Re: Iris In Bloom
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: Iris In Bloom
- From: C*@aol.com
- Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 06:03:49 -0600 (MDT)
In a message dated 97-05-04 22:54:21 EDT, you write:
<< As
an iris lover, I had heard the lore that irises were spread up through
the Balkans by Turkish soldiers who carried the rhizomes to plant on
their comrades' graves. >>
There is definitely something to this story except many of the most important
bearded iris species are native to the Balkans, e.g. pallida, variegata, etc.
On the other hand, Turkish soldiers did aid the spread of irises,
especially Iris albicans, the lovely white iris which is often mistaken for
Iris florentina. Albicans is the white iris in Van Gogh's famous
painting---the purple irises are Iris germanica. The Turks , Moors, and other
Moslems traditionally place Iris albicans on graves. I would imagine if
albicans were not available they would use other types of irises. Clarence
Mahan in VA
