Anthocyanins are a family of pigments. Delphinidin is one member of that family. It refers to the basic molecular structure. There are several attachment points for various sugar and hydroxal molecules, leading to many different forms of delphinidin.
No chain of dominance and many forms can be present in same flower.
This is without considering all the modifiers and co-pigments.
But by far the biggest factor that we need to consider in iris flowers is the AVI effects. That is the form where delphinidin clumps into a protein complex and makes for dark globules inside vacuole. This is where we change flowers from being lavender-blue, into purple and provide basis for black flowers.
For interest sake, consider that Daylilies have delphinidin, but they just can't get "Blue" daylilies. Only lavender and purple.
Of course we always have some other pigments present. And these change appearance of the colour in the flower.
Also is the effects of ph in cell sap in vacuole. This can be of immense importance.
While a lot of research has been done on pigments, (the chemistry that is ) very little has been done on how these pigments translate into flower colour.
All things considered, the particular form of delphinidin present would not likely make a lot of difference in most cases.
One exception is the "floridor" form of delphinidin, which is named after the cultivar Floridor . This provided a slate-blue- gray shade.
Chuck Chapman
---- Original Message ----
From: Linda Mann <lmann@lock-net.com>
To: iris-photos <iris-photos@yahoogroups.com>; iris <iris@hort.net>
Sent: Thu, Sep 8, 2011 7:50 am
Subject: [iris-photos] Re: HYB: pigment (was sdlng from Pink Formal etc)
To refresh my memory (or more honestly, to put something <in> my
memory), I'm going back thru the archives reading up on delphinidin -
it's spelled differently by different posters, so thought I'd share this
tip - search for <delphin> with whole word match turned off.
Chuck, there's a post from you back in 2005 that says, in part,
<The anthocyanin colour in pallida is a lighter tone,
more lavender then the anthocyanin seen in other iris species. It is
still a
form of delphinium but has different sugar and hydroxyl attachments etc.>
Do you know if more is known now about how the various forms of
delphinium/idin/in? Can only one form of anthocyanin be present at a
time? Is there a sequence of dominance?
Linda Mann east TN USA zone 7