Cloning, Wide Crosses, spontenae.
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Cloning, Wide Crosses, spontenae.
- From: E*@aol.com
- Date: Fri, 14 Mar 1997 16:53:10 -0700 (MST)
>From John Coble, Michigan, Zone 5.
Sorry folks, this is about iris. May be off topic ;-)
Sharon Ruck asked about cloning iris. As in tissue culture with orchids.
Siberian iris have been tissue cultured by Klehms. They needed enough stock
to support color photos in their catalog. They used the flower stalk. Cut
thin waiffers at the nodes....agar solutions, etc.....1000 plants in one
year. The Iris Connoisseurs of Michigan had their head lab technition as a
speaker several years ago.
We thought about tissue culture when we got a phone call wanting to know
where to get 20,000 divisions of one variety of Japanese iris for a
landscaping job! We inquired. Cost would run about $1.25 per tissue culture
plantlette! Then field grow them for one year without any losses. Bulk
buyers want them for less than $2.00! Enough said?
Keith: Re I. ensata spontanea variegata.
I. ensata spontanea is used by some (few) to denote the wild "type" of
JI.
I. ensata ensata is used (scientific papers) to denote the modern hybrid
form (type).
So far there are no known modern forms of JI with variegated foliage.
Want to work on it, but need to find more time. Our initial crosses gave
only a few unstable variegations and lots of albino seedlings (death). All
sdlgs. looked just like the species parent. The species form and color is
very dominant.
Re: Wide Cross? Clarence gave an example of what I consider a wide Out
cross. To me, a wide cross in between two species with very different
chromosome counts, i.e. versicolor x ensata or pseudacors x ensata, etc.
(and if someone could cross a pallida with ensata, that would be a Far Out
cross ! ;-)
Jill Copeland (here near Kalamazoo) has registered and is introducing
this year, the first successful I. pseudacorus x I. ensata cross made by a
U.S. hybridizer: PIXIE WON. Color photo on back cover of the spring '97
REVIEW , due out about April 1. It is violet with white styles. Yellow
foliage and sterile. Short (12-16").
John Coble at ensata@aol.com
