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Numher48 Spring, 1992 dpecres 9u-is {jroup of CJtlno-~ s4neo-rn Spring, 1992 - Number 48 Officers and Executives Chairman ... ......................................... Colin Rigby, 2087 Curtis Drive, Penn grove, CA 94951 Vice Chairman ................................. Lee Welsh, 7979 \Vest D Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49009 Secretary ........................................... Florence Scout, 150 N. Main Street, Lombard, IL 60148 Treasurer ... .. ..................................... Robert Pries, 6023 Ancire Road, High Ridge, MO 63049 Seed Exchange .......................... Constance Hansen,. 1931 NW 33rd, Lincoln City, OR 97367 Robin Direll:or. .................................. Oot Hujsak, 3227 So. Fulton Avenue, Tulsa, OK 73145 Slides Chairman ................................ Helga Andrews, 11 Maple Avenue, Sudbury, MA 01776 Publication Sales ..................................... Alan McMurcrie, 22 Calderon Crescent, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada M2R 2E5 SIG NA Editor ................................................. Louis Fry, 4 Renata Court, Novato, CA 94947 Past President............................................ Elaine Hulbert, Route 3, Box 57, Floyd, VA 24091 Advisory Board ............................................ B. LeRoy Davidson, Jean Witt, Bruce Richardson Contents Chairman's message Colin Rigby ................................................................................................................... 1739 Zhao's Iris ofChina James W Waddick, Ed. .................................................................................................. 1740 Special pre-publication offering of Iris ofChina .................................................................. 1747 Spuria Irises Mary Craven ................................................................................................................. 1748 Swamp Landscaping Kathy Millar .................................................................................................................. 1751 Sources of Iris florentina jean \Vi'tt ....................................................................................................................... 1751 The Clough Family Ben Hager ..................................................................................................................... 1752 Revision of the Series Unguiculares Aaron P. Davis and Stephen L. Jury ................................................................................1754 Latin Revisited Ben Hager ..................................................................................................................... 1763 Iris Distribution in Canada jean Witt ...................................................................................................................... 1764 Miscellaneous Notices ......................................................................................................... 1765 Editorial ............................................................................................................................. 1766 Iris from the International Checklist for Hyacinths and Miscellaneous Bulbs (conclu.sion) ................................................................................................................... 1767 1739 CHAIRMAN' s MESSAGE -COLIN RIGBY- Wirh this issue, Louis Fr)' has raken over the job of ediror of the SIG A publication. Afi:er almost eight years, Joan Cooper asked ro be relieved as editor. \'(/e extend a hcarr-felr rhank you ro her from us all for a job well done. Joan has nor retired ro resr on her laurels, but is one of che busy ream working on the species checklist now in progress. We welcome Louis as ed iror and ask that you send your articles and iris notes and observations ro him at 4 Renata Court, Novara, CA 94947. A sociery's publication is its most important asset, its direct link to its membership, and no article or comment is ever roo small or insignificant. SIGNA's publicacion has always been first rate. and thanks ro ics excellent past edirors who have gathered and arranged the infor mation, one we can all be jusrly proud of. Thank you for extending ro Louis the same interest and cooperation you have extended in rhe past. We are pleased to announce char beginning next year, awards for species and species-related irises will be incorporated into the A.IS sys rem of awards. There will be cwo awards; the Founders of SIG NA award for species irises and the Randolph-Perry Award for incer- and inrra-relared species hybrids. This is a significant achievement and can only help ro further inceresr and preservation of rhe irises everybody "wanes ro leave behind:' There is much work robe done and it will be some rime before awards for these irises become commonplace, but we have made a strong beginning. Expect ro hear much more about chis exciring new venrure in rhe furure. The American Plant Preservarion Council is just getting under way. The APPC is modeled after the very successful National Council for rhe Conservation of Planes and Gardens in Britain. The APPC hopes to preserve planes of all types for education, research, and dissemination ro nurseries and garden ers, and expects chat APPC plane colleccions will be set up in the U.S. and Canada by botanical gardens, universities, special ist nurseries, and incerested individual gardeners. For informarion concact the APPC, clo Barry Glick, Route 5, Renick, WV 24966 (telephone (304) 497-3163). Spring has arrived here and with it the beginning of a new year of bloom, seed sec, planting, and ger mination. The exciremenc of discovering new things. We hope you all have a Founders of SIG NA or a Randolph-Perry Award iris rucked away in a corner of your garden somewhere. 'Back Issues All back issues, from Number 1 co che curren t, are available for s2.oo each, which includes postage. Also available is che Species Iris Scudy Manual for s5.oo. Send orders ro our Publications Chairman, Alan McMumie ar 22 Calderon Crescent, Willowdale, Ontario, Canada M2R 2£5. Please make checks payable ro SIGNA. 1740 ZHAo's Iris in China -Dr. James W. Waddick, Ed.- In May ofI99I Prof Zhao Yu-tang visited the United Stam to attend the Annual lvfeeting ofthe American Iris Society in Washington, D. C. He prepared a paper on "Iris in China" that proved too extensive robe pre sented in its entirety. Major portions were excerpted for handouts, but the entire fascinating account has not been given its proper presentation. A shortened spoken presentation was given to meetings in Washington, D. C.; California; Missouri; Michigan and Washington. I have obtained Prof Zhao's original nous for the total talk and present them below with some slight editing, revision and nous. The text has been reviewed by Prof Zhao and it is essentially all his. Notes are preienred at the end ofthe text. Following the text are rhree illustrations that accompanied the section "Iris in Ancient China''. ft is hoped that these nous prepared for spoken presemarion will be ofsome use ro imeresred irisarians.-Dr. James \\1/. W'addick Iris in China-by ZHAo Yu-TANG Ladies and Gentlemen: First I am glad to attend chis meeting to encourage communication becween all iris interests and ir is a good chance for me to learn more knowledge of iris from friends who have the same hobby as I. Thanks to the SIGNA Chairman, Mr. Colin Rigby, for giving me a chance to talk and especially thanks co Dr. James W. Waddick, for having spenc a lot of time to arrange this trip for me co visit your beautiful councry. As you have heard my English is rather poor; always making some mistakes. I have had co choose the simplest words in my calk co scare some complicated problems. I cannot express my ideas dearly: pardon me, please.1 China has been called che "Mocher of Gardens" because che plane resources are very rich-about thirty thousand species-while only about one-tench of chem have been collected and introduced inco horticulture in che West. Some loved garden planes are native to China including many iris species such as Iris rectorum (Roof Iris). I. bulleyana (Hollowstem Iris), I. forrestii (Forrest Iris), /. chrysographes (Gold Vein Iris), and/. ensara (Sword Iris).2 All occupy an important position in the world of horticulture. In China, most horciculcuriscs concencrace mainly on the azalea, camellia, chrysanthemum, plum, peony, ere. and less on the irises. The research and use of iris is very backward in China.3 The iris is pronounced "Yuan Wei" in China and chis means "rail of the kite" and gees ics common name from the shape of che leaves.4 Iris in Ancient China 1) In the third century a.c. a book named "Er Ya", a dictionary of the terms used in the Chinese clas sics, including many botanical terms. Ir recorded and narrated the ~ "Bing": it is the Chinese iris, /. lacua. This may be the earliest record of Iris in cheworld. "\,t C\c.,_,,·<- 1 ~..., 2) In 220 A.O., the Han Dynasty book named:f•f Qf' if, a scripture of medicinal plants by Shen Nung.5 This work by an early myrhical Chinese ruler is known only by its numerous references in Chinese literature. Ir mentioned three species-/. tecrorum, I. lactea and Belamcanda chinensis (Blackberry Lily). 3) ''Maccria Medica with Commentaria" by Li Shi-ihen published in 1590 A.O. This is the most famous of numerous Chinese herbals. Ir also mentioned the same three species. 4) "The Mirror of Flowers" is an early horticultural dictionary published in r612 A.D. Ir called che Roof Iris "che violet"; another name is "top of wall weed:' All refer co Iris rectorum, the epithet 'tectorum'