Iris non-bearded 2017

[johnralphcarpenter]

The Iris unguicularis season has been long and they are still flowering prolifically.

[Yann]

Iris unguicularis is very variable depending of the locus.
Here's a pale blue form.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Nice!

[Lesley Cox]

Yes, very nice. That darker colour on the falls is very unusual in fact I've never seen anything like it in unguicularis. Well worth collecting seed if it sets any.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Iris unguicularis is very variable depending of the locus.
Here's a pale blue form.

It's probably this one: Iris unguicularis 'Peleponesse Snow'.

[David Nicholson]

This afternoon an old friend of mine gave me a piece of a white Iris unguicularis that he was given many many years ago by Valerie Finnes. I had a look on various search engines and have found references to I. u. alba, albus and 'ALBUS' and 'ALBA' but haven't seen any for sale at least on UK Sites. In fact the only white that seems to be in cultivation is I. u. 'Peleponesse Snow' which has some blue in it. My friend thinks that in the distant past the plant did have a cultivar name but he isn't certain.

Pictures below and obviously the plant is well past its best. Any information would be welcome.

Perhaps one for you Lesley?

[Yann]

Ralph: probably, several clones are on the market with different names.
checking my database, i noted: F&JK 0124 Nomos Ahaia, N Diasolo, GR

[johnralphcarpenter]

Nice to have the provenance, Yann.

Here's Iris unguicularis 'Abington Purple'. I. unguicularis is right up there with my top plants if I could only have a few - in flower for six months each year.

[Lesley Cox]

Yes David, I'm spending too much time with Fb and I'm sorry for that, though I DEEPLY resent your almost comparison with THAT HORRID MAN, in the use of a term "Facetwit." (In my book (ordinary, not Face) twit is the correct term for those who tweet on Twitter.) But enough of that.

I'm flattered that you call on me when there is a question to be answered about irises. The UK and Europe are full of irisarians whose knowledge and experience are far greater than my own.

HOWEVER - We in NZ have several forms of a white Iris unguicularis and all are under the name alba which, qualifying a plant name which is female, would be correct, not albus. I think it would be true to say it is simply a colour form rather than a botanical variety so maybe it should be forma alba or just white form. I have not (here) come across any "named" white form as such. Having said that, it's now almost impossible to say we have ANYTHING at all that is new or improved or in any way different except from seed because of the restrictions we have on importing plant material. Several named forms of the white form are grown here but even the older named purple forms such as 'Mary Barnard' and 'Walter Butt' are in doubt as gradually seed grown plants have been made available (mostly through the NZIS seed pool) but not divisions from the original plants. No doubt the right ones are still in some gardens and with older growers but anything recently available just can't be guaranteed. Once a few gardeners die off, their plant material, once distributed in good faith, becomes part of a sort of uncontrolled merry-go-round as most gardeners, let's face it, are far from meticulous about their naming practices. And after all, gardening is a hobby and a pleasure, not, for most people something to be bound and constricted by rules about this and that.

The white forms we have here do vary to some extent (I once had a form whose falls were wide, almost overlapping each other and of a heavy, brocade-like texture but I left it in a previous garden unfortunately, thinking, way back then that it would be easily replaceable) and the form I have now is quite narrow in the falls and like the one in your photo, tends to be badly damaged by strong wind or heavy rain so it's well worth looking around for better forms and no doubt growing from seed when available. The twice I've grown seed from a white form (listed as) all plants eventually flowered as purples, albeit very good ones.

American breeders of tall bearded irises are generous in sending their seed to NZIS growers and at last year's Convention the Oregon Japanese Iris (ensata) grower/breeder Chad Harris donated seed from his own new and exciting plants for an auction. Good plants will eventuate from this seed but it won't be the original, named varieties that are becoming available throughout the rest of the world. It breaks my heart that we can never have the stunning saxifrages or different eranthis or galanthus varieties or ANYTHING else, only seed from them and in 99 of 100 cases, this is just not available, so you see that I can't tell you anything useful at all about forms or named varieties of the white iris or most other things either.

A couple of wholesalers are still able to bring in plants, usually as tissue culture and I expect they are heavily quarantined before they can be propagated. But each year there are new alstroemerias, new dahlias, new agapanthus or penstemons, all because their species are here already but we never see listed a new SPECIES of anything let alone a new genus. The nursery trade has gone to the dogs altogether because as their owners tell us, they can offer nothing new and it is NEW that people want. I dread the day when our one alpine nursery folds. They talk about it but have so far resisted.

David, I'm sorry this has developed into a long rant and far off your original enquiry. I'd much rather be here than on Fb in general but I still have the photo problems that sent me away in the first place. I used my phone when I was in Europe last Sept and then transferred the photos from there to my laptop and though I had a screen saying the transfer was complete and everything seemed to be OK, I've not since been able to find them. They must be there somewhere but........? Likewise the resized pics, I can't find those once I've done the resizing. You told me earlier that they were in the same place, but they're not. The problem started when my old PC finally died and I bought the laptop. The programmes were different and as you know I'm not technically astute. Now as well, my proper (not phone) camera is disintegrating and I can't at present afford another one.
 
I promised Maggi I'd come here more often than I did last year and I really will but maybe it will be just with text instead of pictures. I can't show you my beautiful figs and a hawk demolishing a rabbit which Roger shot or Leucojum roseum which has 30 flowers at present. Every few days I have another go looking in every place where there could be stored photos and every time I come away frustrated and stressed.

I'd better stop or there will be tears dripping into the keyboard and in any case I have to go into Dunedin for a joint clinic. Very painful to start with but helping now and it may postpone or even avoid the need for knee surgery.

So - I will be here in spirit even if not all the time posting.
Very best,
Lesley

[David Nicholson]

Hi Lesley,

Sorry not to have replied earlier (put it down to old age!) and thanks very much for your reply. Regardles of name I'll grow it on, if it was good enough for Valerie Finnes it'll be good enough for me

I'll PM you about your picture problem.

[WimB]

Iris goniocarpa Edit by Wim: this is Iris henryi

[WimB]

The white flowering form of Iris henryi.

[WimB]

Iris ruthenica var. nana

[David Nicholson]

Very pretty both of those Wim. I've just checked with the SIGNA Site and with Brian Mathew's "The Iris" and both show nana as varietal

[arilnut]

Here is my I. henryi

John B