The American Iris Society Announces the 2024 Founders of SIGNA Medal Winner

 'LAVENDER MOONBEAMS'

The Founders of SIGNA Medal is restricted to species irises (SPEC) and is named to honor the founding members of the Species Iris Group of North America (SIGNA). Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

Species iris 'Lavender Moonbeams'

photo by Rick Tasco

'Lavender Moonbeams' (Richard Tasco R. 2014) Seedling #00-UNG-02-01. SPEC (unguicularis), 12" (30 cm). Midseason to late bloom. Standards light lavender, lightly veined; style arms light lavender, light golden maize sides; falls light lavender, lightly veined, white area veined lavender covers top half of petal on both sides of signal, signal orange-yellow halfway down petal; pronounced sweet fragrance. I. unguicularis alba X unknown, possibly I. unguicularis "Marondera". Introduced by Superstition Iris Gardens in 2014.

The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including award of merit and honorable mention, will be published in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2023 Founders of Signa Medal Winner

'MORE RASPBERRIES PLEASE'

The Founders of SIGNA Medal is restricted to species irises (SPEC) and is named to honor the founding members of the Species Iris Group of North America (SIGNA). Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

Species iris 'More Raspberries Please'

photo by Jeanette Graham

'More Raspberries Please' (Rita Butler 2015). Seedling# VRS08. SPEC, 18-36" (46-91 cm), Midseason bloom. Standards medium raspberry-pink; style arms white, pink flush in center and edges; falls darker raspberry, white signal about ½ way down petal, dark veins blending to soft butter yellow into throat. 'Raspberry Slurp' X self. Introduced by Cascadia Iris Gardens in 2016.

The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including Award of Merit and Honorable Mention, will be published on the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS 

The American Iris Society Announces the 2022 Founders of SIGNA Medal Winner

'ALL STRIPES'

The Founders of SIGNA Medal is restricted to species irises (SPEC) and is named to honor the founding members of the Species Iris Group of North America (SIGNA). Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

'All Stripes'

photo by Carl Boro

'All Stripes'> (Marty Schafer and Jan Sacks, R. 2014). Seedling #SP07-3-10. SPEC (setosa), 18" (46 cm). Late midseason bloom. Standards insignificant bristles; style arms cream ground, heavily sanded raspberry; falls white ground heavily veined raspberry (RHS 72A), V-shaped white signal has touch of yellow at the hafts. Parentage unknown, SIGNA seed from Fumiharu Sato. Introduced by Joe Pye Weed's Garden of Marty Schafer and Jan Sacks in 2014.

The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including Award of Merit and Honorable Mention, will be published on the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

The American Iris Society Announces the 2021 Founders of SIGNA Medal Winners

'BLUE RIVULETS' and 'SUSHI'

The Founders of SIGNA Medal is restricted to species irises (SPEC) and is named to honor the founding members of the Species Iris Group of North America (SIGNA).

Editor’s Note: Due to the pandemic last year, the American Iris Society Board of Directors suspended garden awards. As a result, and for only this year, two medals will be award in this area. Previous awards winners can be found at https://wiki.irises.org/Main/InfoAwards.

BLUE RIVULETS (Chad Harris)

'Blue Rivulets' (Chad Harris, R. 2012) Seedling #O7LAK1. SPEC (laevigata), 30 (76 cm). Midseason bloom. Standards white, center blue-violet (RHS 104C) vein; style arms blue-violet, white center line rib, crests same, edged white rim; falls white, blue-violet veins radiating from lemon-yellow signal almost to fall edge. Parentage unknown, seed from SIGNA, 2004, Shimizu. Iris laevigata. Mt. Pleasant 2013.

SUSHI (Jill Copeland)

'Sushi' (Jill Copeland, R. 2013) Seedling #T-1. SPEC, 39 (99 cm). Early midseason bloom. Standards and style arms white (RHS 155B); falls cream to very light yellow (3C to 4D), signal lines violet (83A-83B). I.pseudacorus X self. Ensata 2013.

The World of Irises blog will be posting classification medal winners as soon as the hybridizers are notified. The entire list of winners, including award of merit and honorable mention, will be published in the AIS website, the AIS Encyclopedia, and later in the AIS Bulletin, IRISES.

2019 Founders of SIGNA Medal

The American Iris Society

Announces

The Founders of SIGNA Medal

'Lakeside Ghost'

This medal is restricted to species irises (SPEC) and is named to honor the founding members of the Species Iris Group of North American (SIGNA).

'Lakeside Ghost'--image by Chad Harris

'Lakeside Ghost' ( Chad Harris, R. 2011) Seedling #07LAK3. SPEC (I. laevigata), 37 (94 cm). Midseason bloom. Style arms smoky red-violet (RHS 83C), crests pale blue-violet (92C); falls (6) pale blue-violet randomly speckled dark blue-violet (93B) giving smoky blue-violet effect. Parentage unknown, seed from SIGNA 04 Shimizu. Aitken's Salmon Creek 2012. Honorable Mention 2015, Award of Merit 2017.

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.

'Woolong' wins 2013 Founders of SIGNA Medal

By Jim Murrain

The 2013 Founders of SIGNA Medal is awarded to...

'Woolong' collected and named by James Waddick of Missouri.

Here's a full description of this beautiful Iris via the Iris Wiki:

'Woolong' (James Waddick, R. 2001). SPEC (tectorum), height 10" (25 cm), Mid bloom season. Blue violet, falls with darker spots and flecks, white signal and crest; style arms paler blue violet. Collected in wild, Woolong Valley, Sichuan, China, 1989. Iris City 2002. HM 2006, Award of Merit 2010. 

The photos are of the original collection site and taken by James Waddick.

This is Jim's third win of this prestigious medal.

For information about this award go here.

Following is a brief description of Waddick's finding of Iris tectorum 'Woolong'.

In the summer of 1988, Jim Waddick, Bob Pries and Jim Murrain all thought that some one should go to China and collect some new wild species plants to expand the gene pool. 

It fell on Jim Waddick to go in May 1989, and then the Tiananmein freedom demonstrations started. Straying to the far reaches of the country, Jim and his guides traveled to the famed Woolong Valley of Sichuan Province, best known for its Giant Panda Reserve. 

While driving the only road through this narrow valley, Jim saw some vaguely familiar (but not quite) leaves hanging over the road, and they stopped. There was a huge patch of the crested Iris tectorum, but extending 20 or 30 feet across and looking especially big and husky.

 It all seemed to be a single giant plant connected by years of spreading rhizomes. A few fans were collected and survived in cultivation. It did prove to be an especially vigorous form of this familiar iris and was then named and introduced.

Please visit  the: Species Iris Group of North America website to learn more about growing and identifying the diverse species of Iris.