Re: Sweet Lena (was: Hi Ruth)

Nicki Shay wrote:
> 
> Several years ago, I wrote a little note to Iris-L - when I was on the
> list before, and remarked about Sweet Lena being such a fragrant sweetie,
> and several of the fellows on the list jumped all over me - and acted
> quite insulting - and not at all interested in this beauty - so I dropped
> it - and dropped off the list almost at the same time.

Nicki,

I remembered the discussions about Sweet Lena from the previous threads,
and went back to refresh my memory. I am sorry that some unkind
individuals leaped on you. I don't specifically recall that, but they
may have done so privately rather than expose themselves to the light of
day of the list.

I pulled up Clarence Mahan's post on the subject because I think it is a
reasonable summary of the controversy of Sweet Lena. I grow it for the
scent, I find the flower old fashioned, but clean in appearence.


Someone wrote:
> >Sweet Lena has been 
> >identified as Pallida Androfertila - and was so identified by Tira 
> >Nursery in Israel (per Holland's ad in April 1996 Bulletin, Page 114)

And Clarence responded:
 
> Please believe me when I say that no one is angry about you bringing this
> subject up...I am sure that others who have commented on it are as grateful
> as I am.  This is an interesting subject that requires some attention.  And
> you are absolutely right about what the issue is...it involves AIS
> registration policies.  I certainly don't blame Mr. Holland for applying for
> registration...but his application should have been denied, or at least until
> people knowledgeable on historic irises had a chance to grow it and compare
> it to historic cultivars. 
> 
> Reference Tira Nursery identifying this cultivar as " I. pallida
> androfertila," I can find no reference to such an iris in any of the
> literature.  This appears to be a spurious name, without validity. 
> 
>  "Androfertilia" simply means "male fertile."  Iris pallida is fertile both
> ways, so what in the world would such a term as "I. pallida androfertila"
> mean?  It would seemingly mean that it is not a true clone of I. pallida,
> because a clone which was not female fertile would not be a true form of the
> species.   I am sure Tira Nursery is a reputable firm, but I seriously doubt
> the expertise of their staff when it comes to identifying iris species forms,
> other than perhaps Oncocylus species.  
> 
> Your point about this information being in an ad in the AIS Bulletin is a
> good point...but even though Tira Nursery identified this iris as Iris
> pallida androfertila, as the ad says,  does not make Tira's Nursery's
> identification a correct identification.  As I said above, the name seems to
> be a non sequitur, i.e. nonsense.  
> 
> Someone, commented that some people are not interested in names, just
> interested in beautiful irises.  If you are interested in getting the plant
> you are paying for, or the iris you want, you should be interested in proper
> names and in supporting the registration system and rules.  
> 
> Before there was an iris registration system several different cultivars were
> sold under the same name.  Some nursery would see a lavender blue iris and
> decide it looked just like the PALLIDA DALMATICA that Mrs. Jones had...they
> would then tack the name PALLIDA DALMATICA on the iris and sell it under that
> name. (Had they identified the cultivar correctly by its proper name, which
> might be OLD RAGGEDY IRIS, they could get $1.00...but having renamed it
> PALLIDA DALMATICA they now got $6.00 for it. )  Sometimes the same name was
> given by different breeders to several different irises...thus when you
> bought a BLACK PRINCE you might get one of 5 or 6 different irises...I hope
> this explains why names and registration are important..  
> 
> Clarence Mahan in VA, who believes names are important.
> 



John                     | "There be dragons here"
                         |  Annotation used by ancient cartographers
                         |  to indicate the edge of the known world.

John Jones, jijones@ix.netcom.com
Fremont CA, USDA zone 8/9 (coastal, bay) 
Max high 95F/35C, Min Low 28F/-2C average 10 days each
Heavy clay base for my raised beds.
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