Guessing names

     If you do not know the identity of an Iris, please don't guess the
name, label it as such, and put it in the sale.  It is very discouraging to
new members to purchase these plants, raise them, have bloom, enter the
bloomstalks into the show only to have them disqualified for being
misnamed.  Plants of unknown name should be given as bonuses or sold for a
lower price.
     I do know that plants might end up being misnamed accidentally. 
Rhizomes can get mixed up various ways, or the plant may have been
unknowingly misnamed when purchased.  This happened to me once.  I
purchased an Iris labeled STATEN ISLAND back during the mid 1980's.  Later,
I entered in the show under that name and got ribbons for it.  I started
wondering about the accuracy of the name when I was looking through some
1950's Iris Catalogs.  In these Catalogs, I saw a distinctly different
(from mine) Iris labeled as STATEN ISLAND.  To clear things up, I turned to
Phil Edinger of HIPS.  He was able to identify my plant as LORELEY.  
     I then started notifying everyone I had shared this Iris with that it
was misnamed, and that the real name is LORELEY.  I think I have reached
everyone I shared it with.  
     All this adds up to saying is:  don't guess the name of an Iris.  You
may be contributing to the spread of an improperly identified plant. 
However, it is not your fault if the plant was misnamed when you got it.  

Mark A. Cook
macook@iglou.com
Lexington, KY     USDA Zone 5/6    Sunset Zone 35
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