HIST: AUTUMN KING

Some months ago, someone asked about the pedigree of AUTUMN KING.  I ran across
in it in an old AIS Bulletin (#152) while researching another line, so I hope
this falls in the category of  "better late than never":

AUTUMN KING = (Sass dark blue seedling x Midwest) X Amas

Hans Sass, pioneer hybridizer of northern fall-bloomers, wrote:

" . . . in breeding for fall-blooming iris we mark the pumila hybrids that bloom
in the fall and cross these with Autumn King or any other iris that has
fall-blooming charactestics.  A certain per cent of the seedlings of these
crosses will be fall-bloomers. In crossing pumilas with Tall Beardeds, the
seedlings will be nearly all Intermediates.  In crossing two Tall Bearded irises
we have a chance of getting at least a few fall-blooming irises.  Quite a per
cent of Autumn King seedlings have fall-blooming chacteristics even if they do
not bloom in the fall.  So you see a seedling of Autumn King may not bloom in
the fall but from that seedling we are apt to raise fall-blooming iris."  

He went on to speculate that the fall-blooming tendencies of some TBs may have
come from AMAS.  (Perhaps some of our rebloomer experts will wish to expand on
that, but I believe that AMAS has been a prime suspect as source of reblooming
genes in "southern" stock).  The ubitquitous ELEANOR ROOSEVELT came from a cross
between one of his selected pumila hybrids and AMAS.

Sharon McAllister
73372.1745@compuserve.com
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