Re: Louisiana swamps

From: "Patrick O'Connor" <swamp@ix.netcom.com>

Bill, your experience that some Louisianas go dormant no matter what and
others do not is the same as mine.   The tets do not tend to go dormant as
much as the diploid hybrids as a group.  

I believe you are right about the absence of I. hexagona in the Louisiana
hybrids.  Until fairly recently, people seemed to think that I. hexagona
occurred in Louisiana and there are probably older registered hybrids that
identify parents assumed to be hexagona.  Some stands of irises in northern
Louisiana, away from the giganticaerulea populations along the coast, are
shorter, and hence it was concluded that they were hexagonas.  Now, it
seems to be accepted that they represent variation among the
giganticaeruleas.  Who knows what the prevalent view will be in years
ahead.  How much simpler it would be if these things had been properly
labeled in the wild.

At 11:04 AM 8/12/98 -0400, you wrote:
>From: BILLS@hsc.edu (Bill Shear)
>
>Thanks, Patrick, for setting me straight about the Louisiana swamps and the
>habitats of the various Louisiana species.  Here in VA our swamps DO dry
>out each summer (or have in recent memory) and most of the plants there go
>dormant for the summer.  My experience with LA iris is that some go dormant
>no matter wht you do and others struggle on even in the absence of extra
>watering.
>
>Mark, I would bet that what you are seeing is I. hexagona.  Gigantacaerulea
>is not known from Florida, though I suppose some might escape cultivation.
>I found wild hexagona around Gainesville 25 years ago and transplanted some
>to my garden there, where it thrived.  Curiously (and I think I'm right
>about this), hexagona has not played much if any role in the production of
>LA hybrids.  Might be interesting to try it and see if more
>Florida-adaptable hybrids result.
>
>Bill Shear
>Department of Biology
>Hampden-Sydney College
>Hampden-Sydney VA 23943 USA
>bills@hsc.edu
>804-223-6172
>fax 804-223-6387
>
>
>
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