I. pumila from SIGNA seed

Several years ago, I started some seeds of species I. pumila from SIGNA (Species Iris Group of North America). Despite some cold weather hanging on here, they have started to bloom.

I am struck by how different they are, despite being I. pumila. This picture is of a seedling obtained from I. pumila "Suslik". I have ten seedlings from Suslik seed. For the most part, they seem to be freer blooming, have bushier beards, and they just appear overall to be more vigorous than my other row of I. pumila.

This Suslik seedling has a luminous blue beard.

A second Suslik seedling. Not much to look at here.

This is a seedling from another batch of I. pumila seed from SIGNA that was marked "high variation." It has a much thinner beard than the Suslik seedlings, but note the pumila "thumb spot" on the falls.

Pumila's are very short- about 6". They aren't a very "refined" flower like we are used to seeing in the hybrids, but I find them fascinating.

Edited to add: I'll be posting more pictures later of the pumila's that are blooming today.

This message was edited Apr 25, 2009 8:20 AM

The yellow seedling, is the first 'Suslik' one I have seen which is not purple. Good for that reason alone. The first purple one seems to have more substance. The one with the spot is consistant with pumilas so turns up in the SDBs. Interesting post.

I find them interesting, also. Nice group!

IndaShade, did you know it was IrisMA's hubby that intro'd Suslik? My favorite iris, and soon to bloom here.

Polly, I did not know that. Very cool!

Here's another pumila blooming today from the High Variation group. It has light cream standards and there is a blue spot on the falls. I like this one!

Very soft looking, I love it.

very different--mark that one.

Wow that last one almost looks teal on the fall
:)
A

Showed the pictures to DH who was pleased to see people growing pumila, he is quite fond of them. As you can see some unusual colors pop up. That is why we can get interesting colors in the dwarfs, they sneak in from both the species & the TBs.

Attended an iris judging class on Species and Species X Iris by Lowell Baumunk in Albuquerque, today. His first slide was Suslik. I knew right away I would have to have it. I learned so much. I had no idea species iris were so numerous and beautiful. !ndashade, I have your Spring Peep, too! It is growing beautifully and I hope will bloom this year. It had to live in a pot for two years but now is in nice garden soil. I can tell you it is a tough little SDB! I hope to post a picture this year.

I have to join SIGNA, I see. Until now, I didn't even know I liked species and species X

Out of the ten Suslik seedlings that I planted, two of them were yellow and looked very much alike. Here is the second one blooming yesterday (and not quite open yet.)

That IS a teal color on the fall of the other one, and I have some others blooming that have the same characteristic. Hopefully the wind won't ruin them before I get pictures of them today. :-(

IrisMA, do color breaks really occur by using species? That's very interesting! Is it because we are using the same genes over and over and a shot of something new gives breaks?

paja, SIGNA is a very worthwhile organization and you will enjoy the very informative newsletters they send out too. You get the species seed list once a year in late winter and they have all sort of interesting things. This year I started I. lutescens, a couple of I. variegata's, some aphyllas, and I. astrachanica (which may not survive my climate, but I'm giving it a shot anyhow.) I got all of these seeds from SIGNA.

Glad to hear Spring Peeper is doing well for you. I would love to see a picture of it when it blooms for you. I think I will have a limited amount available this year, as well as a couple of other SDB's that I will be registering. It seems like it's going to be a pretty good year (knock on wood.) Just say NO to late hard freezes!

It has been a very dry year here, but the only problem the irises are having is critters. I have Wukee in bloom today -- my first of the year. Crocuses are still blooming. Fruit trees are blossoming. You will be the first to know if Spring Peeper blooms. If you are looking for homes for any of your new registrations, I would be happy to accept a few! LOL!

Hey Ida Here is your Spring Peep Growing like a weed
twist a bit but will probably use it in crosses this year
Love the color AND THE BEARDS
:)
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Lovely beards on Sp.Peeps. As you know many colors are recessive & hidden by the dominate. If you can get past them, & the recessives appear, that is when you get the so called 'color breaks'. For example there are no pink pumilas--there have been carriers so we now have the pink SDBs. People are looking for turquoise at the moment--your teal colored plants could help??

irisMA, they are really looking for turquoise? WOW. Maybe something different has finally shown up in my garden!

Here is the second one with teal/turquoise by the beards. This one is also from the High Variation group. The falls are so long that they actually twist up in a pirouette (thus my finger in the picture). The turquoise color is not so pronounced as in the other seedling, but the falls spot is more defined. This one shows a little more vigor than the other one as well.

Edited to add: I am using a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XLI to take these pictures, and the settings are all on auto.

This message was edited Apr 26, 2009 3:53 PM

Anita, does Spring Peeper always twist up like that for you? I hope not! It's amazing how they can be one way in your garden for years and then you send them to someone else and they misbehave!

Pumilas do have a 'tucked' form as a rule. People have worked to make them straight--gardeners are never satisfied are they?

What's funny is that hybridizers work so hard to get them one way, and then they decide to work to get them back to the way they were originally! I see this happening in daylilies right now! LOL!

It IS down to about 30% from the first year it bloomed it was about 80% So I have hopes it will nopt this year that is why I am Planning crosses with it
:)
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