Re:REB: daylight independent rebloom

Thanks Chuck. Add Tom's comments about mellita (?) to that list of species contributing rebloom potential. Nothing with irises is ever simple <g>
One of the reasons I've made so many crosses with IMMORTALITY is to try to make sure that all my babies will have the <same> daylight independent set of rebloom genes to increase probability of "everbloom" (takes less typing than "daylength independent rebloom" <g>) in subsequent generations.
Very interesting that crossing two superstrong "everbloomers" (SDB X TB) didn't produce <any> rebloom seedlings! Have you tried sending any of them to the US west coast to see if they rebloom there? Any sib crosse results?
Judging from all the multiple stalks from one fan/heavy branching that's showing up in my lines from IMM, my guess was that she carries a collection of aphylla rebloom genes. I plan to get one of Vickie's tetraploid reblooming aphylla types to test that idea. If IMM and aphylla carry the same package of rebloom genes, then crosses between the two should all rebloom (??); if not, I expect none, like your cross, Chuck.
If there's some overlap of genes, then I guess some would everbloom, some not? Or maybe the mismatched chromosomes from such a cross will mess things up.
Chuck, are there other species in the background of FOREVER BLUE and WHAT AGAIN that might be the source of rebloom? Have you tried crossing either of these with a reblooming 'pure' aphylla? If these and IMM both get their rebloom ability from aphylla, any ideas as to why the babies might not rebloom? Do they maybe need 4 doses that just aren't there in the IBs?
Another couple of 'everbloomers' here are I DO and SUNNY DISPOSITION. SD is IMMORTALITY X HARVEST OF MEMORIES. So far, one everbloom seedling from IMMORTALITY, HARVEST OF MEMORIES, & CELEBRATION SONG breeding. Two data points that lead me to conclude that either IMM and HoM have the <same> package of rebloom genes or complimentary sets of them that can combine to produce everbloom.
Chuck, others, any thoughts on dominance/recessive nature of everbloom? For IMM seedlings here, my impression is that both daylength independence and rebloom are dose related but I can't quite see how it works.
Betty (correct me if I'm misquoting) has told me that if I get rebloom from a rebloom X non-rebloom (in our eastern climate), that implies the non-rebloomer carries rebloom and probably can rebloom under just the right growing conditions (i.e., California <g>).
So far, I haven't gotten any rebloomer (daylength independent or not) seedlings from two non-reblooming parents, no everbloomers unless at least one parent is an everbloomer. Haven't attempted any everbloom X everbloom crosses yet. All TBs.
I tried several non-rebloom X non-rebloom sibling crosses using IMM children this year for the first time, so may be able to understand what's going on a little better by late next year, if I'm lucky. But won't know for sure how those genes mix with HoM rebloom genes for a while. HoM is a spring/fall bloomer here, but doesn't seem to require temperatures to get quite as cold to initiate rebloom in the fall as some do, so usually produces a lot of bloom before being frozen out.
Not sure where that type of early but daylength dependent bloom fits into the big scheme.
I've always assumed that there is a temperature component for the daylength dependent rebloomers. 

Maybe some of the rebloom species have a different temperature threshold?

Definitely too much caffeine this AM! <g>
Forever Blue. Blueberry Tart etc, will bloom very early in SDB seasnon, and continue blooming for quite awhile, almost until end of TB bloom. They then take a week break, and then start up again and rebloom sporatically until heavy frost. I have not seen this kind of rebloom in any TBs. I had thought that perhaps Immortality was of this ilk, but when crossed with FB, there was no rebloom in any of the seedlings. I have seen some early blooming TBs and heard of early bloom, as July or Aug in other areas, but in these locals, TB bloom probably ended in May, so thus at least two months after spring bloom. I suspect there is several types of rebloom. In old literature there are accounts of almost continuous bloom in Iris chamiris (sp?) which is a dwarf iris. I have found aphylla in background of FB and in What Again, on both sides of parentage. Chuck Chapman 


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Linda Mann east Tennessee USA zone 7/8
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