AB/TB: ??that's the question

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I've been posting seedlings that have been pretty nice. So I thought I'd
post one of my curiosity crosses. Abysmal blooms, but fascinating to me.
The cross here is FRIENDSHIP X (ROSEMOHR x ESTHER, THE QUEEN). Results
should likely have been TBs. But are they? FRIENDSHIP and ROSEMOHR are the
type of iris that were disenrolled as ABs. At one time they would have been
called 1/8 arilbred due to their ancestry. With the manner of chromosomes
matching, that would mean they had NO kinship with the arilbred ancestor.
That's a startling concept, though I understand how it comes about. As a
backyard dauber, I come up with theories and 'what ifs' and actually pursue
them if the iris will cooperate. Also, I'm working more for plant structure
than blooms and here these plants are not so abysmal. Right now I'm
wondering if things work altogether quite the way we think they do. Note
the lines around the beard. Those markings are typical of a great many TB X
AB seedlings. So far the four that have bloomed show that. One also has
larger styles. So the question is whether I'm being faked out or is there
really lingering aril genes showing here. None are producing any pollen -
also typical of many OGB- blooms. The growth is good and typical of many
from the OGB- type cross. As plants, they have never looked like TB plants.
The next step is to see if any will set a pod and try to grow something to
bloom size. No telling how many generations it might take to get back to a
decent bloom, but this kind of daubing is what I really enjoy.

Donald Eaves
donald@eastland.net
Texas Zone 7b, USA

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