Re: LORELEY

The question about LORELEY is more one of history than registration, but it
looks like most of our historians are off to convention, so I guess I'd better
chime in:

1.	It was introduced BEFORE there was even a registration system.

2.	It was classified as a TB in the 1939 Checklist because that was where it
fit in the scheme of things at the time. "Tall Bearded Section.  Species, forms
and hybrids of Iris germanica, pallida, variegata, trojana, cypriana. Bearded
Irises thirty inches or over in height." 

3.	Like most of the old diploids, it does not conform to modern TB
standards.  It's an excellent specimen of its time, but doesn't "fit" what we've
come to expect of TBs.

Yes, Keith Keppel is the ultimate authority -- but he can only tell us how it
was registered, not how it would be registered if introduced today.  Not even
Keith's vast knowledge covers the performance characteristics of every cultivar
that was ever introduced!!!

Iris evolve and rules change as the years pass.  One of the purposes of the
specialized checklist is to relate historic cultivars to modern standards.  This
is exactly what Jean Witt and Phil Edinger did in the Medianite article.  They
identified a number of the older cultivars that do not bloom consistently at
over 30", and provided modern codes for them.  This gives additional information
about the cultivar, but it doe NOT mean that anyone has gone back and
"corrected" the registration to reflect a category that didn't even exist at the
time. 

In practical terms:

1.	This helps in landscaping.  It tells us that in terms of height, stem
thickness, and flower size LORELEY fits in the Border Bearded class.  IOW, don't
plant it on the back row of a TB bed if you want to see it.  Place it as you
would any other BB, or in a special historic display.

2.	It helps in the staging of shows.  AIS-sanctioned shows have some
latitude in staging, and grouping like iris together makes for a nicer display.
The Median Section can be staged using modern-equivalent codes, just like the
Arilbred Section is often staged using modern ASI codes.  (Personally, I'd like
to see a special section for the historic diploids because they are so
distinctive.  Dream on.....)

If all of this sounds a bit familiar, it is similar to the lengthy discussion we
had some time back about where to place MARY McCLELLAN -- with the TBs, the ABs,
or the historics.  Again, the answer depends on the particular show schedule.

Sharon McAllister
73372.1745@compuserve.com
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