Re: SPEC: Color Reversions and ELSIE CROUCH DILTZ
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: SPEC: Color Reversions and ELSIE CROUCH DILTZ
- From: B* S* <B*@hsc.edu>
- Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 13:43:45 -0600 (MDT)
>As I understand it at least one case of this is documented in bearded irises.
>Clarence Mahan observed that one part of a plant of I. florentina--now
>considered a white form of the purple I. germanica-- in his garden had changed
>to purple. The presumption is that this was a reversion.
This could indeed have been a case of reversion--or of a mutation to a
purple form similar to the supposed ancestor. It would be a reversion if
the normal purple coloration were blocked in some way by a "gene for
white." If a mutation then disabled this gene, the original purple color
would be restored.
However, one case of possible reversion observed among thousands and
thousands of irises grown and carefully examined around the world is not
the same as the supposed general phenomenon of "all my irises turned white."
I remain very skeptical of the observations leading to these suggestions...
Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@hsc.edu>
