Re: Germination of Iris foetidissima
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: Germination of Iris foetidissima
- From: b*@tiger.hsc.edu (Bill Shear)
- Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 13:40:53 -0700 (MST)
Foetidissima is weedy here in the woodland. It seems to thrive on the hot,
humid summers. However the evergreen foliage can take a hit when (as
happened this weekend) temperatures fall to near zero. It does well in
very heavy shade, self-seeding around the woods.
One clump which planted itself in the open seemed to "sunburn" and then
rotted away.
Also I see a good deal of variation since the original plants from SIGNA
seed were "yellow" and "blue" and these seem to have crossed to produce
quite a number of unusual shades.
Foetidissima looks like a spuria to me and also produces a lot of nectar
like spurias. I know it is now thought to be a parent of Holden Clough,
but what else has it crossed with? I tried its pollen on some spurias last
summer and got only balloon pods.
Best wishes, Bill
___________________
William A. Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943 USA
phone (804) 223-6172
FAX (804) 223-6374
