"Weisenmotte" Explorations

This started innocently enough with an iris purchased as a "Siberian" from Springhill under the name "Weisemotte", it is not registered with the AIS.

While it looks perfectly Sino-Siberian, some characteristics of this plant seem atypical for a 40-chromosome Sino-Siberian. It grows well in our dry and hot summer climate (conditions that should have killed it), has an impossible time selfing, and has been crossed other species. (I have managed to get it to set seed on one of the JI type Ensiberians.)


Correctly spelled "Weisenmotte" (Meadow Moth) was bred by Marlene Ahlburg from Germany and reportedly derived from Berliner Riesen, a I. clarkei x delavayi hybrid.

Iris clarkei has 38 chromosomes and is said to cross readily with other Sino-Siberian species with chromosome numbers of 40.

When I first began trying to get this to set seed this was the only Sino-Siberian in my garden. After years of trying to self it, I gave up and allowed it to do whatever it pleased. It set seed.

Only two seedlings germinated in the area reserved for these open pollinated seeds from "Weisenmotte". There were no other Sino-Siberians so it was assumed that the pods were from selfing. They were moved to a damper and richer seedling bed.

Initially, these looked the part of beardless seedlings. Clearly, they are not. Seedling numbers are W1 and W2. (A side note: 2002 crosses of Weisemotte and seedlings out of Idson (SIGNA '99)did produce seed. Those are not covered here.)

Both seedlings were labeled and mapped and over the first season put on considerable growth. Leaves elongated and twisted then began to widen and new fans were produced at an astounding rate.... and both began to look oddly like SDBs.

   

   
Could they just be volunteer beardeds?

Both seedlings show a tendency toward leaf spot (not unexpected in beardeds) but the color of the leaves is slightly "off". W1 is pod sterile unless forced or severely overcrowed but it always produces ample pollen. W2 is pod fertile while it has not shown pollen. The pods shown in these images are the results of W1 X W1 and W2 X W1. The only pod set on W1 in 2002 was on a section of the plant divided and replanted just prior to bloom, stressing this piece.

One explanation, unlikely as it is, would be that Weisenmotte may have crossed with a SDB.


W1 shows the most uncommon color in the whisker marks around its beard. Since this is likely to indicate who one parent was, comparisons were made to all SDBs in the collection. BEAUTY MARK (parentage unknown) is the only one in my collection that shows this same type of rose-purple. Interestingly, BEAUTY MARK was the only SDB planted within 50 feet of Weisenmotte when these seeds were produced. (Display bed on the opposite side of the terrace path and only 3 feet away.)



Photo taken in May 2003 (third year) shows part of the first increases. W1 totaled 91 starts before 1/4 of the clump was removed. W2 had 3 divisions removed before photo was taken and totalled 46 starts.

Second generation seedlings also look like SDBs with quite a bit of variation in color of bloom, size (a few approach IBs), and amount of increase. So far, I haven't been able to get any of them to cross with any of my SDBs. Most are in fact sterile but those that are not have only crossed with their siblings. Time and garden space until now have been limited but I'm hoping to play with more advanced generations sometime in the near future.