2019 Randolph-Perry Medal

The American Iris Society

Announces

The Randolph-Perry Medal 2018

‘China In Springtime’

 'China In Springtime'--image by Breezeway Iris Garden

'China In Springtime' (O. David Niswonger, R. 2007). Sdlg. Sib. 3-06. SPEC-X, 42" (107 cm). Early bloom. Standards light blue; style arms blue; Falls darker blue; blue bitone. Sib. 6-99: ('Out in Missourri' x I. typhifolia) X unknown. Cape Iris 2008. Award of Merit 2015.

This medal is restricted to interspecies irises (SPEC-X). It is named in honor of Dr. L. F. Randolph (1894-1980) and Amos Perry (1871-1953).

Dr. L. F. Randolph, or "Fitz" as he was affectionately called by his many friends and associates, Dr. Randolph was chairman of the AIS Scientific Committee from 1945 to 1956. The work he and his students Jyotirmay Mitra and Katherine Heinig did on iris chromosomes produced many published monographs and provide the basis of our scientific understanding of the genus. He conducted a number of extensive iris species collection expeditions and brought back new species and many new forms of other iris species, especially of I pumila.

Amos Perry was born into a family of English nurserymen. Perry was one of the first hybridizers to use the tetraploid irises 'Amas,' I trojana, I. mesopotamica and I cypriana. He introduced scores of new bearded cultivars, but he was more interested in Siberian irises and iris species. He probably created more new hybrid interspecies irises than any other iris breeder. His new hybrid irises often had names that indicated their species parentage, such as 'Chrysogana' (I. chrysographes x I. bulleyana); 'Tebract' (I tenax x I. bracteata); 'Longsib' (I. longipetala x I. siberica); and 'Chrysowigi' (I. chrysographes x I hartwegi.

The World of Irises blog will be posting once a day all of the medal winners. The entire list of winners can be found at the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.