Oncos 2013

[Maggi Young]

Hans, I agree with Oron - that monster looks dangerous - it may even eat Hugo!

Best to play safe and send it to me!! 

[Hans A.]

Yeah, you might be right, door is closed and Hugo is safe (and inside)!

I still wonder who was the father of this hybrid - it has the largest flowers of all. 
Seems to be a good doer (in terms of an Onco ):  vigorous, flowers high above curled leaves and a monster-flower.
(for sure I would have prefered a "normal" Iris damascena)

[BULBISSIME]

Hans, i suggests you to lock well the door to the garden  as this monster looks ferocious...

  Hans, I think Oron or myself could try to tame your monster !
Looks more like iris sofarana than Iris damascena 

[arilnut]

Perhaps kirkwoodii involved?

John B

Yeah, you might be right, door is closed and Hugo is safe (and inside)!

I still wonder who was the father of this hybrid - it has the largest flowers of all. 
Seems to be a good doer (in terms of an Onco ):  vigorous, flowers high above curled leaves and a monster-flower.
(for sure I would have prefered a "normal" Iris damascena)

[arillady]

Hans your monster looks disgustingly healthy What sort of summer did you have before this??

[Oron Peri]

Hi Hans, hope you had a good sleep...

 I have received from you the seeds of this Iris back in 2009 under:
Iris nigricans HU 9990 from Ras - A - Naqeb,
When i received it i thought it was strange as in that area only I. petrana is growing and also the leaves seemed too narrow for nigricans.
 It opened yesterday and it is  I. petrana.
Thanks again

[Hans A.]

  Hans, I think Oron or myself could try to tame your monster !
Looks more like iris sofarana than Iris damascena 

You both are very welcome! Iris sofarana was also my thought (especially after comparing some pics) as I had sown this species, labels could have been mixed up but I think the leaves do not fit - second of this batch will be open today...
The pollenparent is still a mystery to me as the ´monster`has a very uniform greyish - black colour, but species/forms which have a similar colour bloom normally much later here (dark kirkwoodii, sofarana or nigricans) or have much smaller flowers - actually (as every year together with damascena) in flower from the larger species is only I.kirkwoodii calcarea but the colours do not fit.
Pat, last summer was terribly dry - I Think I lost some galanthus and also some smaller Oncos because of the draught.

Oron, glad to see your plant, you are a very good Oncogrower!! - I hope it really is a pure petrana and not a hybrid (wondering about the standards)- in earlier years I read natural pollination of Oncos in its habitat is very low so I did not protect already handpollinated flowers, but it seems (see my monster) this is not valid for the holidayparadise majorca where the guys like to check one flower after another...

[Hans A.]

vigorous, flowers high above curled leaves and a monster-flower.

Valid also for Damascenaseedling 2 - maybe a bit paler then 1.

[BULBISSIME]

same leaves Hans ??
that's why it's so difficult to names the species without the location 

[arillady]

Hans my experience was similar in that in the early days of growing arils there was never a flower but that set seed unless I handpollinated but since then I have had what I believe are beepods forming. I have seen our native bees and European bees visiting the blooms.

[Hans A.]

Same leaves.

Pat, I checked the flowers at evening and found a mass in different insects inside the flowers - starting by the very destructive Tropinota hirta, different spiders, Polistes spec. and also solitary bees... during day there are vistors like Xylocopa around. Never have seen normal honeybees on them.
Here a picture of  visitors of night and day.
And some are always there, during day eating on standards, falls, pollen... (everything) - at night inside (if there is something left of the flower). 

[BULBISSIME]

it's not a garden ... it's a zoo !! 

[Hans A.]

  - and these are only the animals living on Oncos....

[Peterwg]

Hans, what interesting plants you have!   I guess it is hardly surprising that you have the sort of bees that pollinate oncos - you don't live that far away from the source.   And it has been reported that solitary bees overnighting in flowers pollinate oncos in nature.   You should be grateful for bees which showed such good taste in their choice of flowers.   Here in Sydney I have NEVER had a volunteer pod.
On moleskin iris, I have been reading that this might a new species for more than 40 years.   It it that difficult to decide?   It certainly looks much different to me.

[Hans A.]

Thanks a lot Peter!
There are about 3000km with a lot of water in between - so I wonder if the same bee species live(s) in both areas or if a local species adapted the new conditions - I sent the pictures to an expert, might be he will tell me something more.

First buds of a nice coloured Iris bostrensis opened today.