Re: HYB: expanding gene pool of TB

Expanding the gene pool is something that has been on my mind for several
decades as well.  I found great interest in Paul Cook's adventures with what
he received as *mellita* seeds, but thought (with cause) the plants
mislabeled and actually to be *reichenbachii.*

Your own recovery of dominant amoena patterns from various *suaveolens*
clones adds considerably to the speculation that Cook's seedlings, from
which PROGENITOR was named, may in fact have been hybrids.

Cook's use of *imbricata* in the ancestry of WIDE WORLD is another entry
point for unusual and novel genes to the 48-chromosome pool.  Wide World has
contributed to the development of the "dark tops."

Your comment of incorporating aril genes into the 48-chromosome pool has
been attempted many times, with few of the third generation and beyond
showing any trace of the genetics.  It appears aril chromosome sequences too
distant from Eupogon base-pair sequences on the chromosomes for successful
pairing to occur.  Fairly long sequences have to be nearly identical between
sources for chromosomes to pair in meiosis, the only avenue for
incorporation in the ordinary way.

The advanced generation three-way regelia-oncocyclus-Eupogon hybrids on
today's market may have some possibility of having such sequences
criss-crossed among the ancestral chromosomes, blurring their distinctions
somewhat.  Over a period of time these advanced generation hybrids may offer
what their early hybrid ancestors could not supply.  Breeders continue to
interbreed those advanced generation arilbreds, so I would hazzard a guess
that the possibilty you suggest might become increasingly possible as time
goes on.

Another set of possibilities presents itself in the growing interest and
activity in Russia and other nations once behind the "Iron Curtain."
Several of these iris breeders/collectors have made efforts to locate the
remnant populations of x=12 bearded species, both diploid and tetraploid,
and gather specimens and grow them, partly in the interest of preserving
vanishing species as well as conserving the genetic diversity and potential
these wildlings offer.

I noted with interest Keith Keppel's 2005 introduction of PERSONA, from an
open-pollenated seed from Warburton's Astrachanica Kalmikij X Bangles.  This
intriguing hybrid is pictured on the back cover of his current catalog, and
is the first descendent of Warburton's hybrid from seed supplied by Dr.
Rodionenko that I am aware of.  Astrachanica Kalmikij, as I understand it,
is not typical of the herbarium specimen of *astrachanica* and may be a
strong variant on that species or be of hybrid origin within the Russian
flora.

Peyrard's hybrid of *timofejewii* X *variegata* which you have already used,
and which I have attempted to use in crosses but failed so far to obtain
seed, has a remarkable growth pattern, with a succession of repeat bloom
over a fairly long period in the spring.  It also has aggressive increase
when happy in its location, I've noted.  Its total dormancy in winter, just
like species *variegata* here in the borderline "southern" climate of the NC
mountains suggests a definite demand for winter chilling, a factor weighing
against those farther south being able to work with it.  I am surprised it
originated in France, where winter conditons are milder than here, I would
assume.  The *timofejewii* ancestry has rarely if ever entered the general
24/48 chromosome mix.

Your own work with the various *suaveolens* clones may yield a lot of
interesting new potential as time goes on.  I find CLOWN PANTS absolutely
charming, and have a pod, I hope, on it from a well-branched unknown short
near-MTB I "collected" in Milwaukee a few years ago.  It has bitone blue
coloring, *variegata*-type branching and height, but the foliage shows the
*pallida* coloring.  I also made the cross the other direction.  Now that
the Peyrard hybrid has begun blooming, I thought Clown Pants pollen would be
good to use on both it and L. Baumunk's *variegata* clone PETIT LION.

The other avenue now open to us is through laboratory transplant of genetic
sequences from related genera and from other sections of the genus *Iris*
outside the range of fertility from our 48-chromosome pool.  The
possibilities here are endless although beyond the financial means of most
of us for the present.  The techniques DO exists, however, and, as I
understand it, involved in the work Cooleys and Rick Ernst are doing with
Oregon State.

Just some thoughts stirred up by your comments....

Neil Mogensen  z 7  Reg 4  western NC mountains

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