decide which among them was most: b~autiful; e~ch represe~ting a colour of the rainbow. The purple flower was told: "You are the m::>st perfc:::t girl ~pir:!.t", but she was so shy she hung her head and would net say a word. All the flowers praised her and said: "You look like a rainbow." · Ti.1is made her very happy 2nd she raised her head, and then the rain came. She be­ c&ne more beautiful th~n ever, so that the rainbcw touched her. Since that ·time this ?urple Iris has been the Servant of the Rainbow." The plate shows two wild type I. ensata (I. Kaempferi) . 1005 IRIS 'l'i.::C'l'ORUlVi TAI'WANPORH

The AIS seed e;:che.age list 1973 had on No 73S198 an evansia species, blue from ~;_:::1 Moon Lake on TAIW/~l. The plar,.ts raiGed from ~hese seeds have been designated as I . tecto~~m Tcjwor~fo~~ (: ~e Sig~n ~~ 18, 1977, p. l24). The flowers are very attra~­ -::~.vc and stl!.=.din& i~1 ~h~d-:>w or in ::he roo::i have a scent of violets. In 1977 one ~.,~_ant raised in r. cold glc3:::: house showed b'l:.:,r.ched stems 60-70 cm high with several ::lowers. In the ~pe!l a:ir c~verc>.l flv"NE';.·s h1.vc o'::!cn ".:L03::::ed in April 1976 with I. tecto::l.!lil :,.lbs. with st.:?ms of 15-25 cm. In August two ripe Cf.?Sules have been harvested, one ~d:::h 69, the othe-::- wit!-i 56 well de.v'c!:l. For the co:itro1.J.e:l :n-generatio:i~ the best ].~.te x whi::c) :.enulted ir. 62 seedlings flowering in· 1980, two ::hi::-ds of whites, .::ac 1.:b.i-::-d of blue,~ ~::vi r:ne fifth with stems 45cm and higher in the .:-,::,~n nir. The be~t :..:-~15.tes I.E. bi~ fJ.o·;,ers, high a.-id b ·..:anched stems, have been crossed for the F3-be:::.eration which .,;i].1 co;:ne to bloom in April 1982. The int~rcros£~'.i (blue x blur;:: ) . .~h0 ~;e.d -.;-!ide :::1--a;'.!d germinating time, a group of ~~·.:dy' s was pla~.:,:e,;l ;i_n open air a!ld flowered in 1980, a group of the latest germ­ i.r.".!::~d has beeu l~ep:: i~ pots in thf! [_; !:een house 0·1cff the winter and planted in spring 1.'..·'.0 i n the grou:.~t:1. of the cold hot: 0.,e, ·.-,herr, it flo·,mred in 1981. Both groups to­ ~,:;-'.;!-ler resulted in c.:-,e fifth whites, f 0ur fifths blues and one seventh with high ~tems. The be!>t da:-::C b2.u~s and l,r~n-~hP.d hnve be en crossed for F3-generation in 1980 i'."::: the control of tl.i~ donin2.ti.ng £.ict:o::. In the cold house group was in 1981 one vf the white tcctorc:1 w:f.th t ~;o stc ..:i~ -.:;f 70cm, one with one brar:.ch and five flowers, tb~ other w-lth two !:1·,1.r..ches and se::,: ... flowers eY.actly an analog white plant to the 1~.:.t:~ I. tectorum Taiwanform 1977 in the cold hous<;!. This white clone has developed ~-n one season 18 ne-;,: ::hizomes ~nd will be used for further propagation under the working nam:= I. tecto:?:"ura ?.J.ba TAI cs:i.d alJ the oeeds from it will be offered as I. t cctorum alba Taiwa~fc·!:1.1. This wh~.te £lowP:-s ha·..re the same size and profile as the b.i_\!e Tai-wen.form. The inp::2ssive crca:.,y crest on the falls in surrounded by a yellow b:.r:.d and visitorc pref2r t~".l ~.hite v~r.ie::y. After a rc1:o:..;e (o::- p~ase) vf t he pl~:.1ts f0,. Z<.,-me weeks followir-g the flowering tir.e in April - ~lcty, the fans of tlie ::-1ew rhizo:r,e:, come to an active growth as long as the temperature coes not £all b0:Jw 6 - 8C till October in th~ garden and till December in the gla~B ~1ouse, In tr.is ?hase I. t a ctorum shows a crown of broad fans of leaves of 50cm ~i3h c>.r.d is a showy gar d:m ,.!~C\)re:::ion. The leaves are thin and ::!: ::,:ild be pro!:~c:tec: agair,~::t night slt,_5s by svrc-.7fr.p, . In Switz~r] ..:1 .nd I. tectorum Taiwanform is a hai.·c.y plant but the growlr.g tiC!e of the fans aud che rhizomes in the open air is too short for producing uevcn f lowe=s per stem in next spring . .l.v 06 As the exp~riment in the cold ·nouse with both, the blue and the white Taiwan­ form has clearly shown , they develop to their best presentation in warmer or sub­ tropical climates . In 3ome parts of southern States of U.S . A., they could even be cultivated for cutfl::r..1ers with two flower s at the same time for a week. ' The enormous vegetative growth in autumn exhausts the ground in mineral elements. In Switzerland we use as an addition to th~ organic manure a stone meal prepared by milling a mixture of primitj_ve rocks as granitcj gneiss and dolomite . This replaces the sludge of glacier wacer, known for its beneficial effect for cultivation. The powder size is as f i ~e a s cement, easy to hydrolize in the ground, which becomes an excellent water holding medium rich i~ bioelcments. Polyploidized to the tetrapoid level (Zn= 56), the I tectorum alba Taiwanform would offer the possibility of crossing for horticultural purposes in the temperate climate with yellow, rosy or pli(!ata tall bearded irises (2n = 48) i:i ?nalogy to the pallida x tectorum crGss of W. R. Dyhe~ on the diploid level (see Loptec Plate XXIV, The Genus Iris). There is a real chance to obtain alloploid hybrids with all the genetic qualities of the· amphi-diploid crosses of plants. Therefore, it will be produced a great number of h.p. seeds of tectorum alba TAI for the AIS seed exchange 1982 and I am prepared to send, in F3bruary 1983, mature rhizomes of the same clone to interested hybridizers experienced with the t:rn methods of polyploidisation discribed by Currier McEwen in gullctin AIS No 223, October 1976.

SSl"iE CCLOUR FO:!:{HS AND VARIANTS OF IRIS UNG~}ICULAi.IS

By John Re.d6eJLn

One of the most popuJ.ar, troubl~-free and rewarding subjects of the domestic gard~n in winter must be Iris ~-ng-o~icularis, yet the many horticultural forms that }:ave !:-ee:1 grown ar.d recorded in the last hundred years seem almost completely to have disappeared from our gardens . The demise of many of the great country houses and parsonages, whose terraces a:.1d £:urmy foundations oupported many tender subjects, has certainly deprived the pJ.~r-,t: of a : avourite site, as has the design of gardens that surround new buildings with a concrete path. It may be too that the prosaic app~arance of an established clump i.:.~ its out of. flower period does little to r ~commend its contim1ed tenn!'.cy of a desirable position to the inexperienced or 5.mpatient gardener. Whfltever may be th~ r~ason for tr.e apparent decline during the last 100 years in the number of ava-5.labl-~ foi:m~ of I. u.ngu.icularis, the nursery trade has tended to restrict its lists to a fe.,.,. rcl~.. '., >.),le and floriferous clones such as "Mary Barnard" and 11Walter Butt", superior forms whose initial distribution was made by the late ~tr . E. B. Anderson. The~e survive, ho~ever, a number of horticultural forms, several named varieties and at least two clo~ely related species. The typical plant com'~S from Algeria and was first described by Poiret in "A Voyage to Barbary" nnd na:ned I1>is unguiaularis by him in 1789, and later and therefore untenable name of Iris stylosa being applied to the plant between 1798 and 1800 by De£:fontaines in his "Flora Atlnntica". A detailed formal botanical descrip­ tion of this iris by Mr. E. G. 1',. Lusco::nbe has appeared under the general title 11 Iris Species I dentified" in 3 previous iss~e of the Iris Year Book. Iris u.nguicularis ? oire t as we know it now, bears pale violet or mauve flowers with a deep yellow thro~t mark on the falls, surrounded by darker reticulations on a white ground. Dykes gives th~ d~stribution of tl1is iris as "Algeria, Greece and the Islands of The Arc:iipelag~, Asia Mir.or and Northern Syria". Ganerally speaking the further East the lo~ation, th~ shorter and more gr~ss-like the leaf and the more ex­ posed the flower. Var.alba, said to hcve been found by Edwyn Arkwright near Algiers in' the 1870's, has several forms among which "I,o-,/les" Form' bears flowers of good shape and sub­ stance. Var. agrostifoZia and aeph.aZoniaa have small, thin leaves and pale and p plish flowers respectiv12ly. Response to enquires as to the continued existence of I. u. cephalonica has not beea enco~rah , although it is believed that there are s urvivors of the plants Dykes brought t o !;r itain. Var . graeca has narrower and 1007 has several forms among which "Bowles" Form 1 bears flowers of good sha_pe and sub­ stance. Vars.agrostifolia and cephalonica have small, thin leaves and pale ~nd purplish flowers respectively. Response to enquires as to the continued existence of I. u. cephalonica has not been encouraging, although it is believed that there are survivors of the plants Dykes brought to Britain. Var. graeca Has narrower and fihorter leaves than those of I. u. Poi:ret and flowers of a deeper violet. Var . speciosa from Greece bears large sweetly scented flowers and thin leaves. It is said also to occur in the South of France and the story goes that the late Miss Nancy Lindsay said that Jehaudez the botanist named the iris sometimes called "Nancy Lindsay'' as I. u. speciosa var. "Lindsayae". She also described the iris known as 111 1-'dss Ellis' Var." as growing wild in the South of France and~ with the late Col, Sir F. D. Stern, considered it a form of I . u. var. speaiosa. Unfortunately the plant seems to have disappeared frora Highdown. Iris cretensis and Iris lazica are species closely related to I. unguicularis Poiret. I. aretensis--sometimes referred to as I. cretica., a later appellation that does rtot hold - - is a dwarf plant with grass-like foliage and distinct reddish­ purple flowers. In the 1940 's there is reference to a white form, I . u. Poiret var. ai7,JUStifolia is usually regarded as synonymous with I . cretensis, although Miss bindsay is said to have collected and grown at Sutton Courtenay a plant with leaves twice the length of those of I. cretensis and flowers consequently borne amidst the foliage, which she regarded as distinct and referred to as I. u, angustifolia. Iris lazica is a distinct plant from the vicinity of the Black Sea and execep­ tional among the more Easterly relatives of I . unguicularis in forming thick clumps of strong leaves somewhat reminiscent of I . foetidissima. but of yellowish-gree~ appearance. Its flowers are handsome, violet-blue in hue and distinctly angular in shape. They are produced most freely in early March and substantially extend the flowering period of these irises. ItD requirements are less exacting than those of its near relations, partial shade and a damp position often attending its natural hr.!bitat, Interest seems to have been resumed in the species between the wars, when there is reference to a number of horticultural forms. It is possible that some of those survive in established gardens. The list below is as comprehensive as the limited information at his disposal has enabled the author to make it. Further information ib the "lost" garden forms and on any intraspecific variants of I. u, Poiret and related species currently grown would be much valued. Best known are probably "Nary Barnard" , flowers of intense violet in profusion, its seedlings a shade deeper than the original clone, and "Walter Butt' , large palest lavender flowers with the additional charm of a delicious scent. Extant, but some forms difficult to trace: "Marginata" (now generally regarded as synonymous with "Violacea"), large violet flowers edged with white; "Marginata Albe'..'; "Lilacina', small, pale lilac; "Kelway's Var 1 . ;"Magnificaia (syn. ":!iuperbafjl), deep lavender-blue; "pontica"; "Angustifolia";"Campbellae"; "Starter's Pink", lilac=pink: it has been suggested that this might be more successfully grown if kept separate from other forms because of a tendancy toward virus; "Waterfiel d";"Wylam Discovery". The following are described or mentioned by name in the literature but their continued existence is uncertain: "Atroviolacea", "Grandiflora","Purpurea", of deep purple flower, distinct forms or possibly precursors in name of "Mary Barnard"; 11Ventor Form", rich violet with pronounced marginal ring around the yellow throat mark, valued by the late Mr . R.E.S. Spender as a capable and prolific parent of handsome children, among thein an excellent white; "Pavonia", large, spotted in 11 throat; "Bridal Pink ,; "Dr. Barnard's Form", large rosy lilac flowers; "Gay"; 11Kilbroney Harble", grown by the Slieve Donar:d Nurse:ry, Co. Down until its recent closure;"Peacock"; "Kaiserin Elizabeth", closely similar to I. u. var. speciosa; 11 1 11 :Biscra"; "Chittenden s Var." : dark flowers with reddish shading; "Caprice , speck.led flowers; I. u. variegata. While many of the above forms may be regarded as distinct and reasonably easy to identify, Professor Leo Brewer has suggested a reason why extant named clones 1008 occasionally .fail to ·correspond with original descriptions: the seedling habits of I . wiguiaularis permit a hybrid offspring to grow up unnoticed in the middle of the parent clump; later division disperses the new form and the anomaly is perpetuated. Their Mediterranean origin exacts a sunny position in well-drained ordinary soil for these irises to grow well in this country. A generous watering in mid­ swnmer is regarded as particularly beneficial to established plants and, as they are said to need magnesium, a spring or early autumn application of Epsom salts, supplemented with a dose of sulphate of a!Il1Do nia is considered worthwhile by some enthusiasts. Propagation is usually effected by division, small pieces kept well-watered rooting readily from late August through autumn, and with varying success in early spring. Seed harvested in autumn and sown immediately is a satisfactory and excit­ ing method of propagation and it is in this area that work is badly needed to res tore the variety of forms that once graced the species. It bas been in .America that the long-awaited "good" white wiguiaula:r>es have at last been produced. From a cross in the late 1950 1 s between I. u. "Imperatrice Elizabetta" and I. u . var. alba the late Mrs. Edith Cleaves became the recipient of, among other delightful plants, two particularly good "whites" which she later registered as ''Winter's Tr-easure" and "Winter Surprise". From New Zealand also t here is news of another "good" white, the product of a cross between var. alba and "Starter's Pink". -I. · wz.guicularis and its forms require a minimum of care once established. Disturbance should be avoided until division becomes absolutely necessary for the well-being of the plant, early autumn, while the soil retains some natural warmth commending itself as a suitable time for this operation. It is customary among some growers to reduce the l eaves of the Algerian forms to between 20 and 30 cm. in early October, which certainly enables the plant to be tidied in advance of the display that folows. These attentions and quick action against snails and slugs during the period of. flower will ensure an abundance of buds between November and March . The quiet beauty of these irises, especially when seen in established groups, will fully repay the modest treatment they require.

Ed . Re.pM.n,te.d 6Mm an e.alllie.JL Ye.all Book 06 the. B.tu.:ti-6h Iw Society.

BLUE FLAG Be.n.i-u.e. Ben.g.6-ton.

(EdU:olL' .6 No:te.: we. cVte huie.b:te.d :to "The. FaJunVt" magawie. oOIL peJun.l6.6ion :to 1Lep1un;t :thl6 .lntelr.eA-ti.ng a.l{;ti,cle. on OUIL nati.ve. 11btu.e 6£.ag" -<.Ju,6.)

I was driving along the road when I noticed some tall, blue flowers in the ditch. There was no mistaking the species - the shape of the flower as well as the colour identified them at once as blue-flag iris. I stopped to have a l ook at them. Tall and stately, they are attractive flowers, with all the attributes r equired to make one turn around for a second look. The iris in our gardens have become accustomed to making the best of it where­ ever we plant them. But the wild ones, as the blueflag, still have a decided preference for situations where they can keep their feet wet or at least damp . I always find them along the edges of streams or swamps, and in wet ditches. The long , flat, light green leaves give it the look of a water plant, which, in the wild s tate, it surely is. The blue, t hree- parted flower hav~ the typical shape of the iris. The white throat is etched with veins of dark violet. At the base of the throat there is sorae yellow. Altogether the iris is a most happy and tasteful arrangemnt of colours. There is some variation in the deepness of the blue in individual specimens, some being quite dark while others are lighter in 1009 in shade. In a state park near my home, I find them in bloom from late May into July. In one particular area, where the ground is low and semi-marshy, a large patch of them blooms profusely in late June. On one place, I discovered a single plant at the very estamens and other parts of the flower, fertilization has to be accomplished by an insect, osually a bee. The bee, traveling from flower to flower, carries the pollen, unloading it as it crawls i~ to obtain the nectar. This guarantees fertil­ ization in a manner that maintains purity of the strain. It seems unlikely that deer or moose browse on blueflag, except accidentally. The seed cause a violent burning sensation in the mouth and throat that persists for hours. The roots, too, have an acid, disagreeable taste and contain a poison known as irisin. In mythology, Iris was the goddess of the rainbow. She was an attendant and messanger for Juno, the wife of Jupiter. It was when she was running errands for Juno that she wore her many-coloured robe, and the rainbow was seen in the sky. In our gardens the iris comes in many colours and shades, so the name is an appropriate one. Wild iris, too, come in various shades and tints, although blue seems to be predominant. Iris are widely distr ibuted over the world, and have long been favouites in gardens everywhere. Today with plant specialists crossing and developing new kinds, there are iris around in more shades than we find in the rainbow. Back during the Middle Ages, the iris became the fleur-de-lis, "the flower of Louis", in France. The story goes that a certain king, whose shield featured three black toads as an insignia, lost one battle after another. His queen, blaming the toads for his lack of success, designed a new shield that carried three iris in bloom against a background that shone in the sun. His luck changed and he started winning. That was the end of the toads . Whether the iris had anything to do with hi.s change of fortune may be debatable, but it is certain they made a far more lovely and photographic symbol than three black toads. In time, iris gained fame as fleur-de-lis and eventually became the "lily of France."

Wildflowers have long been a favourite subject for poets the world over. To Henry Wadsworth Longfellow the blueflag iris was: "Born to the purple, born to joy and pleasure, Thou dost not toil nor spin, But makest glad and radiant with thy presence The meadow and the lin."

Ed. The oopy for this was suhrrri tted by Mary Du.vat 7,

xxxxxxx 1010 IRISES FOR THE ALPINE GARDEN

G. P. Ba.k.e,1t

The Iris as a Genus completely encircles the Northern Hemisphere, to which it is confined. It is a very large family, very variable in structure and divided into a dozen sections? and then again into sub-sections. Amongst such a large collection there are many small varieties of bulbous, bearded with rhizomatous roots and beard­ less, all from different parts of the world. They have adapted themselv~s to the vagaries of our climate, and make suitable plants for our alpine gardens. The list I now give is by no means exhaustive, and only includes most of the better known varieties, to be acquired from nurserymen who specialise in such plants. rne majority are alpine, that is to say they have their homes in nountain ranges, or · in countries of high altitudes. · Many of them I have grown for a great many years with some success. There are, however, amongst the bulbous ones, some whose native ~omes are in hot, dry countries where sunnerrains are few. These need special treat­ ment, some overhead covering to protect them from heavy rains and the daily watering given to alpines growing in close proximity. These bulbous Irises require rest in order to ripen the bulbs, and the withering of the leaves indicates when this pro­ tection should take place. To water (when they should be at rest) only encourages them to start growth before their time, thereby weakening the bulb and making it liable _to fall a victim to a deadly fungoid diseasej which marks the bulb with inky blotches and finally causes destruction. The alternative is to take up the bulbs each. year and store them in some cool, airy shed. Of the larger species, amonst the sibirica, caZifornica., and Kaempferi groups, I have not included any in the list, as I regard them as only fitted for the larger rock gardens with their bogs, streams, and pools. The text is not botanically written, and deals very superficially with each variety, and would, in my judgment, be valueless without illustrations. I am, therefore, grateful to the Editor for the privilege he has granted me, of allowing a numb.er of pictures of these miniature Irises to figure in the Year Book .

THE _HISTRIO SECTION~

I. histrio var. LebanonJ altitude 5?000 feet . This variety belongs to a fairly +arge group, and has a distribution in the Taurus and Lebanon mountains and the high lands of Syria, Palestine, and Asia Minor. The colorations of its flowers are vari­ able, no two places growing counterparts. This particular one from the Lebanon may well be· grown out of doors, subject always to the summer protection advocated in my introduction. In common with all the histrio varieties, the leaves precede the flowers; they are of a very pale violet or mauve, with deeper blue-violet blotches and broken veins on the falls; in the median line is a low, narrow, yellow ridge, dotted with black specks: standards and styles are pale mauve. In the opening days of a new year it is one of the first flowers to greet one, and is the largest of its section. I . histrio aintabenis is of similar size to I. Var•·tani ., and its colour is pale blue. The flowers appear when the leaves are a few inches in height. My collection came from a few bulbs collected by a brother in the neighbourhood of Aintab, a few ~iles from the River Euphrates. The bulbous plants were growing in volcanic soil. The blade of the fall bears a bright orange irregular ridge, on which are here and there black markings; the standards are narrow, projecting well over the style, the whole being of one tone of a pure pale blue. The leaves are of a fine substance and are about 18 to 20 inches high when fully developed. This Iris is not scented. It grows and multplies with me in the open, and in 1934, in addition to a large increase of bulblets, formed in clusters round t}:le base of the parent bulb, I found at the base of the flower stems a good supply of seed capsules. The plants last a month in flower, and apart from being one of the gems of bulbous Irises it can be grown 1011 in the open in any well-drained soil, and does not need any overhead protection in the summer . An A.:t;t. was granted by the R.H.S. in 1931 I. histrio var. aiZaiaa came to me from the Taurus. Of my original stock few have survived, and those which bloomed last year are similar to var. orthopetaZa, illustrated in "Genus Iris" by Dykes . If grown out of doors it should be well pro­ tected overhead in the summer. I attribute my loss of this variety to the neglect of this precautionary measure. I. Vartani hails from the hills in the neighbourhood of Nazareth and Nablus (Shechem) . It is a pale, slaty-blue Iris, very variable in its markings; some of its flowers are spotted, in others the falls are plain blue, and others are veined lavender with a yellow crest. It is a small histrio, and its chief merit is that it is sweetly scented of almonds . It is no Iris to grow out of doors, but fit only for the frame, where the bulbs may be given every opportunity of getting a good roasting in the summer. I. his-trio sophenensis was named by Sir Michael Foster from the ancient name of the Kharput district, whence it comes--this variety follows I . Vartani in close succession. It is the least pleasing of the group and is characterised by the nar­ rowness of its sharply-pointed segments , the metallic sheen of its coloration, and the sea-green colour of the styles, as well as by the fact that the flowers expand as soon as,or even before, the leaves pierce the soil. It is quite hardy, and may be grown with confidence in the open. I . histrioides, from the hills near Amasia, Armenia, is a species unto itself, in that the flowers appear on a short perianth tube before the l eaves pierce the soil; another characteristic is that the falls spread horizontally, with rounded ends in the blade of the falls, whereas in the histrio and retiaulata Irises they are pointed: furthermore, the narrow ovoid bulbs have not a reticulated covering but instead have a membranous texture. In the early stage of blooming the colours are of a bright blue, with a violet hue in the standards and falls, and succeeding flowers become paler and more like the colour of saxe-blue: some have a narrow orange colour down the rib of the fall on a white ground, whilst others are yellow, and the odd feature is, that when one comes to paint the flowers, a change of colour hues appears to puzzle the artist. The flowers are fragrant in a moderately warm temperature. The soil and drainage it needs are similar to those required by I. histrio aintabensis. In soil inclined to be sour it gets a fungoid disease, with black, inky blotches on the bulbs. Dykes recommended an annual lifting of the bulbs, which, when they have become thoroughly dry, should be soaked for two hours in a solution of formalin of the strength of one part to three hundred of water. I destroy the tainted bulbs. Several of my friends to whom I have given I. histrioides have reported losses which I have concluded were due to this devastating disease. When I crune to live in Sevenoaks eight years ago I failed to incorporate mortar rubble with my soil, with the result that a l arge proportion of my bulbs became diseased. This has since been rectified, and to ensure good drainage my colony of bulbs was planted several feet above a path. The bulbs are now increasing from bulbils and seed, and here a word of caution to growers of this Iris whose bulbs develop seed-pods; do not wait for them to shed their seeds, othen.iise ants and other insects will have them instead. Go down on your kneed and remove the earth which more than half buries the capsule, and when you see the pod about to burst it bonds cut it away from its stem and place it in some shelter in the sun to ripen . A good-sized pod will have as many as seventy seeds ~ which in a very few years will give a substantial increase to your stock of this most beautiful of all early spring bulbous plants. Every one loves I. histrioides,but it most be accommodated with its proper requirements.

'l'HE RE'IICULATA SECTION

I . reticulata. The characteristics of the reticulata varieties are that the outer tunics of the bulb have netted coats and the parent bulb produces a few offsets, each of considiberable size. Of the true I. retiaulata there are two forms, which 1012 come into bloom when those of I . histrio and I. histrioides are well on the wane . The large variety of commerce is said to come from the country south of the Caucasus, and the smaller from N.W. Persia. Both bloom after the leaves are well above the ground: these in both forms are slender, and the flowers of both have the same deep violet in the falls and standards with an orange-coloured ridge, and almost black blotches on the falls. The leaves are four-sided as with I histrio, the spathe­ valves green and sweetly scented. There is a white form of I. retiauZata, which when fully developed has a faint blue line down the centre of the spathe- valve. I •. retiauZ.ata var. lu>eZ.agei is a smaller flower than the type, much the size of I. Bakeriana; but of a reel purple colour with a blotch of orange on the fall. This · · variety is very varied in coloration, one specimen being of a smoke-grey colour, dif­ fused with a yellow hue, producing a very anaemic-looking flower . · I. retiau.Zata var. Cantab is said by Dykes to have been discovered by Mr. E.A. Bowle·s · in his garden. Whatever its origin, its constitution is good, and it makes a welcome addition to our gardens. The upright standards and styles are of a pale grey-blue, the falls of~ darker grey-blue, with a very pronounced orange colour on its ridge on a white ground, and marked with almost black stripes; the reverse of the fall from the perianth tube to the end of the fall is of a faint green colour. All of the retiauZ.ata varieties are heavy feeders and flourish in good soil, and are well adapted for rockeries, and do not require overhead summer protection. Bulbs, if left in the same position for many years, grow into. solid clumps. I. Winogradowii is of r~cent introduction from Georgia, West Caucasus, and is allied to the retiauZ.ata group, the bulb being. coated with a delicate network of fibre, and the leaves develop after flowering .. The standards, styles and falls are pf a uniform pale yellow, well marked with orange down the median ridge, and dotted with dark dots in the central position of the falls, standards erect. It has not been grown long enough in this country for us to judge its constitution and its possibilities of increase, and in the circwnstances it cannot be recommended for outdoor culture. . I . Danfordiae comes into bloom February-March, and is one of the most beautiful of the miniature Irises. All·segm~nts of the flowers are of a uniform rich yellow, the falls specked with brown spots ~ As far as I can judge, the coating of the bulb is of a membranous texture.. Bulblets are formed at. the base of the parent bulb, as in the case of I. histri.o and I. histrioides, which would indicate it as belonging to the histrio group • . Leaves are sometimes produced after flowering, and are twice as long as the flowering stem. It has absurdly minute bristle-like standards, a character allied to the Juno group, and the subject years ago of controversy between authorities. Although it has been in cultivation more than thirty years, and has its native home at 4000 feet altitude in the Taurus mountains, it is surprising how rare it is in our gardens. It is very liable to disease and Mr. Hoog's experience in Holland is that nitrogenous food in any form kills it. With him, it does best in pure san·d, chemical · manure and sulphate of potash or basic slag. Dykes, on the other hand, :r;ecomrnended a heavy loam, well enriched with humus, provided that the position is ~ell drained, SUiillilY and. dry in the summer, and further, said it was best to lift the bulbs every year and replant them 2 to 3 inches apart, an operation to carry out soon after the leaves have withered. I grow mine in a raised frame 3 feet above ground and give them. a good roasting in summer and do not disturb .them. I . Bakeriana. The last of the three groups of bulbous Irises without summer store roots, is perhaps the gem of the collection, and of great garden value; It hails from mountains in Central Armenia . It may be regarded as a distinct species, in that its leaves are eight-sided, whereas all the preceding varieties are four­ sided. In other respects its bulbs are coated with n netted reticulation. The blade of the fall is deep violet, and bears a central patch of creamy-white, sprinkl ed with dots or crested with veins . It is very fragrant, perfectly hardy, flowers January=February, and is well worth a sheltered position. Bulbs that are doing · well may be left undisturbed for years, as it is not one of those that form a large number .of small offsets round the base of the main bulb. A bulb that has flowered 1013 usually splits into two or three section, one or two of which will flower the fol­ lowing season. Hybrids crossed with the pollen of I. reticuZata have been known to produce six-ribbed leaves at irregular intervals .

THE JUNO SECTION

Of the Juno Irises a dozen varieties may be grown in the southern alpine gardens of our country, and only those from mountain regions dare I venture to introduce. Tne characteristic of this section of Irises is that the root-stock is a bulb with a number of finger-like tapering roots, in some cases almost radish-like appendages, each with a narrow neck, easily broken at its attachment to the bulb. Furthermore, the standards of these Irises, as will be seen in the pictures, have very small horizontal lateral rings; another feature of the group is the channelled unfolded leaves. The secret in growing the Juno Irises is that the conditions which they enjoy in their homes must be studied, and until we do this we shall never succeed. I. persiaa, the type, grows in N. Syria, Kurdestan, Asia Minor, and throughout Persia. Bulb ovoid with membranous coats. Collected bulbs often found with as many as twelve coats. Flowers appear soon after leaves begin to shoot. This variety has been known from early days and figures in Parkinson, 1629. It is regularly seen at the London shows and in catalogues of nurserymen who specialise in bulbous Irises. Leaves narrow, erect at flowering time: stem above the perianth tube only an inch long. The colour of the flowers is nearly white, tinged pale greenish-blue or sea­ green, with a conspicuous rich claret-red blotch on the blade of the falls. Their habitat indicates their need of a summer roasting. I. persica var. tauri, from both slopes of Cilician Taurus grows in forests of Juniperus exaeZsa at an elevation of 4,500 to 6,500 feet and was discovered by Siehe in 1898. I have had it many years. It is the hardiest of all my Junos, recieving no special treatment and growing in fairly heavy but well-drained soil in company with all my outdoor bulbous plants. The flowers of my plants are all the same colour, a very deep violet-pruple: the ridge is of a deep orange, the fall of the darkest violet splashed with a few white markings. One of the most satisfactory Irises to grow and the earlist of the bulbous Irises to flower. I. persica var. Sieheana, sent to me by Herr Siehe, was collected by him on the lower slopes of the Cilician Taurus. The flowers are not, as in the case of var. tauri, of one uniform purple, but vary, some being marked with a reddish brown-purple 011 a greenish-yellow ground. I. persiaa var. stenophyZZa. With the above bulbs came a variety which I , . identify from a curious drawing figuring in Bot. Magazine, t. 7734, 1900. This is a very beautiful beautiful coloured Iris, giving the effect of soft shades of pale violet and pale grey-blue in the crest, styles, and lateral standards, falls of a very rick dark violet, the rim of falls a very pale, soft grey-violet, beard white, peppered with a dark violet or black. It is growing out of doors, but is not quite so robust as var. tauri. I. aZata (also known as I . scorpioides) has a wide distribution extending from Southern Spain along the coast of North Africa into the mid- Atlas, Sicily, Sardinia, Tripoli. From such varied sources many variations are extant under specific names . Bulb is large, 1 to l½ inches in diameter, with four to six tapering fleshy roots, persistent in the resting state. Leaves deep channelled, glossy on the upper and under surface, tapering to a point. Colour of falls, standards and styles usually violet-blue with stripes of a dark violet in the falls and a conspicuous bright orange median ridge. Among flowers of the ·ordinary type there is considerable variation in the shade of blue and in the amount of veining. The special feature with the flower is that as the falls expand two large wings (hence the specific name) become visible, which fold round and encl ose the style branches. It is also abundant on the slopes of Mt. Etna, In the mid-Atlas mountains, at an elevation of 4,500 to 5,000 feet, I have recently collected a number of plants which I hope to save. This Iris, in common with all from hot regions, needs complete drought for a period of 1014 several months in summer. In its own home it blooms from October, onward 1;1ntil after Christmas. I. sindjai>ensis, from N.W. Persia, N.E. Syria and Mesopotamia. A large ovate bulb with fleshy roots persistent throughout the resting season. Stem variable· in height? sometimes a foot high. Leaves 8 to 10 inches long, and narrowing very grad­ ually to a sharp point, bent into a double channel, glossy green on the inside, clasping at their bases the stem so completely as to hide it. Flowers thr~e or four, 2 to 4 inches across. Falls vary in shape and curl over. Blade of fall violet-blue? graduating to a pale violet-grey at the end of the blade. A slightly raised median xidge on the fall is yellowish in tone. Very distinctly fragrant of vanilla. This Iris is the earliest of the tall Jwws to come into flower, growing in the open; the variety from N.W. Persia was in bloom this year towards the end of March. My bulbs are well established in a well-drained soil, and so long as they are not-disturbed (whereby there is risk of breaking their fleshy radish-like roots), they flower year by year and give me no anxiety. I. warleyensis, from Bukhara. Bulb is somewhat slender, with persistent fleshy roots. Leaves six to seven and abnormally long for the small inconspicuous flowers, the lower leaves _being quite 10 inches long by l½ inches broad, deeply channelled, with glossy upper_ surface~ striated beneath. Falls pale purple, reflexed at the apex, blade oval, with a central crenate crest, purple at the base, orange above, . surrounded by an orange-coloured area, the remainder dark violet, except for a narrow white marginal line, styles pale violet, and an orange-coloured spot, with a more deeply coloured keel and irregularly notched edges • . This Iris takes kindly ti,ca, mountain slopes in Eastern Bukhara at an elevation of 5,000 to 6,000 feet. Bulb similar to that of I. orchioides. Stem 12 to 18 inches high, bear­ ing five to seven flowers. Leaves 8 to 12 inches long by 2 to 2½ inches broad, bri"ght green, deeply channelled as in I. orchioides. Styles very large, of pure white, standing well erect above the falls, standards small pure white, depressed below ·the horizontal, falls of a bright golden colour, bearing a golden crest, which is continued along the haft as a median ridge, faintly dotted with dark green. This is the strongest grower of the larger Juno Irises. Blooms in March-April. [. cauaasica, native to the hills of the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Persia and Kurdestan, has long been in cultivation. The typical plant from the Caucasus is a dwarf Juno? and bears only one or two transparent yellow flowers, of botanical interst only. I. WiZZmottiana, mountains of Eastern Turkestan, introduced and named by Van Tubergen. Belongs to the dwarf Ju.nos. A very distinct and charming Iris: habit same as cauaasica, but differs in having broader and. less acutely channelled_ leaves. The colour of the flowers varies somewhat, though the beautiful illustration in the possession of the late Miss Willmott, after whom it was named, ha_s t_he general effect of a reddish shade of purple veined with blue-violet, on white along the cen.tre of the falls. Said to be very f loriferous. . I. Rosenbachiana, from Turkestan. Bulb small, with fleshy roots, leaves deeply channelled, bright green with shiny surtace, and in some cases the leaves have a narrow.. white margin; at flowering time 1 to 2 inches long, eventually 9 inches long by 2 __ inches broad; flowers issue from the axils of the leaves, arranged alternately on. opposite sides. ·This Iris is the most rare, as it is the most beautiful of the early flowering Junos, blooming in February-March. Its gorgeous apparel of brilliant colours appears before the leaves; very variable in colour, no tw.o seedling, says Dykes, being alike; it is best grown in alpine house. 1015 THE UNGUICULARIS SECTION

With the fading of the flowers of the bulbous varieties, the small I . cretensis of Crete begins to make its appearance and to unfold its early flowers. It is a very quaint little I. unguicuZaris (com..~only known as I. styZosa), quite distinct from the larger refined varieties of the North African coast. The rhizomes are short creeping, and the stems, 7 to 9 inches long, are very crowded and surrounded with many linear leaf sheaths of a firm substance. From the centre of the clustered

sheath issues a single flower on its tube1 not oore than 3 inches long, and often as, not buried amongst its leaves. The standards are ·a red-violet veined with a deeper violet, falls on a white field, flushed with the same red-violet and deep violet veins, and a strong orange marking on the fall-very sweetly scented of almonds. I discovered this Iris in 1926, on my first visit to the island of Crete. I was on a inule; the track in the ascent of Mt. Ida passed through a forest of small oak. Ever intent on searching for plants, even from the saddle, and not watching where the mule was taking me, I suddenly found myself caught in the branches of a tree, which unseated me . I fell into several tussocks of what I thought was grass. The flowers of a small Iris suddenly revealed themselves in the tussocks, and these no other than this ~hoice little Iris. This Iris would be grown on any strong loamy soil, ~ell drained, and in full sun. There are also from the Greek islands and Syria forms of Iris st;yZosa, which might well be given a pl acP. in the rock garden. In length and ~dth of leaves they come between the small Cretan and the African type, and figure ~s far back as 1878 in the Bot. Magazine. They grow in tight clumps; the flowers are dark violet tinged with orange, and partake somewhat of the colour scheme of I. Zazica.

THE POGON SECTION.

In the large Pagon section of bearded Irises, there are some mini­ ature varieties quite fitted to occupy a home in the alpine garden . I. pumiZa, I . attiaa and I . rubro-marginata are quaint little plants, and are found ~hroughout Eastern Europe. I collected one variety on the roof of a public fountain at Tirnovo, the then capital of Bulgaria, elso on the island of Salamis in the Gulf of Corinth, on Hytaettus near Athens, on Olympus and on a hill on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus; and one of my sons, when in th~ army and fighting on the Bulgarian frontier, i,ent home in 1916 from near Lake Doiran, I. pumiZa in its three colours, yellow, blue and purple- claret. They possess the same characteristics of being almost, if not ~ntirely, stemless, and in having a perianth tube rising from the ovary only 2 to 3 inches long; another feature is the shapeless spathes, which closely wrap the tube­ i:hey are very floriferous and vary :Ln colours of purple, pale blue, yellow and white . All are shallow rooted and should be frequently replanted after flowering, in good rich soil. They all lone their foliage in the winter, leaving nothing visible ~ut their bare rhizomes. The variety rubro-marginata may be distinguished by the thin red edging of the leaves. I. variegata-- the true dwarf form, found in Hungary and Austria--one of the parents of so many hybrids, and only a foot high, with its profuse flowers of yellow standards and red-brown falls, streaked .with black veins, is well suited to plant on exposed ledges. I. chamaeiris is a larger interpretation of I. pumila, and yet when carefully ~xamined and compared it will be seen that I. ahamaeiris always has a stem that is at least as long as, if not longer than, the tube, and is not leafless in winter, whereas I. pumiZa has practically no stem, and a comparatively long perianth tube between the ovary and the segments of the flower, and is leafless in winter. Dykes wrote: "Great has been the confusion in Iris nomenclatu:-e, and no name is so fre­ quently misused as that of I. pumiZa. u He was always most insistent on this, time and again (in notes in the gardening papers) pointing out this misuse in nurserymen's catalogues. As. a result of the shows of the Iris Society, and later those of the Alpine Garden Society, where I. pwnila has been repeatedly exhibited, I believe we 1016 are gradually mending our ways. There are a number of wild forms of I. ohamaeiris suf ficiently interesting to win the admiration of those os us who confine our col­ lections to species. They are quite suitable for certain parts of the alpine garden, and include I. bosniaca, I. olbiensis from-the Crimea, I. ooerulea, I. virescens,a greenish-yellow hybrid from Switzerland, I. statetlae., rather taller and later to bloom, from the South of France, I. Reiohenbaohii. Lastly, I might mention I. pseudopumila from the slopes of Mt. Etna. These, in common with I. pumila, require a good strong soil on a slope if possible in full sun, I . fiavissima, which may be. regarded as a curiosity, is so called by reason of the bright yellow colour of its flowers, whilst its syn. I . arena.ria (its Latin name) indicates it as growing in sandy places. As I. flavissima it is said to be­ long -to S.E. Russia and Siberia, and as I. a,x,enaria, according to Dr. Lemperg ("The New Flora and Silvia"), "is essentially an inhabitant of the Steppes, growing in sandy, very hot soils, among fine grasses in the plains of Hungary and on the low rounded hills west of Budapest. But for its pigmy stature and rather difficult temper, it is an ideal plant for rack garden conditions; a well-drained pocket, or even a vertical crevice, suits it excellently, but coming as it does from a district with cold, dry winters, it requires a covering of a pane of glass during our winter I!IOnths. I grow it in almost pure sand with the addition of a little loam." My .own experience of the plant is limited to pan cultivation for the alpine house, where the rhizomes spread in all directions by creeping stolons just underneath the surface, Dykes described it as a minute Reg0?-ia Iris, because of the seeds, which have the v{hite aril or collar of the Regelia seeds, and the fact that the capsules taper to­ wards both ends and open down the side, and not at the top. The stems are only 2 to 4 inche$ long, bearing three yellow flowers which are very fleeting, lasting only a few hours, and then in an odd way twist spirally and wither. Luckily this Iris is very floriferous and gives a succession of .blooms to make amends for its curious behaviour. It may be planted in sandy soil, so long as there is something more nourishing below. It is a plant known to exhaust itself by over-growing.

THE APOGON SECTION

I. tenuls is an Iris which inhabits forests in N.W. Oregon, and is described as of slender rhizome, leaves few in a tuft, 12 to 15 inches long, stem very slender, about 1 foot long, flowers white, faintly veined with yellow and lilac, I have had the plant for some years, but have never succeeded in flowering it, which may be due to my having imported plants instead of growing from seed, a point so often emphasised by Dykes . It is essentially an Iris for a tree-sheltered place on a rockery, where it may luxuriate in decayed vegetable soil, such as it would enjoy in its own home in Oregon. I. ruthenioa. About the time when the forms of I. stylosa go out of flower, there appears on the scene to gladden us I. ruthenica, of a very wide distribution, extending from Transylvania to the Altai, and then on to China. With such a wide distribution it has given rise to numerous local forms and to confusion amongst nurserymen, who have sent out I. humilis for the poant now under consideration. The _ :foliage of I. ruthenioa is, however, much smaller, forming tufts which soon spread _into great mats, whilst I. humiZis is stiff, ridig and much taller. The flowers of I. ruthenioa appear among the grassy leaves on stems perhaps only 2 inches, or as much as 6 inches, long; the spathes are usually tinged with pink, and each contains usual­ ly only a single flower of a blue colour with white veinings on the falls. It is ~weetly scented. In common with other Irises of slender rhizomes, it must be moved whilst growth is active and being formed ; nor must it be planted in soil which is liable to become too dry. I happen to possess the to form~ and have not suffered for want of blooms, as appears the rule with certain other of the so-called forms of I . ruthenica. I have known the form I have to be literally covered with white-blotched blue £.lowers, proceeding from the pink-flushed spathes. 1017 I. minuta and I. Rossii are both tiny Irises, and hail from Japan and Korea. Toe first has narrow grassy leaves, only a few inches long at the time of flowering, ~nd l~ter attaining a foot. The flow2rs are on stout stems, are yellow, flushed with dark brown in the falls, and yellow-edged brown on the standards. In I. Rossii the flower ste~s are said to be usually about l½ to 4 inches high, supporting a bl ue­ violet flower. I have no experience of I. Rossii: but I. minuta I have grown for (>~veral years with success, and rega:rd it ur. a great treasure. Bloo~s April.:..May. I. Zongipetata var. montarza is one of the smalles~ of the section, and hails f-;:-om the Rocky Mountains. Leafless in winter 1 and then in the spring it sends up narrow, rather stiff, gl~ucous leaves to the heigtt of 18 inches. It is a good­ natured plant, and adapts itself to ~ny ordinary soil and to any position of the rockery. T"ne chann of the pla.. 1t is its perfectly shaped flowers of two shades of lc1.vender, marked with a yello~,, patch at the junction of the haft and blade. I. prismatiea is another small species from the Eastern United States, and in ·,:,ppea:::-ance looks like a small I. sibiriea, and, whilst very distinct~ is closely ;llied to the European and As iatic group of I. sibiriea. Its foliage i s in tufts (,;;-~1ich rise here and there, saparc.ted -.,y the running rhizomes) not in dense clusters. It is a graceful little Fpecies, with flowers on stems not unlike t'nose of I . sibiriea, solid stems, about 18 iuches in height, extremely wiry and slender, not stiffly erect as in the case of I. sibirica but curv~d and bent in a cu~ious fashion. To do well I . prismatioa neP.ds a m~ist, cool poGition en the edge of a water tank. I. Gormanii, named e.=ter the introducer and found in the Coast Mountains, Oregon, in 1922. Stems clender, 12 to 14 inches high, bearing two or three leaves of a pale g:r.~en colour; single flowered of a pale green colour. Blooms in June. I. verna, alt~.ough a -;,oodlann plant i!l i.t$ c;.:"a hoille in .America, from Virginia to AJ.aba.:,a, should be £oun

'i'Iif. E\il-:-.hS!A SECTION

This section, named af·_2r one Thom::,s Evans , who i ntroduced I. japoniea and many other plants into this countr;', offer s four well known varieties worthy of some suit­ ::.:Jle place in the rockery. I. graeiZipgs is a

I. oristata, from the Southern United States 7 5.s a variety which readily adapts itself to any low, flat part of the alpine garden i~ rather moist loose soil of gravel ~~d humus, making itself comfortable if the rays of the sun are. broken by overhead branches. It is a plant which I have found I can increase by replanting some portion of my colony in fresh soil every year. The rhiz0mec are creeping and rapidly extend !::eyond their bounds, growing with vigour and flowering with greater profusion than t~e plants in the old colony. The r~planting can safely be done immediately after the flowers have wither~d, but moisture at the roots is so impvrtant that a drought at t.~;.is period WO! .•.ld ;be fatla to the young plants. 1018 of my colony in fresh soil every year. The rhizomes are creeping and rapidly extend beyond their bounds, growing with vigour and flowering with greater profus~on than the plants in the old ~olony. The replanting can safely be done immediately after the flowers have withered, but moisture at the roots is so important that a drought at this period would be fatal to the young plants. I. Zacustris is a diminutive form of I. cristata, is found on the shores of the northern lakes of America, particularly Lake Huron. The foliage is only 6 to 8 inches high, and its growth is more densely crowded than I. cristata. I. tectorum has its home in Central and S.W. China, and as its name tells, will grow on roofs, as it does on the ridge of thatched roofs in Japan. With leaves broad and strongly ribbed, it grows to 18 inches high, and has branching stems of about 15 inches. The flowers are a deep lilac and quite flat in outline, since the standards are extended almost horizontally. The blades of the falls are always mottled ,and blotched with a darker shade on ·a lighter ground,· and there is a con­ spicuous jagged white crest, flecked with brownish-purple. There is also a very beautiful albino form, which is wholly white, except that the markings on the crest are in this case yellow. I. tectorwn is very shallow rooting, and for this reason should be ·frequently transplanted into fresh soil, an operation which is best car­ ried out at the end of July, when root growth is active.

THE XIPHIUM SECTIONo

I. Xiphium. There is one variety in this section--Xiphioides-­ which, although not a miniature Iris, belongs to the high Pyrenees, and should be given a place in any medium-size rockery. It is very floriferous, of deep ultra­ marine violet colour.

THE SPURIA SECTION

One may well include I. Sin~enisii, I. urumovii, I. Kerneriana, I. graminea, and I. hwniZis. All are easy _to cultivate in any good loamy soil, planted on slop­ ing positions, between rocks where they wedge themselves in with great tenacity, seed and germinate freely. I. Sintenisii, named after Sintenis, the botanical collector, has a fairly wide distribution, extending from S. Italy, through the Balkans into Asia Minor. I col­ lected my plants on the hills on the Asiatic coast of the Bosphorus. The foliage is deep green, very tough and stiff, and about 15 inches high. The flowers are some­ what small and slender, blue-violet, veined and minutely dotted. Its seed capsules are very conspicuous, with a double ridge at the angles. Leaves evergreen through­ out the winter. I. urv.movii is a Bulgarian relative of I, Sintenisii, foliage glaucous, which appears blue-grey near the base, leaves erect and slender, and overtop the flower, the flower stem being shorter. In comparison with I. Sintenisii it may be distin­ guished by the absence of keeled spathes, which is the feature of its relative. The leaves die away entirely in the autumn. I. Ker,neriana, from Asiu Minor and named after Kerner, the Austrian botanist. It might be regarded as a smaller yellow form of I. Sintenisii but for the fact that the spathe-valves are not sharply keeled. I. graminea~ so-called because of its grassy foliage, has a fairly wide distri­ bution in Southern and Central Europe. It has in common with I. Sintenisii.and I. Kerneriana vety dense tufts of leaves, brightly polished on the upper surface and strongly ribbed~ 1 to l½ feet long, scarcely any perianth tube; flower bright violet, copiously veined and very sweetly scented. I hwrriZis is found in Hungary, Transylvania, and the Caucasus. It is a dwarf iris, and has foliage not unlike a small form of I . graminea, but as no stem is produced the flowers appear almost on the ground. It is not an ornamental plant, but might well be gro~m on a ledge in a rock garden, where its flowers would then be 1019 visable. On the blade of the falls the colour consists of purplish veining on a yellowish ground, aud the standards are a deep violet-blue. I have known it to be distributed for I. rut henica. *****

EDITORIAL COMMENTS Bltuc.e. 1U.c.haJLd6 on

SIGNA has gone through some changes this past y~ar, the change in Publication Chairman has been noted by Jean Witt in her Chairman's Message and here I only want to thank Maryann for a job well done. She only ha~ part of the back issue~ of SIGNA, the rest being held here, but her letters crone regularly telling me where_ to send the copies as they were purchased. A change still to come is in our Treasurer; 0 Gene Opton is talcing over from Francesca Thoolin as of Jan. 1'83. Francesca sent a constant stream of financial reports here? quarterly as if we were a national business and indeed kept the record straight. However 9 I believe she took the position on a temporary basis, so hence the change. Gene has had booking .experience and I am sure will do an equally fine job of recording.

The last change I want to mention is in myself. My old problem with my eyes hit with a vengeance last spring, giving me extreme problems with reading the copy for SIGNA 28 and in typing it. Later I found I had cateracts in both eyes and that . the glaucoma had destroyed the right field of vision in my l~ft eye in spite of using the best medication known..: Timolol. ;.swell at that time I had a broken blood vessel in the left ~ye, resulting in a slight case of double vision. Conseq­ uently this issue, 1129, was. 90% typea° by my_ daughter .Laur:ie. It has been delayed in publication because I was and still am, tied up in rebuilding our attached green­ house. An all summer job and a rush now to get it closed ip before winter, as we have· many potted plants and nowhere else to put them. . . My tenure as editor of SIGNA is coming to an end, much as I would like to continue as such, and I do hope to be able to put out the April '83 issue on the same basis as this one. SIGNA could still be printed and mail,ed from here (postage in Canada is still quite a bit lower than in the U.S. in spite of a doubling of rates a year ago) if someone can be found to do the editing, a~d or, cut ,the stencils and send them here to be run. This is the least expensive way, but the easier way. of going to offset commercial printing could only result in cutting SIGNA to half or less its present size - or doubling the suscription rate. For a smooth. transfer of the editorship some action should be taken this winter to explore who is willing to take it on and a final decision made at our next "annual meeting" - the AIS ,. convention in the spring.

A very recent letter from Prof. Homer Metcalf asks me to. pass on the naine ~f a nursery with a number of species iris to offer: Woodlanders Inc., 1128 Colleton Ave . , Aiken, SC 29801 L. b.re_v.i,aauZis L. aristata L. c:rf,~~a.ta aZba I. oristata atba I . verrza I, grdati'i°p~i I. teatorum (dwarf type) The above are listed in a catalogue which you may obtain by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope. Contact Robert B. McCartney . This nursery specializes in plants of the southern Piedmont and Coastal Plain, but as is Qbvious from the iris list, they also offer exotic species. ***** 1020

NEr-...BERSHIP LIST

William L. Ackerman, P.O. Box 41 Ashton, Md. 20861 USA Mrs. J. A. Adams, 124 Moana Ave . Nelson, NEW ZEALAND Mrs. Marlene Ahlburg, Hohes Feld 22 3171 RtltgesbUttel WEST GERMANY Mrs. Ada S. Alice, 560 Alice Rd. Port Angeles, WA 98362 USA Dr. R.C. Allen, 7570 E. Speedway Lot 155 Tucson, Arizona 85710 USA Maryann M. Anning, La Cresta Gardens 12864 Viscaino Rd. Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 USA Mr. Robert L. Anstey, 612 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Lansing, MI 48912 USA Georgiana C. Aston, 15555 SW 133rd Ave. Tigard, OR 97223 USA Mrs. James W. Avent, Rt. 1 Whiteville, Tenn. 38075 USA Nancy R. Axelrod, 17756 Orchard Ave. Guerneville, CA 95446 USA Mr. Rhett Ball, P.O. Box 374 S. Camden, SC 29020 USA Mrs. Ruth Bancroft, P.O. Box 5126 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 USA Mrs. Clifford A. Barnes, 1806 NE 73rd St. Seattle, WA 98115 USA ~.M. Beauchamp, 2560 Ridgeway Drive National City, CA 92050 USA Ms. Patricia Bender, 4123 N.E. 186th Seattle, WA 98155 USA Mrs. Clifford A. Benson, Route 2, Box 92 Mahtowa, MN 55762 USA Mr. Eckard Berlin, Kutzbergerweg 2 d-795 Biberach Am Riss WEST GERMANY Mr. Milton Berman, 5 Crow Hill Dr . Fairport, NY 14450 USA Mr. Harry Bishop P.O. Box 204, 71 Basket St. Huntington, MA 01050 USA Mr. Keith W. Blankinship, 12030 - 8th NE Seatle. WA 98125 USA Margaret Boehm, % Holly Pl. Wilton, CT 06897 USA Mrs. Carl Boswell, 1821 Gross Lane Concord, CA 94519 USA Mrs. F. Bourne, 1363 Swigart Rd. Barberton, OH 44203 USA · Dr. Maurice Boussard, 2 Place des Onze Sieges R. 55100 - Vercun FRANCE Mrs. Bonnie Bowers, 19941 Lomo Ranchos Rd. Volcano, CA 95689 USA Mr. Leo Brewer, 15 Vista del Orinhilip Fry, 332 Oakdale Ave. Ottawa, Ont. KlY OE4 CANADA Ewald, Gudnm, 3175 Leiferde Hegdfeld 3 WEST GERMANY Mr. Herbert Fischer, 17985 40th Ave. Surrey, B.C. V3S 4N8 CANADA Mr. Lawrence Friedman, 304 Le Roi Road Pittsburgh, PA 15208 USA Thomas W.F. Foster 977 Meredith Court Sonoma, CA 95476 USA Fresno Iris Society, c/o John Weiler, 1146 W. Rialto Fresno, CA 93705 USA Mr . Eugene Fritz, Box 13 Western, Nebraska 68464 USA Mr. Wm. L. Glover 17 Shaughnessy Blvd. Willowdale, Ont . M2J 1H4 CANADA Howard W. Goodrick, 1355 S. Lyon Ave . , #37 Memet, CA 92343 USA Evelyn B. Gordon, 17193 Motmtainside Drive, Soulsbyville, CA 95372 USA Richard A. Goula, 113 Acacia Lafayette, LA 70501 USA Mrs. R.J. Gully, 3 Louis Ave . Hawthorndene, S.A. 5051 AUSTRALIA Mr. W.J. Gtmther, 740 Crest Rd. Del Mar, CA 92014 USA Carolee Haack, 321 Walnut St. Madison, WI 53705 USA Ben R. Hager, 309 Best Road South Stockton, CA 95205 USA Nancy Searle Hagerman, 605 Alice ·Drive Lafayette, LA 70503 USA Mr . Edward Halas, P. O. Box 2682 Detroit, MI 48231 USA Miss Gigi Hall, 40417 Citrus Drive Fremont, CA 94538 USA Mr. Tony Hall, Herbaceous/Alpines Div. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE ENGLAND Mrs. Melba Hamlen, 2778 West 5600 South Roy, UT 84067 USA Mrs. Garnet Hamilton, 11910-51st Ave. N.E. Marysville, WA 98270 USA Ms. Constance Hansen, 1931 No. 33rd St. Lincoln City, OR 97367 USA Mr. Larry Harder, Maple Tree Gardens Ponca, NE 68770 USA Phyllis M. Harrington, P.O. Box 222 Parsons, KS 67357 USA Mrs. Dale Hatherley, 420 Verde Vista Drive Visalia, CA 93277 USA Hawkes Bay Group, NZ Iris Soc. c/o Mrs. Marion Ball, Mangateretere Rd. 2 Hastings, NEW ZEALAND Mrs. S.I. Hayakawa, P.O. Box 100 Mill Valley, CA 94941 USA Ms. Evelyn Hayes, 611 S. Lemoore Ave. Lemoore, CA 93245 USA Robert Mccague Hays, 334 Sycamore Road Sewickley, PA 15143 USA Mr . F.P. Healey, Box 27 St. Norbert, Manitoba R3V 1L5 CANADA David L. Keikamp, 717 Giuffrias Metairie, LA 70001 USA Mrs. Henry B. Heilman, 1615 Russell Rd . Lebanon, PA 17042 USA Sandra J. Heinemann, 4180 Dolores Ave. Atascadero, CA 93422 USA Mrs . H.A. Heller, 19222 Burlington Drive Detroit, MI 48203 USA Mrs . P.L. Hembree, 951 Brown Rd. Bridgewater Twp., NJ 09907 ·· USA Mrs . Mary A. Hendry, Rte. 10; Box 158A Greeneville, TN 37743 USA Josephine V. Heuser, Indian Rtm Nursery P.O. Box 160 Robhinsville, NJ 08691 USA George R. Hildenbrandt, 137 Spring St. State Co llege, PA 16801 USA Ms. Eleanor Hill, 1577 E. 22nd St. Tulsa, OK 74114 USA Ms. Marjorie P. Hoelzel, 2 Lynbrook Rd. · Wilmongton, DE 19804 USA Mr . John Holden, 1319 Gateway Blvd. Ridgecrest, CA 93555 ·USA David S. Hollombe, 6223 San Vicente Blvd . Los Angeles, CA ·90048 USA George and Claire Hood, 7032 Darnoch Way Canoga Park, CA 91304 USA ·· . 1022 Mr. Geo,M . Hotchkiss, 213 West Stonegate Rd. Peoria, IL 61614 USA Dorothy C. Howard, 226 E. 29th St. Tulsa, OK 74119 USA Jolene M. Hsu, 1475 Edgewood Dr. Palo Alto, CA 94301 USA Mrs. Hattie Hubbard, 16328 - 25th NE _ Seattle, WA 98155 USA Robert P. Hubley, 9230 Col'orado Ave . . Riverside, CA 92503 USA fiirs. Dorothy D. Hujsak, 3227 S. Fulton Tulsa, OK 74135 USA Mrs. E.P. Hulbert, Rt. 3, Box 57 Floyd, VA 24091 USA The Huntington Library, 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, CA 91108 USA Clive F. Innes, Molly Gate, Ashington Sussex RI-120 3BA ENGLAND Ms. Jean S; Ireland, 1526 Gravenstein Hwy., N. Sebastopol, CA 95472 USA Iris Society of Minnesota c/o Ms . Joan Cooper, 212 W. County R., C St. Paul , MN 55113 USA Ron and Gwyneth Isles, 50 Woodville St. Christchurch 1 · NEW ZEALAND Mr . and Mrs. J.H. Jamieson, 26 Cambre Circle Hot Springs Village, ARK 71909 USA The J apan Iris Society Akira Horinaka, Tanimach 6Chome 3-9 Minami-ku Osaka 542 JAPAN Ms. Genevieve H. Jasper, 2650 N. Desert Ave. Tucson, AZ 85712 USA Mr. Esmone Jones, 13 Donnelly St. Balmain N.S.W. 2041 AUSTRALIA Dr. Grady Kennedy, 9610 Todd Mill Rd., S.E. Huntsville, AL 35803 USA Mr. Keith Keppel, P.O. Box 8173 Stockton, CA 95208 USA Mrs. Jennie Rose Kerr, 1630 Victor Avenue Visalia, CA 93277 USA Roger Kirkwood, Dir., Lake of the Woods Bot. Gard . R.R.3, Boe 3 Mahomet, Ill. 61853 USA Mr. Gerard Knehans, Jr., Rt. 1 Owensville, MO 65066 USA Dr. Donald W. Koza, li51 E. Idaho Ave. St. Paul, MN 55106 USA ttu-s. Harold Krehbiel, 5044 Sleater-Kinney Rd. N.E. Olympia, WA 98506 USA Mrs. Julia Kupstis, 3541 Hawthorne St. Franklin Park, IL 60131 USA Mary A. LaBach, 3007 Ashgrove Rd . Nicholasville, KY 40356 USA Mrs. Wm. E. Lanford, 1121 Highland Drive Henderson, TX 75652 USA Jas, E. Lattie, 101 Hardy Drive Moraga, CA 94556 USA Lewis and Adele Lawyer, 4333 Oak Hill Road Oakland, CA 94065 USA Rev. T.H . Leemhuis, Box 255 Cornell, IL 61319 USA Ms. Lorin Leith, 3175 Primrose Ave. Santa Roas, CA 95401 USA Mrs. Lucille E. Lewallen, 243 S. #rd Ave . Upland, CA 91786 USA Loren Lichty, 1140 N. Coronado St. Los Angeles, CA 90026 USA Mrs. Hugh Liming, 6612 N. Prospect Oklahoma City, OK ' 73111 USA Dr. Gordon Loveridge, 115 Craigend Leura NSW 2781 AUSTRALIA George Luedemann, PHO, 46 Lincoln St. Glen Ridge, NJ 07028 USA Ernest G.B. Luscombe, Mil l House, Rosemary Lane Clyton EX 136 S.R. East Devonshire ENGLAND Mrs. Sara F. Lynn, E. 21 Susan Court Union, WA 98502 USA Lucille McAllister, P.O. Box 7 Luther, OK 98502 USA Sharon McAllister, 902 Loya Lane Las Cruces, MN 88005 USA Col. Stephen C. McCormick, 326 Spruce Street Philadelphia, PA 19106 USA Mrs. Marie R. McGahee, 1010 Bayfield Dr., S.E . . Huntsville, AL 35802 USA Dr. Wm. G. McGarvey 1 Etwilla Lane R.D.#3 Oswego, NY 13126 USA R.R . MacGregor, P.O. Box 205 Yass. NSW 2582 AUSTRALIA Mr . AAN .· McMurtrie, 22 Calderon Cres. Willowdale, Ont. M2R 2E5 CANADA ~~ss Clarice Maben, 3638 W. Pasadena Phoenix, AZ 85019 USA Phylis A. Malec, Chimney Swift Drive Sandy Hook, CT 96482 USA Gerald W. May, 1006 Woodland Park Drive Del afield, WI 53018 USA Joanne Mentz, 6126 N. Wilbur Portland, OR 08217 USA Dr. Homer N. Metcalf, Dept. of Plant and Soil Sci. Montana State University Bozeman, MT 59717 USA Carol L. Meyer, 501 Ada.ms Street Kimball, NE 69145 USA Marshall Mitchell P.O. Box 82 Moe, Victoria 3825 AUSTRALIA Sidney B. Mitchell Iris Soc. c/o Clara Mangin, Librarian 1133 Seminary Ave. Oakland, CA 94621 USA 1023

Frederick E. Moak, 6641 E. 38ty Street Tucson, AZ 85730 USA Marilyn Mollicone, 49 Westwood Road Augusta, ME 04330 USA Mt . Biablo Iris Soc. c/o Carl Bosweli, 1821 Gross Lane Concord, CA 94519 USA Mrs . Ina Mumberson, 17 Beatrice Place Avonhead, Christchurch 4 NEW ZEALAND National Agricul tu.ral Libra_ry, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Beltsville, MD 20705 USA Sr.irley Needham, Rt. 3 Hutchinson, KS 67501 USA Negishi, Hachiro, Torno Inst. of Arboriculture 526 Kido Tatebayashi, 374 JAPAN Mrs. Emily Eugene Nelson, 19269 Dehavilland Dr. Sarat:oga, CA 95070 USA Mrs. Elmer H. Nenon, 7 Court Place Chatam, VA 24531 USA The New Zealand Iris Soc., Inc. <· '=> Mrs . H.E. Collins R.D . #1 Tau.ranga, NEW ZEALAND l;ir. Samuel N. Norris, R.R.2 Owensboro, KY 42301 USA ~xs. Stayton Nunn, 6135 Sugar Hill Dr . Houston, TX 77057 USA Mr. Lee F. Nydegger, 88 Wes~ Broadway Salem, NJ 08079 USA Miss Marlene R. Odermatt, Route 5 Hiawatha, KS 66434 USA Gene Opton, 12 Stratford Read Berkeley, CA 94707 USA Mrs. Birdie Padavich, 12626 - 424th SE North Bend, WA 98045 USA Robert J, Parker, 2645 Longwood Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90016 USA Cathie Paull, 502 Murphy St. Murphysboro, IL 62966 USA S. Elisa Perleberg, Ostlandstr 20 A D2902 Rastede WEST GERMANY Mr. Wm. C. Phillips, 14001 Shady Oaks Drove Mabelvale, AR 72103 USA Dr. Thos.R.Pray, 4500 ~alos Verdes Dr. East Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90274 USA Dr. S.J.Preece, Dept. cf eotany University of Montana Missoula, MT 59812 , USA Mr. Lewis Prestage, 1700 Cottonwood Road Bakersfield, CA 93307 USA Robert Raabe, Delta County Iris Nursery Uralba Road, Ural ba via Alstonville N.S.W. 2477 AUSTRALIA Mr. Melvin Rademacher, 7708-64th Ave. N. Minneapolis, MN 55428 USA Mrs. ~aymond Ramsden, R.R.1 Box 77 Hewey, WI 53580 USA Patricia Randall, Route 1, Box 125 Bayard, NE 69336 USA Dean R. Reed, P.O. Box 126 Tonganoxie, KS 66086 USA Miss Thekla Reichstein, 14 Rowland Road Magill, Adelaide S.A. 5072 AUSTRALIA Mrs. Lorena M. Reid, 41886 McKenzie Highway Springfield, OR 97477 USA M,;.·s. Izetta M. Renton, 7160 North Fork Rd. S .E. Snoqualmie, WA 98065 USA Olive J. Rice, ·1914 Napa Ave. Berkeley, CA 94707 USA tfr . R.C . Richards, 1048 Circle Circle Chy Drive Corona, CA 91720 USA Bruce Richardson, 7249 Twenty Rd . E. R.R.#2 Hannon, Ont. LOR l PO · CANADA P.E. Richardson, 78 Thackeray St. Upper Hutt NEW ZEALAND G. Colin Rigby, 2087 Curtis Drive Penngrove, CA 94951 USA Mrs. Richard L Roach, 5280 SW 33rd Topeka, KS 66614 USA Allan Robinson, Greencourt Nurseries Crockenhill, Swanley, Kent ENGLAND Mrs. W. L. Robertson, 900 GYaysor1 St. Nocona, TX 76255 USA ~~s. C.C. Rickwell, Jr. , P.O. Box 70 r.entress, TX 78622 USA Mr. Michael Rogoyski, 85 Elgin Rd . Croyden CR06XO, Surrey, ENGLAND Mrs. Audrey C. Roe, 29130 Triunfo Drive Agoura, CA 91301 USA Katie Romero 5711 N. Rocking Road Scottsdale, AZ 85253 USA Herbert F. Rommel, 77 Bridge St. Newport, RI 02840 USA Mrs. Joe M. Routh, Sr. Rt. 8 l3ox 531 A Palestine, TX 75801 USA Henry C. Rowlan, 12 Ro.x::mry Drive Little Rock: ARK. 72209 USA Mrs . Orpha L. Salsman, 14016 - 8t:h Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98168 USA Selden C. Saur, 9210 U.S. 50 Hillsboro, OH 45133 USA Lawrence F. Sayre, P_.O. Box 338 Rough and Ready, CA 95975 USA Dieter Schleicher, Lillienstrasse 22 7022 Leinfelden WEST GERMANY Thomas Schnorf, 662 Billow Rd. San Diego, CA 92114 USA Dr. Jea~ Segui, 11, Rue du Ralais 11000 Ca~cassonne FRANCE Gus Seligman, 515 Townsend Terrace Las Cruces, NM 88001 Mr . Nigel Service, Bazaigue, Baladou 46600 Martel, Lot FRANCE Mrs. Rex Shanks, Jr. , 3006 Reba Drive Houston, TX 77019 · USA 1024 James H. Shivers, 164 Dudley Rd. Wilton, CT 06897 USA David Silverberg, 27 Spring Hill Drive Howell, N.J. 07731 USA Kenneth R. Simpson, 3741 Marseille Dr. Owensboro, KY 42301 USA M:rs. Thomas W. Simpwon, 200 Ridgemede Road Baltimore, MD 21210 USA Mr. David B. Sindt, 1331 West Cornelia Chigao, IL 60657 USA Samuel F. Sipe, Kinneagh, The Currah Co. Kildare EIRE Mrs. Colin Smith, 643 Santa Lucia Ave. Baywood Park Los Osos, CA 93402 USA Mr. Robert R. Smith, 2119 Parker St. Berkeley, CA 94704 USA Robertson V. Smith, Box 6 Orlando, OK 73073 USA Mrs. Wanda Williams Smith, 643 Santa Lucia Ave. Baywood Park ~os Qsos, CA 93402 USA Mrs. Bessie H. Smyth, 19 Wanda Way Martinez, CA 94553 USA Mr. and Mrs. Wm. F. Snell, Rt .1, Box 183 Outlook, WA 98938 USA Mrs. R.L. Sparrow, 16 Idris Road, Fendalton Qiristchurch 5 NEW ZEALAND Mrs. Caroline Spiller, P.O. Box 476 Kentfield, CA 94904 USA Mrs. R.G. Spoon, 4313 Maxlin Road Kettering, OH 45429 USA Mr. Pete Stadler, 940 W. Madison St. Pontiac, IL 61762 USA Dr. Harold L. Stahly, 8343 Manchester Dr. Grand Blanc, MI 48439 USA Frank L. Stephens, 4110 Shelby Amarillo,TX 79109 USA Dr. Sidney Stewart, 62, bd Saint Germain 75005 Paris FRANCE Mrs. Henry Storey, Rt.4 Huntington, IN 46750 USA Florence E. Stout, 150 N. Main St. Lombard, IL 60148 USA Kirk &Charlene Strawn, 1005 Ashburn College Station, TX 77840 USA Raymond Sutton, Jr., P. 0. Box 330 Williamsburg, KY 3-869 USA Helen W. Tarr, 820 Riedy Rd. Lisle, IL 60532 USA Mrs. Carolyn Taylor, Route #l Kingsley, PA 18826 USA Ms. Mary Taylor, Blue Spring Farm Moran Road Franklin, TN 37064 USA Mr.J.E. Tearington, 13902 S. Mannor Dr. Hawthorne, CA 90250 USA Mrs . Joe Terrill, Rt. 1, Box 26 Burlingame, KS 66413 USA Mr. Maynard K. Thaxter, 39330 Hwy, 53 Nehalem, OR 97131 USA Mrs. Sven I. Thoolen, 255 Manzanita Dr. Orinda, CA 94563 USA Mr •. Donald bf. Tousignant, 123 Basswood Drive Middletown, CT 06457 USA o Mr. Charles R. Trommer, 45 River Street Rehobeth, MA 02769 USA Mrs. Mary Tubbs, 9. Lingfield Road Wimbledon Connnon, London SW19 4QA ENGLAND Virginia Turner, 1712 Mosswood Circle West Sacramento, CA 95691 USA Dr. and Mrs. E.L. Valentine, 1750 Woodard Road Elma, NY 14059 USA Shirley A. Varmette, 203 ·Lakeview Terrace New Haven, CT 06515 USA Mr. Julius Wadekamper, 10078 154th Ave. Elk River, MN 55330 USA Anika L. Waldeck, Long's Peak Rt. Estes Park, CO 80517 USA Mrs. Ruby C. Walters, 7272 Union Deposit Road Humme l stown, PA 17036 USA Mrs. F.W.- Warburton, . 2 Warburton Lane Westboro, MA 01581 USA Mr . Bob Ward, 54 Belmont Drive Little Rock, AR 72204 USA Mrs. Gladys M Watson, Huihuitaha Rd . R.D. 1 Putaruru Sth Waikato NEW ZEALAND Elaine Weber · Route 1 .Hepler KS 66746 USA Leland Welsh, 1003 Newton Court Kalamazoo, MI 49008 USA Mrs. J.A. Blanco White, 72 South Hill Park London NW3 25N ENGLAND . Barbara B. Whitehouse, Wendy Shaw, 158 ' West Bacon St. Plainville, MA 02762 USA Mrs . Ruth S. Wilder, 2219 Matthews, S.E. Huntsville, AL 35801 USA Mrs. Robert F. Wilkins, Sr. 7536 Waupun Rd. Oshkosh,WI 54901 USA Mr . Anthony Willott, · 26231 Shaker Blvd. Beachwood, OH 44122 USA Mrs . Richard Wilson, 11500 Versailles Avenue, NE Albuquerque, NM 87111 USA Dr. V.L. Winkler,· 670 Pine Street Deerfield, IL 60015 USA Dr. J.C. Wister, 735 Harvard Ave. Swarthmore, PA 19081 USA Mrs . J.A. Witt, 16516 25th Ave., N.E. Seattle, WA 98155 USA John W. Wood , Rt.1 Box 290 Mooresboro, N.C . 28114 USA Ann Wright, P .0. Box 542 Hatch, NM 76837 USA Kathryn S. Wright, R.R.22, Box 329 Terre Haute, IN 47802 USA Mrs. Mary Wyss, 1413 S. Liberty Independence, MO 64055 USA Mrs. Paul L. Young, 20425 Avenue 21 Chowchilla, CA 93610 USA