'Aurora Lights' a great looking plicata that you see a lot growing in the more established gardens in the Wairarapa. Key point in identification is the purple base foliage inherited from the pod parent. Nice clean foliage and robust growth. This plant has often been mislabelled as 'Harlequin' which it does not even remotely look like but the most telling fact that eliminates it as 'Harlequin' is that it does not have the PBF trait referred to above.
Stevens Bros, Bastia Hill, Wanganui. Irises 1949-1950 catalogue
Novelties 1949-50
AURORA LIGHTS (Stevens)
Even those of us who are nor enamoured of the new plicatas find this one lovely. The broad and beautiful textured falls have a slight flare and ruffling, cinnamon dotted on cream velvet. The standards are a rosy bronze flushed over cream. Falls are crimson dotted on cream velvet, broad and beautifully textured and have a slight flare and ruffling. A deep gold beard enriches the whole combination. Large flowers excellent branching and good height places this in the top rank. 4ft. ....................................................................42 shillings
New Zealand Iris Hybridisers Cumulative Checklist 2011
AURORA LIGHTS Mrs J. Stevens, Reg., 1948. Sdlg. 7/T147. TB, 48″, M, Y8M.S. rosy bronze over cream. F. cream and rosy bronze, good form, deep gold beard. 4ft.; Description J. Stevens Studbook notes,‘1946 flowering’; Plicata. Manchuria X Tiffany. Stevens Bros 1949-50
This photo was taken last year in a country garden I visited.
As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.
Photo credit and copyright Iris Hunter
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