Re: PCNs and Missouriensis

From: John I Jones <jijones@ix.netcom.com>

JForte21@aol.com wrote:
> 
> From: <JForte21@aol.com>
> 
> Hi All,
> My husband just got back from a fishing trip up around Arnold, California and
> he said he saw some PCNs that were bright yellow gold, like those yellow gold
> nasturtiums.  Any idea what species these could be?

Hi Mary,

Arnold is in Calavaras Co, but right on the border of Tuolumne. So going by
the distributions specified in A GUIDE TO SPECIES IRIS  (BIS) the following
are candidates based distribution and general color. All are Californicae (PCNs)

I. hartwegii Baker

I. hartwegii Baker, subsp. columbiana Lenz

I. macrosiphon Torrey


I. douglasiana also has yellow forms and grows in a very wide range of
conditions, but is much less likely to occur naturally so far inland.

But then this is all just "book learn'in"

> Another question:  My mother-in-law won an I. missouriensis at the national
> convention and gave it to me.  So I put it in the ground under an oak tree
> where it won't get much summer water, but many of the leaves have turned
> yellow/brown.  Do I water it or not?  I really want it to live.  My climate is
> very very dry and hot during the summer.


This same reference has the following to say about I. missouriensis:

Cultivation
Essentially, these plants should only be moved in the growing season. There
seems
to be a preference for fairly heavy, loamy, slightly alkaline soils. Although
they
are not fully evergreen, there is a tendency to produce new leaves during the
winter, which may indicate that they are unsuited to very cold climates. In
general,
too, they require plenty of water in the growing season and good drainage
against
a wet winter.

Observations
This series does not have a consistent distribution over its known area and
local
forms have achieved distinctive appearance with variations in flower colour,
stem
length and behaviour which are easily recognised by gardeners. In fact, it is a
classic example of the need to retain a flexible approach to what constitutes a
species. In addition, yellow-flowered and albino forms have been recorded.
Unfortunately, the various forms hybridise indiscriminately... Allegedly named
forms are in circulation, but should be regarded as unreliable without a
detailed history.

Hopefully someone with hands on experience will have some good words to add. 

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, California, USA, Earth, 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.
There are currently 83 Iris pictures on my Website. Visit me at:
http://members.home.net/jijones

Subscribe to iris-talk at:

http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/iris-talk

------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, or to change your subscription
to digest, go to the ONElist web site, at http://www.onelist.com and
select the User Center link from the menu bar on the left.
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index