Re: white iris

From: z88keys@mindspring.com (L.Zurbrigg)

>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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Dear Glenn: As a previous answer stated, a true albino iris has no color in
the leaves, and thus dies when it has used up the food stored in the seed.
The most typical TB white flower is a dominant gene that inhibits the
anthocanin (purple color) from expressing itself. (Snow Flurry etc.)
MATTERHORN has always been considered a recessive white, (from plicata
lines), and there are probably others such as the glaciatas previously
mentioned. I do not believe that there is anything about whites that should
make them more vulnerable, per se. Indeed, there was discussion a few
months ago about all the irises in certain gardens "turning white",
suggesting surely that they were the hardiest types.  Lloyd Zurbrigg ,
Durham,NC  Z88KEYS@mindspring.com



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