Re: white iris

From: Glenn Simmons <glsimmon@swbell.net>



John I Jones wrote:

> From: John I Jones <jijones@ix.netcom.com>
>
> There are albino irises, and yes they do die off very quickly *BUT* an albino
> is defined as an iris with no chlorophyl, not an iris with white flowers. The
> leaves of an albino would be white (no chlorophyl) and without the ability to
> generate food from sunlight (and soil nutrients) for the mother rhizome to
> make increases. So it dies out, would never be introduced.
>
> Irises with white flowers are a different story. Green leaves mean chlorophyl
> and they can increase etc. White flowers come in two basic forms. The first,
> referred to as glaciatas, have inhibitors that repress the expression of
color.
>
> The other form are flowers that lack color pigment. I do not remember if they
> are given a special name. Anybody know? Anyway they just lack color
> pigmentation.
>
> There are lots of great whites on the market. Bill Maryott has a '97 named
> TOUCHED BY ANGELS heavily ruffled absolutely pure white with white beards, no
> evidence of any color other than white and Arctic Express (Gatty '96) heavily
> budded and branched white with broad form and ruffles.
>
> No as to why Linda keeps losing white irises, I think we have to look to other
> causes. Does she always grow them in the same place? Have irises been growing
> there for a long time. Are they getting enough sun? and so forth.
>
> John

Maybe I shouldn't have used the word "albino."  That is however the word that
was
used in describing the white iris blooming out and dying.  Also in the
discussion
of white iris the word albino was being used to describe the bloom not the
foliage.  A bloom that lacked any color but white.  The two iris you mentioned
above both have yellow in the throat.  So in this regard they do not meet the
criteria for totally white.

There have been some good and thoughtful responses made on this subject so far
but
I do not feel the question has been answered yet.  The statement made to us was
"a
totally white iris, lacking any color in the bloom but white, will bloom out and
die.  All totally white irises have done so!"  This is what we were told.  Since
Linda is so partial to whites she is after me to ask you all out there if this
statement is true.

Thanks, Glenn

Glenn & Linda Simmons
Springfield, Southwest Missouri, USDA Zone 6
g*@swbell.net



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