RE:HYB:Plicatas

Betty, it depends on what you are talking about when you say selfs.

Dominant white selfs will cover over, more or less, a fully expressed plicata.
More precisely, the pigment that makes the plicata marks is not visible--an
enzyme or two necessary for the oxidation of the molecule is different--and
blocks the expression of blue.  The pigment is actually still there--just more
or less transparent.

The old term "ice whites" or "ice yellows" are now called glaciatas, and are
selfs, but have no violet or purple color at all in the haft and claw.  They
are selfs, but---they are plicatas with the pigment left out.  They breed
plicatas, luminatas and glaciatas when bred to others in the allelic series.
Glaciatas are at the extreme end of the series.  In order to be one, a variety
must have all four of the pl genetic variant that makes for glaciatas--I
think!  Keith Keppel needs to answer this one.

Blue or violet selfs will be dominant to plicata, yes.  If you cross a plicata
with a blue or violet self, most of your seedlings will be selfs of a sort.
Nearly everything carries all sorts of hidden potentials, however, and you may
get most anything as a result.  A lot of the time, something that is close to
being a plicata has really interesting hafts--rather busy.  That's not always
true.....

Tetraploid irises are very complex in their internal chemistry.  But isn't
everything that lives?

Neil Mogensen  z 7  western NC mountains

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