Oncos 2011

[Lesley Cox]

I have a seedling up today of I. iberica ssp elegantissima. I don't hold out much hope though as it is the third seedling in the same pot, the other two, more than a year apart and more than a year before this one, both died before they produced a second leaf.

[PeterT]

Third time lucky Lesley, my first two attempts with it failed too.
Good Luck it is a lovely one.
Dont let it get too hot while damp / in growth. kept cool and shaded they can stay in growth for 18 months as seeedlings.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Peter, I'll try that and keep it shaded from now on through summer - when it happens. Cool yesterday and today, just 13C and two nights and yesterday of continuous rain, still pouring down but it's good rain, not the slashing kind but just falling with no wind and really soaking in, setting us up for a good growing summer. The strong sou'wester we were to have yesterday didn't happen and if it were not so darned wet, it would be very nice out now. Lots of iris seedlings coming through from NZIS seedlist.

[Otto Fauser]

Tom , thank you for the information re the origin of I. 'Satan's Mistress' . We also grow here I. 'Shebas Jewel ' -is that another Gus Seligmann Hybrid ?

 Lesley , I had the same experience with a few seedlings of I. iberica ssp. elegantissima ( the seeds I shared with you ) , but now have one embryo cultured one ( 4 months old ) which I try to keep growing for another 12 months or so . as Peter T. recommends .

[Tom Waters]

Hello Otto, 'Sheba's Jewel' was bred by Howard Shockey, introduced in 1994. Howard was also someone I knew well, both of us living in New Mexico.

[arillady]

Otto if you have a spare piece of 'Sheba's Jewel' I would love it.
Peter G has certainly been very generous to us with his embryo culturing of aril seeds. Iris iberica ssp elegantissima is one that I struggle with as it needs more cold and height.

[Hans A.]

Any  in flower, but it is quite interesting how some Oncos develope - Iris nectarifera needed a few years to establish, but now it seems to be adapted and shows a fascinating vigor, invading  the bed (for example the grass in the background) and soon some other less vigorous Oncos... I will have to find some new places for them.
Here some pics, first from december 2010, second from spring this year and finally an actual one.

[arillady]

The oncos certainly love your conditions Hans.
Could you please send some photos to Lyn to include in the ASI Newsletters - and anyone else who is so inclined.
Plus here is a hint for other ASI members to write something for the Yearbook as well. No articles no yearbook. Well we do get articles but not enough to justify another Yearbook yet.

[Diane Whitehead]

Is that nectarifera just one plant that is travelling?

[Rafa]

Hans I also grow a little stolon and it is growing quickly, but as you mentioned, I'm afraid many oncos, can't be increased through cut stolons, they need to be attached to the principal rhizome to make new plants. Any explanation to this phenomenon?
In addition this plant is extremely difficult to paint!

[Janis Ruksans]

Hans I also grow a little stolon and it is growing quickly, but as you mentioned, I'm afraid many oncos, can't be increased through cut stolons, they need to be attached to the principal rhizome to make new plants. Any explanation to this phenomenon?
In addition this plant is extremely difficult to paint!

I'm dividing them without great problems. All offered by me are propogated vegetatively.
Janis

[PeterT]

I believe the temperature is important for the stolons to develop roots, untill they do they are very delicate and in danger of both rot and dessication.

[Hans A.]

Thanks Pat - actually I am finishing an article for the ASI yearbook.

Diane, there were planted 3 small rhizomes of this species, two in 2008 and one given from a very generous forumist in 2009. All the plants had one fan, even in there second season they did not produce an additional fan and the plants did  look weak (compared with those of 2010 and 2011) as the following pictures shows. The two fans which flowered were those which were planted and as usual do not exist anymore. Exept one fan, of the plant planted 2009, all are new fans which were produced in 2010 and 2011 (not all are visible on the pic of the earlier post).
One plant seems to travel a lot (background) while the other two (in the front) are a bit lazy and prefer shorter trips.

I believe the temperature is important for the stolons to develop roots, untill they do they are very delicate and in danger of both rot and dessication.

As Janis mentioned to make divisions is working well with most Oncos even it means a stress for the plants as you have to lift them and will destroy a lot of roots when you grow them in the ground. My observation is "clumping" Oncos produce roots quickly after division, in contrast those producing stolons are much more delicate - once I was given small stolons of Iris bismarckiana which produced leaves the first year but any roots, following year they were dead. Rising the same species from seeds did not cause any problems, planted out little seedling which now are large plants produce stolons allready.
I think something similar happened to the Iris nectarifera with the difference it finally got roots.
It seems to be as Rafa indicates, stolons grow well if in contact by a larger rhizome complex,  it they were separated they suffered or died.

The growth by stolons (this species does not seem to produces clumps) may cause some problems apart of invading other plants - while a clumpforming Onco can be planted protected from soil in gravel and will stay there, the stoloniferous plant produces stolons in a depth where the rizome can have direct contact with the soil, and as it is much wetter here than in its natural habitat any wound could cause bacterial root rot. So I hope to get some seeds from this beautiful species next year  and to see a painting of it .....

[arillady]

I have a tiny piece left of 'Concerto Grosso', without any roots. Any ideas how to stimulate it to grow roots. Also I am scared about keeping it in a pot as I don't know how much is enough water when it is kind of dormant plus how much covering should it have?
Pat

[arillady]

Thanks Hans - ASI article.
Fascinating to read of stolon habits and requirements.