Re: TB: Unidentified Historics

From: "S&C Rust" <srust@fidnet.com>

Anner and others interested in unidentified historics.  The saga of the
light yellow unidentified TB continues...it was still blooming during our
ride into the conservation area of Little Indian Creek.  The unidentified
small TB colored like Frosted Velvet was done for.  But, blooming right in
the middle of a long row of the yellow (Flavescens?), just in one spot,
clear as the nose on your face, was the historic MTB, Tidbit!  I am very
familiar with this one, as I have grown it for three or four years now.

Back to the cemetary to scout for iris that might possibly be growing with
the huge clumps of double white peonies, but still no luck.  I had a lead on
part of a homestead near a new trail just opened up, so I took our little
hapless band of horseback riders in search of it.  The cemetary is set high
on a hill, but at the foot of that hill and just around the corner in a
small meadow I found the remains of a large wooden barn, just collapsed on
the ground.  The grass was quite high around it and I looked in vain to see
if there was a foundation or not.  It was old, but I doubt it was as old as
1852, because the roof was of rusted tin.  I have been reading about the
early history of Missouri, and learned that this area was used for
timbering.  Much to my surprise, I learned that Missouri's first attempts at
public road building involved laying planks for the road!  Of course, they
rotted and warped and the whole thing was a fiasco.  But, perhaps that was
the reason for the little cemetary being there in the first place.  We
continued past the wreckage of the barn, checking for other foundations and
iris.  We did not see any more cultivated flowers.  We saw many pale pink
roses with single petals that sent up a heavenly scent combined with the
wild honeysuckle and tall pine trees (unusual for pines to be in this area;
mostly oak and cedar).  We saw nothing more until we popped out on a county
road that I used to ride on a lot as a girl.  Then, as we rode along that
road, we saw more iris; mostly the pale yellow ones, again.  But once, we
identified Mme Chereau (spelling?) putting up the stray late season
bloomstalk, and we also saw little Honorabile in a few scattered places.  I
think I will go back and collect a few rhizomes of the pale yellow growing
abandoned beside the road and bring them home.  I should be able to get a
better i.d. on them when I can observe them closely and at leisure for a few
years.  We passed through many areas being abandoned by the county and which
nature was already busy reclaiming; closed concrete slabs that were
collapsing, fields no longer cultivated, etc.  There is a lot of water
around, creeks, ponds, deep ditches.  I keep hoping to see some wild
beardless iris...anyone have any particular places I should be looking?

Cindy Rust, Missouri, Zone 5b...where our merry band of horseback riders
scouting for historic and beardless iris made it through many obstacles
including the local gun club, four wheelers, blacktop, hound dogs, cattle
and lots of rocks and water!


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