Re: aphylla hybrids

---

Nice to hear about others interested in I. aphylla.  Although I have only started working with it directly, I have a few hybrids involving it from Harald Mathes, which I am using in my aril program.  Looks like I need to get ahold of 'Dolce' for some further work.  I find the flower quite smart looking, as well as possibly being good for pinks in the aril-breds.  Does anyone know of a source in Europe?  Or for the yellow aphylla.  I know Harald had one, as he used it in the plants I am growing, but additional clones would be an asset.

Also, as the season is right, does anyone have any seed of I. pumila to spare?  I have two plants purchased as I. pumila, but neither go completely dormant in the Winter, so I have my doubts.

-- 
Jamie V.

____________ _________ __

Köln (Cologne)
Germany
Zone 8 

For the record I also am doing some breeding with aphylla, as well as 
some crosses with pumila, including some pumilla X aphylla  crosses 
which should bloom next year.

Some very neat things comming out of aphylla h-17, or as it has been 
registered Yellow Conundrum.

Lyn Markham has gotten some not-anthocyanin flowers first generation 
from a purple aphylla, but it is rare.

Also some plicatas will show up in unexpectadly high ratios in second 
generation

Chuck Chapman



Dear Bill: I am delighted to see another person interested in 
hybridizing with species. Brad Kasparek also has a hybridizing program 
involving aphylla as well as Stephanie Markham and Cindy Rust. The 
Craigs have done some fantastic work but in my mind have not been 
adequately recognized for all they have done.
 
If you are looking for immediate recognition this is not the path to 
take. New ideas have been always been scorned by the establishment. 
Years ago people discouraged ruffles and lace as deformities. Horned 
Iris are still dismissed by some purist. Over a decade ago I campaigned 
to created the category SPECX. Many still do not understand the goal of 
this class is to encourage innovation. It also allows
 every plant to 
come into the awards system. I am constantly explaining that it 
includes every hybrid iris and with the species Iris, all Iris fall 
within these two categories, all other classes are refinements and have 
narrower paradigms. Enough of my soapbox.
 
I hope to do some hybridizing with aphylla also. I have no goals that I 
am trying to develop but just interested in experimenting to try to 
understand the species and see what it may do. Like Cindy I intend to 
do some crosses with Arils and also MDBs to groups that I have a great 
fondness for.
 
If you are planning to use aphylla be aware that the species is quite 
variable. The common purple-flowered forms, often carry dominant genes 
for that color so that if you want to have a lot of color variation, 
you must seek out the white or paler purple forms. Another problem I 
have as a species advocate is that, when one uses a cultivar name 
people assume the plant is no longer a species. Cultivar names are the 
best way of distinguishing the different forms of a species but of 
course they are also used for hybrids. It drives me nuts that many 
species forms are disseminated under collection numbers like B-12 
instead of a legitimate cultivar name. A registered cultivar names 
provides an official reference to a description and other information 
whereas the numbers and letters often get lost or transposed.
 
I hope you are toleran
t of my rants. I am working on a project for 
SIGNA that will show how species are distributed throughout the 
country. If you would like to take part I will send you a one page 
survey.



The AIS registry shows: F175BB: (Northern Jewel x 91196A: (8864B: 
((Navy Waves x Bride's Halo) x sib) x C. Palmer aphylla sdlg.)) X 
B194C: (Abridged Version x 91135D: ((Centerfold x Wings of Dreams) x 
Birthday Gift)). Mid-America 2003.