Hi Loïc,
About CLOWN PANTS' parents... as I usually do pollinations, I
had removed the standards and the falls of Iris variegata and applied pollen
that I'd frozen from Iris suaveolens var. mellita. So I am fairly certain
about the parentage. However, I didn't cover that bloom... so
theoretically... an insect could have also added pollen. Only one of the
resulting seeds germinated and grew to maturity. My shadow of a doubt comes
from that slight chance of an insect contamination coupled with a comment
someone had made on one of the forums. When I first was posting pictures of
CLOWN PANTS, before it even had a name, someone commented that it looked like
just another variation of Iris variegata to them and asked if I was really
sure of the parentage.
The flower color most likely was what triggered that
comment. I had also expected that the variegata color pattern would be hidden
by the anthocyanin (self-type) color of the mellita clone, just as it has been
in these recent two variegata X rubromarginata seedlings. It is possible
though, that the rubromarginata I'm now using is homozygous for the rusty
reddish-purple while CLOWN PANTS' father (mellita) might have been
heterozygous (a carrier of the pale yellow color). My conjecture is that this
pale yellow might allow the variegata pattern to be seen. Maybe I'll get an
answer to this theory someday. But a different clone of rubromarginata
(assumedly heterozygous for flower color) gave me 50/50 (amoenas/purple selfs)
when crossed with KUPARI (white pallida). So half suaveolens seedlings CAN
certainly be free of anthocyanin in their standards.
Flower color aside...
if that person could have also seen the growth habit, flowering season and
flower-form of CLOWN PANTS, they might not have made that comment. It is
definitely something different from a pure Iris variegata.
Still, that
comment has stuck in my head all these years. And as always, I like to be
nearly 100% sure that a hybrid is what I intended before I make strong claims
about parentage. After seeing how many offspring of CLOWN PANTS have shown
traits of suaveolens by having reverted back in one way or another (for
example: height or narrow tucked falls), I am fairly confident now that my
doubts have been unnecessary. It still would be nice to recreate the original
cross exactly, to see a whole batch of variegata X mellita seedlings.
Unfortunately I no longer have either parent clone, so seedlings like these
recent four variegata X rubromarginata are as close as I can do right
now.
It's funny how one comment from a skeptic can have such a lasting
effect on someone... but in summary, I'm pretty darn sure now that CLOWN PANTS
is what it's supposed to have been all along ;0)
Best wishes,
Tom
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From:
"loic tasquier"
"as a confirmation or proof that CLOWN PANTS' parentage is
correct"
so you are not 100% sure of Clown's Pants parents ?
