[SpaceAgeRobin] Appendage variation

Finally had enough time to catch up on this list. I got so 
far behind, that it was hard to find enough time to read 
most of what I'd missed.

I was very surprised last fall when Gladiatrix opened with 
large flounces.  I had missed the terminal bloom as I was 
out of town  (doesn’t that just figure) so I had run out 
early in the morning to see if it had opened.  It took me a 
minute to realize that I wasn’t expecting any SA traits at 
all.  I dug out the Friendship catalog to see the 
description, no mention of horns or flounces.  But it is 
Northward Ho x Rock Star, so it isn’t that surprising after 
all.

Lloyd Zurbrigg wrote me that he had never seen it with 
flounces, but that it had small horns.

I am trying to piece together some idea about what led to 
the flounces.  This plant was in a brand new bed very near 
where I had dumped some compost a year before.  So the soil 
would be good.

The pH is neutral everywhere I have ever tested it in my 
yard, so that is probably not a factor.

I had thought temperature was sort of a deterrent to SA 
traits, as they perform more consistently in warmer zones.  
And the sunlight conditions would be similar to spring 
conditions.  It is puzzling that I was seeing larger 
appendages than expected on rebloom when usually the 
appendages are more reliable in spring than fall.

Then Masterwork bloomed with flounces.  It had started to 
put up a stalk in October and was not going to quite make 
it before it frosted.  I kept it protected as long as I 
could, and then I dug it and brought it indoors.  

Masterwork does have consistent horns when it blooms in the 
spring, and this is the first time I have seen it bloom in 
the fall.

It was obvious that the flounces diverted some of the fall 
material to form the flounces.  The falls were much 
narrower than I had seen before.

Masterwork was growing in a bed that I have grown irises 
for many years.  I do amend, but it isn’t fresh soil.  Also 
I have learned that this bed does not get all that much sun 
in the fall.  The pH would be the same.

The only thing that seems to be at play here is the 
temperature.  We had many, many days with night 
temperatures just above freezing.  In October, we had many 
days where the highs were in the high 30’s and low 40’s.  I 
will try and track temps a little closer in the next few 
years as it looks as though temperature may have a more 
significant role than I had thought.

Robin Shadlow 
Zone 5 NE

where just yesterday Megan was after me to dye my hair 
brown  :  )








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