HERITAGE IRISES: THE CALIFORNIAN SECTION- Californian Iris

Coloured forms of Iris innominata,
Courtesy of the book, 'The Iris and its Culture' Jean Stevens.

Some Lesser Known Irises

PART IV

THE CALIFORNIAN SECTION

By Miss J. Burgess, Waikanae.

THE NEW ZEALAND SMALLHOLDER, June 17th, 1935.

Many factors have mitigated against the garden distribution and consequent popularity of the Californian irises, but none more so than the confusion hitherto existing among collectors and botanists themselves. The close affinity between the various species of decision is so strong that cross-fertilisation is almost a certainty when two or more species grow together. This taken in conjunction with the fact that there are endless numbers of local and colour forms of the species, makes confusion almost inevitable. Another difficulty has been that the plants make rather sparse root growth, and that that growth is active in a short period in the year. This means that successful transplantation of fully grown plants can only be carried out during that season of growth. As the old roots are not sufficient to feed the plant, where no root growth takes place after transplantation, the plant will stave and die.This period of growth occurs between July and December in New Zealand, and as flowering season itself lies within this time, the season for transplanting is further limited.
All the members of the section seed and germinate freely, and seedlings will flower in the spring, following germination. From the gardener's point of view this is eminently satisfactory, and he is no longer troubled that the mature plant is so difficult a subject to transplant. But to the collector of species this is merely an alleviation. The difficulty is that pure seed, true to name, is so hard to obtain, and seed imported of tenax, or Douglasiana, is likely to turn out mere hybrids of those species.

Provide Lime-free Soil
Cultivation in a lime-free soil is not a difficult matter. All the Californians thrive in a light loamy soil under ordinary garden conditions. The addition of leaf mould or garden compost and sand is, however, a material help. Moisture is needed during the spring and early summer, when growth is active, but a thorough ripening in the late summer and early autumn does no harm to the plants, and they bloom all the more freely the following spring. Most of the species are extremely free flowering, and in the case of some, notably tenax, the plants may be so smothered with bloom that the foliage is entirely obscured. All are eminently desirable rock garden subjects, and in the rock garden the dainty charm has an ideal foil. They will not tolerate the presence in the soil of lime.

Two Main Groups
The Californians are divided into two main groups, the longipetala group, which occurs mainly along the Californian coast, and the Californian section proper, of which tenax is, perhaps, the best known. This latter group of species is distributed throughout the whole of North-western America, though they occur most freely and California and Oregon.
Longipetala is the tallest of the section, throwing up flower stems two feet or more in height. Although there is only one inflorescence to each stem, it bears four to five flowers, which opened in succession. The large falls are conspicuously veined with deep purple on a white ground, while the standards are an even tone of pale purple or lavender.The deep green foliage is somewhat stiff, and is almost as tall as the flower stems. There is an alpine form of dwarfer growth called Missouriensis. Another species, Montana, sometimes catalogued as Tolmeiana, differs from longipetala and Missouriensis, chiefly in it's narrower standards, and in the colour of the falls, which have less veining, and bears a distinct yellow patch on the blade of the falls.
The Californian section proper contains a large number of authentic species, but it is here that it has been so difficult to decide where a form deserves, specific rank. All the species of the section have conspicuous red coloured bases to their leaf growth. Tenax from Oregon is so named because of the strength of the leaves, from the fibers of which the Indians used to weave a twine or cord of considerable strength. It grows to about a foot in height, and bears flowers in endless variations of colour from palest pearly lavender through mauve to a deep claret colour. In my own experience it has proved to be the easiest of all the Californians to transplant, and it is certainly the most free-flowering.

Some Good Varieties
Hartwegii has perhaps doubtful claims to specific rank, differing as it does from tenax only in colour and its dwarfer habit. It is pale creamy yellow with straw coloured veining.
Hartwegii as a native of the foot-hills of the Sierra Nevada, occurring at altitudes varying from 1500 feet to 7000 feet, and red volcanic debris. It is very difficult to transplant, and has not the same vigour as tenax. Somewhat similar in colouring, but stronger in growth and constitution, are Purdyi, from the Redwood regions of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, and Bracteata from Oregon. Purdyi which is only from 4 to 6 inches in height, has pale straw yellow flowers, conspicuously veined with dark purple, and Bracteata the same height as Purdyi, has deeper yellow flowers, also conspicuously veined, and differs chiefly from Purdyi in having longer, broader, but sparser foliage. There are, however, several botanical differences.
Douglasiana it is perhaps as well known as tenax, and as easily grown. It differs from all the other species of the section, and, indeed, from almost all other Irises, by the fact that it does not lie down during the winter, but retains its very dark green, extremely tough leaves all the year.Douglasiana it is very variable, both in colour and style of growth. The endless variety of colourful is truly amazing; from every shade of lavender toned yellow and apricot to deepest purple, with every possible variation of veining. The height of the flower stems varies from 9 to 18 inches. Douglasiana appears to be confined to the coastal regions of California. Macrosiphon is another variable species, but much dwarfer in habit, and not so robust. It is a native of California and Oregon. Although the stem is seldom more than 3 inches in height, the flowers are furnished with a very long perianth tube ( as the name macrosiphon, suggests), the flowers themselves being about a foot in height. There is every conceivable colour variation from sky blue to yellow and white. The colour of the foliage also varies from glaucous green to Emerald. As previously mentioned, intercrossing between the different species of this group is extremely easy, and gives endless variations in colour, height, and form but of added interest, is the fact that several Californians, among them tenax and Douglasiana, can be successfully crossed with the Chinese and Himalayan Sibiricas. Among these hybrids has been raised a beautiful flower of a crushed Strawberry colour with gold veining on the falls. This hybrid was obtained from chrysographes crossed with Douglasiana. This early result promises that continued work among these lines will be well worthwhile.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.
Credit and copyright Iris Hunter.

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.
Credit and copyright Iris Hunter. - See more at: http://historiciris.blogspot.co.nz/2013/05/the-laevigata-section.html#sthash.gZbKF19o.dpuf

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Monday, June 17, 2013

THE CALIFORNIAN SECTION- Californian Iris

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