Standard Dwarf Bearded Iris KNOTTY PINE

Widely regarded as significant parent 'Knotty Pine' is in the parentage of hundreds of irises. (Used in breeding SDB Plicatas to give 'better form believe', it or not) Knotty Pine is what I describe as a progressive iris because the longer the bloom season gets going, the blooms get to grow taller and grow out from the foliage from where the earlier blooms seem play peak a bloom. Nice increase with great plant health. Standards are a nice citrus honey when first open, that becomes a more than pleasant honey tone with age. Falls are multi coloured browns with striations on the hafts which the above photo does not do justice to. Style arms a glowing amethyst colour. Extremely floriferous, just covers itself in blooms, coupled with a long bloom season and just seems to get better every year. An absolute must have median!!

John E. Goett, Monroe, Connecticut. Irises 1961.
MEDIANS FOR BREEDING
KNOTTY PINE. SDB, 13". (Minnie Colquitt X Denni~ D551) Tan brown bicolor with very perky form. May have plicata factor from Cretica. Color controversial. $5.00

The Iris Yearbook (BIS), 1964,"Lilliputs and All That", page 72, H. Senior Fothergill.
Varietal comments on tall bearded irises are common place, but the smaller bearded hybrids get far less attention, so let us, on this occasion, review some of those wit h I.pumila blod in them , to the joys of which the iris world awakened when Paul Cook produced GREEN SPOT.
Brown;
 KNOTTY PINE (1959) Here we have a brown, of general cafe-au-lait or lion skin effect. The standards are a smoky, creamy yellow ; the falls are tawny buff with a smoky maroon flush ; the orange tipped beards varies between blue and white below. Those who only like unsophisticated colours are not attracted, but I find it a very  satisfying variety in it's on right, and a most useful foil to show up the hues of nicely selected neighbours. 10 inches.

Bulletin of the American Iris Society, July 1964, Number 174. Flight Lines, Plic Tricks, Keith Keppel.
Back in Monroe, Connecticut, Median Iris Society President Jack Goett is working hard with the standard dwarf plicatas. Most stem from his KNOTTY PINE, a tan bitone standard dwarf. CIRCLETTE, violet on white, is from DALE DENNIS X KNOTTY PINE. Others are from KNOTTY PINE X PAT'S PAL, a Rundlett dwarf plic out of PATRICE X CRETICA. Included in Jack's progeny from KNOTTY PINE and PAT'S PAL are some TIFFANJA-patterned and colored plics.

Region 14 Northern California, Nevada, Regional Bulletin, Spring 1964.
'Carol Says', Carol Walters
.......here are notes of some of the median Iris which bloomed in the Western Median Test garden Rio Linda as they appeared to me. The descriptions of each median class given are taken from the material on exhibition judging of median irises complied by Crescent Deru for the Median Section of the American Iris Society.
Knotty Pine : The garden effect of this one is non-existent, but it is charming to view close, especially looking down into the flower. The standards are open and frilly, pale honey in color, showing off the glowing style arms and the intricately patterned falls of party brown velvet.

4~ Square Iris Gardens, Eau Claire,Wisconsin, Cold Climate Iris, 1982.
KNOTTY PINE (Goett 1961) Standards Tan, Falls Brown.
(The reason I have include these short and to the point listings is that the catalogue states 'plants are grown in a very harsh climate. Temperatures from -40°F in winter and up to 100°F in the summer. Coupled with the harsh climate is a short growing season' strongly indicates 'Knotty Pine' is a very hardy iris.)

AIS Checklist 1959
KNOTTY PINE  John Goett, Reg. 1959. Sdlg. 91-Al. SDB, 13" (33 cm), E. Color Class-YO5D, S. tan; F. brown. Minnie Colquitt x Dennis D 551. Goett 1961. Honorable Mention 1962, Award of Merit 1967, Cook-Douglas Medal 1970.

Once again I have to say that there maybe a slight outside chance 'Knotty Pine' is still commercially grown in New Zealand somewhere (can't say I had any success with this avenue), fortunately I was able to purchase this plant on Trade Me from hctnz (Lyn Nell) a Mid-Canterbury gardener who sends generous plants that have great plant health and I have never had the slightest hesitation to highly recommend to visitors to this blog. 

As always clicking on the above image will take you to the larger, higher resolution version.

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Photo credit and copyright Terry Johnson and Heritage Irises ©.