CULT?: Abnormal flowers

From: "Rodney Barton" <rbarton@hsc.unt.edu>

Heather said:

>We have also noticed an interesting trend this year. Some flowers on some
>spikes of a particular plant (and this is not the entire clump) are coming
>out with four styles instead of three.

>It may only be one bloom on a spike (usually the top one) but if repeated
>next year will mean that the entire clump will be composted, as I do NOT
>believe that the buying public want to purchase Louisiana Iris with four
>style arms on ANY blooms.  Comments from folk would be appreciated.

And Jan said:

>I was beginning to think this might be a genetic fault of particular 
>plants. I have had many blooms on YES with 4 - 6 falls and standards, 
>and one with 7 style arms. TRAMP (SDB) had many blooms with less than 3 
>falls. ....
>There have been no poisons used nearby, and the weather has been a bit 
>variable, but other iris in the same area, and flowering at the same 
>time, have not been affected.

Let me back track a little.  The studies I cited also found evidence for a 
genetic component for variation in flower form.  The above examples 
WOULD seem to be genetic.  For me CAJUN COOKERY (LA) always has one
or two blooms with 4 falls.  It's usually the terminal flower.  This is most
surely a genetic trait or fault depending on how you look at it.   This spring
we were specifically trying to link abnormalities to the weather.  I
wanted to confirm that it was possible according to what I had read, and 
didn't mean to imply that genetics wasn't playing a role.  

Heather also said:

>What do you iris-talk folk feel about multiple style arms (or petals
 or anything) on Iris?

I don't think an ocassional extra style should keep you from introducing 
an otherwise worthy iris.  If it happens often enough the detract that 
would be another matter.  CC's slow growth and tendency to rot are
much worse falts than an occasional extra fall.  I keep it because I 
it's a beautiful iris.

Rodney Barton
rbarton@hsc.unt.edu
Hickory Creek, (North Central) Texas, USA
Zone 7/8, typical temp range 15 - 105 F (-9 - 41 C)
AIS, SIGNA, SPCNI, SLI, Iris-talk

North American Native Iris Web Page:
http://molly.hsc.unt.edu/~rbarton/Iris/NANI.html


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