Our debt to Iris aphylla

Tom Waters

I. aphylla

The European bearded iris species Iris aphylla has contributed to the development of modern bearded irises in a number of different ways. It still remains of considerable interest to hybridizers, particularly those working with the median classes.

The species is native to much of eastern Europe, with a range extending farther north than other bearded species. This makes it thoroughly winter hardy. It goes completely dormant in winter, losing all its leaves right to the ground. (The Latin word aphylla means "leafless".) The flowers are violet, although some recessive white and other off-color forms exist. The flowers themselves are not particularly glamorous, being often narrow and of poor substance. One of its most distinctive characteristics is prolific basal branching, with long branches starting low on the stalk, not infrequently at the point the stalk emerges from the rhizome. It varies in height, with forms as small as 30 cm and as tall as 60 cm or more. Both wild-collected forms and garden cultivars of the species have been registered and circulated.

I. aphylla 'Slick' (Lynn Markham, 2003)

Happily, I. aphylla has a similar chromosome complement to that of our modern tetraploid tall bearded (TB) and border bearded (BB) irises. This means it can be crossed with them to produce fertile seedlings that can be continuously worked with and improved for as many generations as one likes.

Early breeders showed little interest in medians, and simply worked I. aphylla into TB lines. It was found to contribute two interesting traits: an intensification of violet flower color, and blue or violet beards! Many early approaches to black in TB irises, such as 'Sable' (Cook, 1938) and probably 'Black Forest' (Schreiner, 1948), derive from I. aphylla. It is also behind many whitish or light blue TBs with blue or violet beards. In these irises, the dominant white found in TBs interacts with the intensification of violet pigment from I. aphylla.

When enthusiasm for median irises blossomed in the 1950s, with the formation of the Median Iris Society and the establishment of the four classes of median irises, creative breeders began to consider the potential of I. aphylla to add variety to these classes.

'Tic Tac Toe' (Johnson, 2010)
tetraploid MTB descended from I. aphylla

The most ambitious of such undertakings was Ben Hager's project to create tetraploid miniature tall bearded (MTB) irises. This class had been created with diploids in mind. Most TB irises from the 1800s and early 1900s were diploid, with a daintiness that was lost when tetraploids came to dominate. Early MTB breeders had taken these daintier TBs and bred them for even smaller size and greater delicacy. The MTBs were promoted as subjects for flower arranging. Tetraploid TBs, however, showed more different colors (such as tangerine pink), wider form, and better substance. Could these traits from the modern TBs be transferred to irises dainty enough to qualify for the strict requirements of the MTB class? Hager set about proving that they could. He crossed I. aphylla with small TBs and BBs, and then kept breeding toward the MTB requirements. After many generations of work, he established a line of tetraploid MTBs. Although these did not look exactly like the diploid MTBs (I. aphylla yields straight, upright stalks with vertical branching, whereas diploid MTBs often have a more zig-zag branching style), they had an appeal all their own. The first pink MTBs were Hager's tetraploids from I. aphylla.

'Saucy' (Craig, 1998)
tetraploid IB descended from I. aphylla

Hager's work was carried on by Jim and Vicki Craig, who combined Hager's irises with their own crosses involving different forms of I. aphylla. They introduced not only tetraploid MTBs, but BBs and IBs from the same breeding lines. This enhanced the variety of all three classes. They even produced a couple that were small enough to qualify as standard dwarf bearded (SDB)!

Others have worked with I. aphylla over the years, and continue to do so. Some hybrids that a relatively close to the species itself have been registered in the SPEC-X category. Paul Black's "small-flowered TBs" owe a debt to I. aphylla.

This species has contributed a great deal to the variety we find in both TBs and medians today. Do you grow any irises with I. aphylla ancestry? I'd wager you do!

'Night Mood' (Lynn Markham, 2003)
SPEC-X from 'Blackbeard' X I. aphylla 'Dark Violet'

"Talking Irises" TALL BEARDED IRISES--WHAT IS A "SHOW STALK" IRIS?

Susanne Holland Spicker

As a lover of irises but not well-versed in the particulars of show bench judging, I wanted to learn more about what makes a "show stalk" iris. My quest led me to several iris connoisseurs of whom I have the utmost respect. Hearing what they had to say has led me to believe that there are several thoughts on the subject. I present some of those ideas now for your consideration. 

Phil Williams, Rockytop Gardens, says his "idea of a show stalk," since he thinks "the major purpose of an iris is to bloom as long as possible in the garden, is one that is branched well to display each blossom to its maximum," and he personally prefers "one blossom at a time." He goes on to say "if a judge obeys the handbook when judging, he/she is supposed to be familiar with varieties on the show bench." Phil also says that when he goes "into a garden and sees a stalk with multiple blooms open," he knows it "will be a flash in the pan as a garden iris" and he "rarely will add it to the garden unless it has fabulous form." He says he "tires quickly of irises that remain in bloom only 5-7 days due to multiple blossoms open on a stalk." In judging, he says that the iris purists will "demand that the top/terminal flower be the one in bloom.  He says 'IRENE'S SONG', Nicodemus 2011, is a perfect example of a show bench stalk. (photo unavailable) 

Another expert, hybridizer Walter Moores, who has had experience in both judging and showing, says that a specimen with one bloom can win "Queen of Show, but generally the judges look for one with 2 or 3 blooms."  He goes on to say that the "Queen should be perfection, or near perfection, for its class," with "a new variety given preference over an older variety," which has proven a  "controversial statement in the manual." He shares some good examples of show stalks.

'NIGHT TRAIN TO MEMPHIS' Moores '08
Photo courtesy of Robert Treadway

'ABSOLUTE TREASURE' Tasco '06
Photo taken May, 2014, Walter Moores garden

Betty Wilkerson, hybridizer, judge and iris expert, tells us "the requirements for show bench irises are much different than for garden irises."  She adds that  with show bench irises we want 2-3 open blooms, but in the garden we want one at time so we get a long bloom season." She goes on to say "wide branching can be nice on the show bench, (with balance), but can tangle stalks in the garden."  

Thomas Johnson, of Mid-America Garden says the term show stalk means that it is a great iris for showing and that a "show stalk is one with wide candelabra branching, nice bud placement and a good bud count." 

'BRUSSELS'  (Johnson '04) taken at Barry and Lesley Blyth's garden in Australia
Photo courtesy Thomas Johnson, Mid-American Garden

Joel Shaber, iris enthusiast, says as a gardener he is "primarily interested in branching which shows the best advantage in a clump. Wide branching, with lots of space between the flower and the stalk" is not something he "looks for, nor particularly likes."  He says he "much prefers a closer-to-the-stalk presentation, where the flower's edge very nearly touches the stalk, but stops just short of doing so." He says that "this style of branching gives a proud, upright look" which he likes, as we can see in these pictures he shares of one of the clumps in his Boise, Idaho garden.

'BELGIAN PRINCESS' clump in the bud stage
Photo courtesy of Joel Shaber

Clump of 'BELGIAN PRINCESS' Johnson '05, showing a closer branching
Photo courtesy Joel Shaber

Joel shares his 'RIO ROJO' Schreiner '09 (below), with show bench wide branching, and compares it with 'BELGIAN PRINCESS' (above), with closer branching, to help us see the difference. Although there are three open, well-positioned blooms on Rio Rojo, he tells us "there is something more to consider." He tells us to "look at the foliage-to-stalk ratio and how gangly and awkward the clump presents itself."  He goes on to say this is his "annoyance with the modern obsession with show branching," and when comparing Rio Rojo to Belgian Princess, it's plain to see "how stately Belgian Princess presents itself in both bud and in bloom, with straighter stalks, and many more blooms," although they are both beautiful.