Iris variegata and I. virginica

In a message dated 96-07-30 17:05:26 EDT, you write:

>The surprise came with the third plant.  It turned out to be a papery white 
>with violet dots ont he lower standards and violet lines on the falls.  
>Mathews records a form which is "whitish ground colour to the falls and 
>standards which are both violet-veined".  My standards are dotted not 
>veined.  He claims that this form is still in cultivation in the UK, having 
>originated in Jogoslavia.  Tambeerg, at the MASS meeting, told me that a 
>similar form is often shown in Germany.
>
>I would be interested to hear from anyone growing I. variagata and whether 
>they have a violet (double recessive ??) form>
>
>2. I am also interested in learning whether anyone has a very pale cream 
>form of I. virginica, which I received as Gerald Darby.  It certainly does 
>not match the bluish-purple flowers described in Phillips and Rix Vol. 1.
>
>I would be grateful for any help that you can give me on these two issues.

Ian, Thank you for retransmitting this message to me.  I had meant to respond
earlier.  You forced me to pull out my copy of Mathew, and on page 37 I read
what you made reference to.  My reading of what Mathew writes causes me to
question whether Mathew himself actually saw the white, blue veined
form...note he says "There are also on record...".  And although he descibes
one such form (syn. I. reginae) as still in cultivation in Britain, there is
no indication that he has actually seen it.  So I would not rule out that the
form you have may be the one Mathew mentions.

Dykes wrote that I. lepida,Heuffel in Flora XXXVI. p.621, collected in 1842
in neighborhood of Grebenac in Banat, with inflated herbaceous spathes and
white flowers with violet-veined falls, is probably form of I. variegata.
Also, the cultivar INNOCENZA (Lemon 1854) is usually considered to be a white
form of I. variegata.  It does have some slight purple veining, and has also
been called "Iris variegata alba."  I don't have any of the other white
variegatas, but I do grow INNOCENZA.  

Hang on to your white variegata, and when you get enough I would like to get
a piece ti compare with INNOCENZA.   I would also suggest you send a piece to
Jean Witt, who is probably the most knowledgeable expert on variegata forms.
 In fact, she used to have I. reginae...don't know if she still does.

Re your cream virginica...I used to have a white form, but I can't recall if
it had cream overtones.  There is a white form in commerce.  Imagine Melody
Wilhoit has it (Redbud Gardens) in Illinois.  Thank you, Ian, for telling us
about these items. Cheers, Clarence Mahan in VA
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