Candy Lilies Iris x norrisii - 2
James Waddick (Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:14:39 PST)

Dear Dennis. Jim McK and all,

First, the white dichotoma is gorgeous, but I suspect it is
an x norrisii from the larger size of the flower and all its parts
and it seems to have a strong/heavier substance to the petals. A pity
you lost it. It also reminds me of the x norrisii of old.

For Jim McK, I went to the sources and see that it was
earlier known mostly in shades of pale to deeper purple, although one
source says blue (!). It was Dykes himself who noted their was a
'dull greenish white' form as well as an "reddish lurid purple".
Most authors note the white ground color variously spotted and
patterned in purple tones with brown smudges and flecks, as Dennis
typical picture shows.

I admit I haven't seen a lot of true I dichotoma, but I have
yet to see any color other than a fairly uniform pale purple.
Obviously others may exist, but whether they are in cultivation or
not remains unknown to me.

Incidentally one source (Kohlein, I think) called this
species an annual; i.e. not surviving for a second year. This is
definitely not the case here and in the wild.

I will definitely be grown more seeds of both I dichotoma and
I norrisii and report back in a year. Hold on.

Best to all. Jim W.
--
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph. 816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
Summer 100F +