TB's ancestral species
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: TB's ancestral species
- From: S* M* <7*@CompuServe.COM>
- Date: Tue, 7 Jan 1997 09:49:56 -0700 (MST)
Graham Spencer wrote:
: Okay - back to the hardiness discussion of a few weeks ago - I postulated a
: theory that those TBs with a purple base to the foliage performed better in
: cold climates. As I recall, nobody came forward to confirm or deny this based
: on their own experience.
I was hoping to hear from some of our TB experts on this one, because I don't
have the definitive answer, either. I, too, had heard the old hybridizer's tale
that the purple flush is a sign of cold-hardiness because it comes from the
northern species. In the arils, there's some truth to it -- the purple flush is
characteristic of the regelia species.
For the TBs??? Well.... Here's what I compiled when I was trying to analyze
the characteristic in some of my arilbred breeding stock. It does include some
shorter species that have contributed to the modern TB gene pool, but I make no
claim that the list is complete. Anyone who thinks of other ancestral species
-- PLEASE post them....
I. alberti Diploid from Asia
I. albicans Tetraploid from the Mediterranean
I. amoena Diploid from the Balkans, now thought to be a form of I.
variegata
I. balkana Diploid from the Balkans, now thought to be a form of I.
reichenbachii
I. cengialtii Diploid from the Balkans
I. croatica Tetraploid from the Mediterranean
I. cypriana Tetraploid from the Mediterranean
I. flavescens Diploid from the Balkans, probaby a form of I. variegata.
I. kashmiriana Tetraploid from the Mediterranean
I. mesopotamica Tetraploid from the Mediterranean
I. neglecta Not a true species but a diploid hybrid of I. variegata and I.
pallida.
I. pallida Diploid from the Balkans.
I. plicata An old name for the albino form of I. pallida.
I. reichenbachii Diploid from the Balkans
I. trojana Tetraploid from the Mediterranean
I. variegata Diploid from the Balkans
But which have purple-based foliage? Dykes mentions it as a prominent trait of
I. variegata, which is one of the more northern species, but most species
descriptions do not include any information about the presence or absence of a
purple base. Has it also been observed in the Mediterranean species? TWOI
says purple-based foliage is dominant over green-based foliage. In that case,
have our modern iris evolved too far from their species origins for PBF to be a
reliable indicator?
Sharon McAllister (73372.1745@compuserve.com)
Snowed in, in Southern New Mexico
