Don't Miss Reblooming Iris Recorder

I have received word that the Fall-Winter issue of the REBLOOMING IRIS
RECORDER, which has been a bit delayed, will be coming out any day.  You do
not want to miss this, so if you are not now a member of the Reblooming Iris
Society I suggest you part with a few bucks and join this admirable group and
get the REBLOOMING IRIS RECORDER.

I have heard through the grapevine that a new editor has just been found for
the RECORDER and is already working on the Spring issue.  So by joing the
Reblooming Iris Society now one will get two issues of the RECORDER in the
period of just a couple of month.  Mike Lowe mentioned an article that he
reviewed for the Spring issue that he thought might be of interest to list
members. Facts and secrets are revealed about a little-known iris species.
 Here are some quotes from that article: 

"The irises which revolutionized tall bearded iris breeding came from Asia.
 These are, of course, the 48 chromosome irises which taxonomists, uncertain
as to their proper treatment, rather cavalierly  lump under Iris germanica.
The most important of these for iris breeding have been Ii. trojana,
mesopotamica, and cypriana and the cultivar AMAS.  Soon after these irises
were crossed with garden cultivars having Ii. pallida and variegata as their
genetic base, the first tall bearded irises to deserve being called cold
climate remontant cultivars started to appear, e.g. AUTUMN KING (H. P. Sass,
1924).  The role of the Asiatic irises in the development of the remontant
trait in tall bearded irises can hardly be doubted, whether that trait is
attibutable to heterosis or some other genetic factor or factors not yet
understood....    

"There are other pogoniris from Asia which have not been used much in
breeding programs.  In the case of at least one of these, I, albertii, I
wonder why not?  I especially wonder why it has not been used more widely in
breeding programs for remontant irises because its potential for producing
reblooming iris hybrids has been known since the time of Dykes. 

"Of the various pogoniris native to Asia, I. albertii has received relatively
little attention, and is not widely grown in the West even today...."

The remainder of the article presents the "little known facts and secrets".
 Clarence Mahan in VA  CEMahan@aol.com
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