Friends,
A few days ago, I sent the note below, asking for help finding a start of Iris trojana for a good fellow with whom I work at the Center for Historic Plants in Charlottesville, Virginia, and garnered immediate response.
I want to thank everyone who has sent me an offer of a clone of this plant, and most especially Janos Agoston, in Hungary whose response arrived here first, and moved me immensely with its cheerful generosity. Thank you, Janos, so much..
We may call on Janos for another project, after I find out what the import regulations would be on a live plant start. I asked Keppel and he said it was a real mess, depending on whether the incoming authorities knew a rhizome from a bulb. Is this other people's experience? Is anyone in the USA who is not in trade bringing in bearded iris rhizomes from Europe under permit or otherwise?
Anyway, it appears we will be able to round up starts of two at least two distinct clones here, and, if so, I will see if I can set my friend to sorting them out.
A question arose here about the "F" code in the name in a clone. As best I understand it, most of these codes can be traced to the publication The Eupogon Iris Species in Cultivation, published 1970 by the Median Iris Society, or other work of that Society, auctions and so forth. Generally speaking, the "F" codes mean Marc Simonet's collection, which is understood to be essentially the same as the Vilmorin collection. Most of this stuff was also part of Fitz Randolph's collection. He had several clones of trojana, including ones from Kew, Vienna, and Geneva. So, conceivably, if a plant is distributed under an F code, we have something that has some known provenace, if it meets the published description and, I guess, bears some resemblance to the Round watercolor in Dykes' book, although one as grown in California by an expert doesn't exhibit that degree of exuberant branching.
Again, please know that I am very grateful to all who answered my request for help. I appreciate your support, and your kind consideration.
Cordially,
Anner M. Whitehead
-----Original Message-----
From: ChatOWhitehall <ChatOWhitehall@aol.com>
To: iris-species <iris-species@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Mar 31, 2013 3:51 pm
Subject: [iris-species] Sourcing Iris Trojana
Ladies and gentlemen, if there is anyone on this list who is growing a clone of something believed to be Iris trojana, syn Iris "troyana", of resepectable provenance-- or knows someone else who has it-- and could spare a rhizome, would you please contact me privately?
I don't ask for myself, but for a colleague, a clergyman who has made an enormous contribution to the preservation of historic garden plants, and who simply wants it for his garden because of its association with a part of the world the flora of which he has made a special study. I've beaten the bushes I know, and failed, and thought I'd ask here.
Thank you.
Cordially,
Anner M. Whitehead
