Iris polakii - confused with I. barnumae- notes from Brian Mathew

[Maggi Young]

The missing illustrations from Brian Mathew's notes have now been added to the first post in this thread.

[art600]

Thanks Maggi

[PeterT]

and thankyou Arthur, your talk was quite wonderfull, and I Barnumae and polakii were not the only treasures to be seen.   

[Rafa]

I think it is I. barnumae and I. polakii is theplant Janis mentioned as 'Moleskin' here are some pictures from J. Mayr http://www.dionysia.de/bilderoncoiris.htm

[ronm]

Wonderful to peruse the pictures through the link you provided Rafa. 
For me though it has added to the confusion. Sorry!

[art600]

I think it is I. barnumae and I. polakii is theplant Janis mentioned as 'Moleskin' here are some pictures from J. Mayr http://www.dionysia.de/bilderoncoiris.htm

The pictures I showed as Iris barnumae were identified by Brian Mathew as Iris polakii - the text and pictures provided by him confirm this.

Janis then showed an iris correctly identified as Iris barnumae. 

At some stage the Iris known as 'Moleskin' was called Iris polakii - this is incorrect.

Looking at the superb collection of J Mayr a considerable number of plants appear to be incorrectly identified.

[ronm]

Looking at the superb collection of J Mayr a considerable number of plants appear to be incorrectly identified.

.
I thought so too Art.
Still great plants though,

[Rafa]

This puzzle me, because the picture you show is cleary and without doubt Iris barnumae, at least, to me... I think Moleskin is most probable plant called I. polakii as it is very variable suggesting that it still in the speciation process, looking for its definitive form. It would be interesting to make a hand made cross  between I. meda and I barnumae to see if the result is somthing similar to Moleskin.

[Rafa]

So, what is Moleskin? and  Do we have to use I. polakii instead of I. barnumae?

[art600]

So, what is Moleskin? and  Do we have to use I. polakii in the places of I. barnumae?

Rafa

The purpose in starting this thread was to eliminate the confusion surrounding both Iris barnumae and Iris polakii.  I had Googled Iris polakii and got no items at all.

When I showed my photographs of what I thought was Iris barnumae to the British Iris Species Group, Brian Mathew and tony Hall were in the audience.  Brian immediately told me that what I was showing was Iris polakii.  He said Iris barnumae would have yellow hairs whereas Iris polakii had the balck 'moleskin' on its falls.

He then kindly sent me the article he had written and noted in the BIS Year Book - he added perhaps it would have got more publicity if he had published in the Plantsman or the AGS Bulletin.  I said I thought it could be achieved using the Forum.

I said that I had heard the 'Moleskin' iris referred to as Iris polakii - he said this was wrong.  The 'Moleskin' iris does share the same patch of 'moleskin' with polakii, but it is not polakii.

Rafa - in answer to your 2 questions:-

1.  'Moleskin' is still under study
2.  Yes you must now call the plants that look like my photographs, not having a yellow patch on the falls, Iris polakii (previously known as barnumae)

The plants in David Millward's article of August 2004 are not Iris barnumae but Iris polakii.

[Rafa]

OK Arthur, thank you I will change labels when they bloom.
The thing that confused me is that Mathew in his book menthioned that it seems that I. polakii could be a hybrid between I. meda and I. barnumae, and seeing 'Moleskin" and its variability  we can perfectly imagine this is the origin, but I am not really sure, because there is a yellow/brownish pigments in I meda that I can see in I. ' Moleskin'

[art600]

Rafa

I can easily understand the confusion.

Janis thinks that 'Moleskin' is not a hybrid and is a species in its own right - what we have seen in the wild are colour forms of Moleskin. just like the many colour forms of Iris meda.

I await futher information from the botanists.

[PeterT]

Would this plant count as I barnumae with it's yellow beard?

[art600]

That is Iris barnumae 

[PeterT]

Thanks Arthur; I shall try to pursuade one of my 'barnumaes' to flower without the yellow  I would really like to grow a multi coloured form of polakii as well though!