Re: Naming Iris
- To: i*@Rt66.com
- Subject: Re: Naming Iris
- From: z*@isomedia.com
- Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 06:54:07 -0700
From: Scott Aitken <zebra@chcs.com>
>> how a hybridizer chooses a name for a cultivar of an iris.
>
>This _could_ turn into a lively discussion. There are probably at least
>as many
>ways as there are hybridizers.
My father (Terry Aitken) used to try to pick short names, because it was
easier to write on the plants than long names when he was filling orders.
:-)
One choice of a name that turned out to be somewhat controversial was an
Intermediate Bearded iris named "Hellcat" he introduced in 1983. This is
how he came up with the name: when I was a child, I used to like to build
model airplanes. One model I made was of a WWII US Navy fighter plane
called a Hellcat. It was painted light blue. The iris was named after the
model airplane because it was about the same color. At the time, it never
occurred to my dad that the name would be offensive to some. Despite the
unfortunate choice of a name, "Hellcat" eventually went on to win the Sass
Medal in 1990.
Now he is a little more careful of what he chooses for iris names, though. :-)
Scott Aitken
<zebra@chcs.com>
