Re: TB's ancestral species purple-based foliage.

In a message dated 97-01-10 19:24:10 EST, Lloyd Zurbrigg wrote:

<<  I did not answer the earlier request, because I do not know  anything
about
 the inheritance.  I can only say that I admire this trait, and think, (but
do
 not know) that it enhaces hardiness.  Some varieties have even had puarple
on
 the flower spathes, (old RAMESES, for one) >>

For those wishing to know the origin of purple at the base of the base of the
leaves of some irises, here is a quote from an article W. R. Dykes wrote in
1915:  "Early this year there came up in my garden here many shoots of a form
of this iris [Iris aphylla} from Ermihalyfalva in Hungary.  The deep
purple-violet tips of some of the young shoots were really an astonishing
sight, and these plants now retain their deep colour at the base.  Others
were less deeply coloured, while a few were wholly green....As far as I can
see, this colour at the base is a character unconnect with any other
character, and occurs both in this species and in I. variegata....."

Since we know that hybrids with either I. aphylla or I. variegata as one
parent tend to demonstrate great hybrid vigor, it would not seem surprising
that Mike Lowe's observation that irises with purple at the base of the
foliage tend to be very vigorous in the East. (And I agree with Mike's
observation.)   The purple probably means that the heritage from one of the
two aforementioned species is quite strong.  

Re Lloyd Zurbrigg's observation that some irises even have purple on the
spathe, this has been observed in some dwarf species.  But the origin in TB's
is probably from I. trojana, one of whose distinguishing features is spathe
valves flushed purple.  The Sass's made heavy use of I. trojana derivitives
in their breeding, thus the purple flushed spathes of RAMESES.    Clarence
Mahan in snow covered northern Virginia.
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