From New Orleans to New Zealand
The History of Louisiana Iris
by Tom Dillard
Malvern, Arkansas
- Introduction
- Louisiana Iris Species
- The Age of Collectors
- Formation of the Society for Louisiana Iris
- One Last Species: Iris nelsonii
- Period of Hybridization
- International Players
- DeBaillon Medal Winners
- Important Collected Louisianana Iris
- Notes
For generations the Iris has held a peculiar hold on people. Those of us with ancestors in the temperate zone of Europe, most of North America, and the dryer regions of Africa and Asia--and, of course, Australia and New Zealand--those ancestors grew bearded irises primarily. Generation after generation, families grew irises that originated on the sunny perimeter of the Mediterranean or the mostly dry Middle East. These "flags" grew under a variety of names, some highly descriptive (such as the dimunitive I. pumila), some so romantic that even Shakespeare would gush (such as I. florentina, the source of the fabled orris root, used in cosmetics to this day), and some names are mysterious--at least until their history becomes known. (The so called "cemetery iris" is a good example. Botanically known as I. x albicans, the cemetery iris is a lovely white flower that adorns burial grounds throughout those portions of the world conquered by Muslim forces. The ghostly flowers flutter in the breeze, serving as a beautiful reminder of those who have gone before us.)
In more recent years gardeners have discovered the remainder of the iris universe, especially what we call beardless irises, and in particular the Louisiana irises from North America. Beardless irises usually (though, alas, not always!) offer the tremendous benefit of being strong of constitution, resilient and, most notably, free of the scourge of rot! Plus, these beardless irises, the Louisiana irises in particular, are beautiful to behold, with a natural grace and charm that has to a large degree disappeared from the excessively hybridized bearded irises.
The name "Louisiana Iris" originated with the famed naturalist and artist John James Audubon. In the 1820s, while living in Louisiana, Audubon painted a pair of Parula Warblers. And, as Audubon was prone to do, he included some local flora in the background--in this case a tall and radiant specimen of I. fulva . In his notes, Audubon referred to the flower as a "Louisiana Flag," and in so doing he coined the name by which we still know this iris and its relatives.1
We speak of the Louisiana iris, but actually this name applies to a grouping of related species called a series in botanical parlance. The iris genus (let's think of it as a “grouping” of related species for simplification purposes) is a huge one, comprising some 200+ species. These species range from tiny little I. danfordii, a bulbous iris native to Turkey that blooms in very early spring on stems no taller than three or four inches, to I. pseudacorus, a robust giant of six feet that has become a noxious weed in much of the world. To bring order if not reason to this disparate genus, botanists and taxonomists, have grouped the irises into various divisions. We have already mentioned the great divide known as bearded vs. beardless, but it is further subdivided into series.
Species: Iris hexagona
The five species that comprise the Louisiana irises are given their own series name, the Hexagonae. The series takes its name from the first of the species to be named in a journal of botanical recognition. I. hexagona was recorded in 1788 by one Thomas Walter, a Hampshireman who published just before his untimely death at age forty-nine, a book titled Flora Caroliniana. This iris was reported from coastal Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida; it possibly extended into the Gulf of Mexico, perhaps as far west as the swamps around the mouth of the Mississippi near modern New Orleans. It is an attractive iris usually described as "blue," but actually it has a goodly amount of lilac in the flowers that are up to four inches wide. Stalks, normally no taller than 36 inches and often shorter, are usually straight but sometimes slightly zig-zag.
Species: Iris fulva
An exciting addition to the iris world came in 1812 when J. B. Ker-Gawler, a British botanist and the subject of a scandalous adultery trial, published a description of I. fulva. This iris, in addition to being painted by Audubon, is famous for the rusty-brown color it brought to the series. Often referred to as the "copper iris," I. fulva has to be seen in flower to properly appreciate its dusky red coloring. In the tall bearded iris world a dark brown with slightly reddish undertones is generously referred to as "red." The red of I. fulva is, when at its best, exactly the opposite: a dark red underlain with a hint of brown. On top of that, the better selected forms of I. fulva have a sheen about them, giving the flowers the texture of deep velour. Stalks are normally about two-to-three feet tall, usually straight but sometimes with a zig-zag form. Through the years iris fanciers have collected specimens of unusual colors, including a fine yellow.2
I. fulva has a wide distribution, being found in middle and lower ranges of the Mississippi River Valley, including Illinois and Ohio where the winters regularly see low temperatures below zero degrees F.
Species: Iris brevicaulis
The least imposing garden subject among the Hexagonae is the species I. brevicaulis. Described in 1817 by Constantine S. Rafinesque, I. brevicaulis is a veritable dwarf--with ten-to-fourteen inch bloom stalks. The stalks, which normally have a pronounced zig-zag pattern, are often held in contempt for their tendency to lie prostrate upon the ground. Regardless of any shortcomings, I. brevicaulis offers a pretty flower, usually blue but sometimes white, and it is known for its winter hardiness. Like I. fulva, I. brevicaulis is native to a large expanse from the Gulf of Mexico to the snowy reaches of Indiana. This species has been used to produce winter hardy Louisiana irises.
Species: Iris giganticaerulea
As the name implies, this species is the giant of the series. I. giganticaerulea, despite its imposing size, was not described until 1929 when Dr. John K. Small of the New York Botanical Garden registered several species he had discovered.3 While none of the other irises afforded species status by Dr. Small have held up to intense botanical and taxonomic examination, I. giganticaerulea still shines brightly in the Hexagonae firmament.
Sometimes reaching six feet in height, I. giganticaerulea is a truly imposing iris. Imagine a clearing deep within a cypress swamp, and suddenly shafts of sunlight illuminate vast drifts of this blue species, its rigid stalks hoisting large six inch flowers of the most wonderful blue, lilac, lavender, and on to pure white. Signals are often large and brightly colored, providing a nice contrast. This iris is found in a narrow band along the gulf coast of south Louisiana and east Texas. This limited range is a hint of the cold tender nature of this beautiful iris.
Species: Iris nelsonii
The fact this wondrous species was ever identified is quite a miracle. Discovered in the late 1930s by W. B. Macmillan and given the name I. nelsonii in 1966 by Professor L. F. Randolph, this iris was found in a limited range near Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. For years it has been the subject of considerable taxonomic debate, but the consensus seems to be that it is a hybrid between I. fulva, I. giganticaerulea, and I. brevicaulis. A hybrid, yes, but a stabilized hybrid and thus worthy of species status.4
The "Abbeville Reds," as the finer specimens of this species were called, brought great excitement to the iris world--and new genes into the breeding of hybrid Louisiana irises. Like I. fulva, I. nelsonii is reliably winter hardy through much of the United States.
No one knows who first collected the species and their hybrids collectively known as the Louisiana irises. We can well imagine American Indians delighting in the beauty of these irises, and perhaps growing them along the meandering banks of rivers where villages were often situated. Without a doubt the early French explorers, hunters, and trappers noticed the irises of the waterways. It is truly ironic that the Louisiana irises we know today are so identified with the French-speaking Acadian culture of coastal Louisiana, for these were the sons of a country where the fleur-de-lis is inextricably linked to the national culture.
Although a review of the literature turns up nothing on specific irises collected by the "Cajuns," as they are affectionately known, there is some evidence of Louisiana irises being collected from the wild and planted in gardens before the Civil War. By the time W. R. Dykes published his great treatise The Genus Iris in 1913, he had already bred two hybrids of I. fulva X I. brevicaulis (named 'Fulvala' and 'Fulvala Violacea'). This was quickly followed by E. B. Williamson of Indiana who made the same cross and produced the beautiful 'Dorothea K. Williamson,' a distinctive blue of robust species form that looks classy today just as it did in 1918 when it went on the market. 5 Another Englishman, Amos Perry, bred ‘Margaret Perry,’ but he is most important for popularizing Louisiana irises in Britain.
All of this activity is mere prelude, for it took an energetic and stoic New York botanist to put Louisiana irises on the map. His name was Dr. John Kunkel Small, and to this very day Louisiana iris specialists still speak of him with reverence and wonder. Small, a scholar with a Columbia Ph.D. in botany, was a genius. As an undergraduate he published a pamphlet on the mosses of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, his home state. In 1901 Dr. Small ventured into Florida to conduct field work for his employer, the New York Botanical Garden; for the next thirty years he had a botanical love affair with a state not yet ruined by urban sprawl and commercial agriculture. And during all this time Small was researching irises of the southeastern United States.
Small found Florida captivating, but he described south Louisiana as the "iris center of the universe." On a train trip through the New Orleans area he was astounded to observe veritable fields of irises flashing by as he sat stunned in a speeding train. Soon he was driving around southern Louisiana in a Ford Model T dubbed "the Weed Wagon," collecting in his own inimitable fashion. Small was a man who would not hesitate to wade up to his waist in a Florida waterway in order to free his stranded boat; on other occasions he could be old fashioned, even formal. In one particularly evocative photograph, Dr. Small is shown dressed in coat and tie while collecting seeds of I. giganticaerulea. Imagine the heat of that August day in Louisiana, no hint of a breeze to disturb the mosquitoes, and the perspiration dripping, dripping down his well-clad back.6
In 1931 Small named a veritable menagerie of new "species," forty-one altogether, including the seductive I. vinicolor, a "species" Small described thusly: "The flowers of the blue types are beautiful, those of Iris fulva are odd; those of Iris vinicolor are exquisite."7 It was indeed a beautiful iris, but the problem was in its status as a new species. The same could be said for all the other species he placed in the I. hexagonae series--excepting the stately I. giganticaerulea. In the end, a fellow collector and professional herpetologist by the name of Percy Viosca, Jr. published a masterful analysis of Dr. Small's taxonomy of the Hexagonae.8 Small's reach had exceeded his taxonomic grasp, Viosca concluded. However, this hard working New Yorker did much to attract national attention to the irises native to the Southeast. The lowly "swamp irises" were finally getting some attention from the gardening public.
Amateurs and Their Contributions
Like the British and many Europeans, North Americans have a tradition of dedicated if not pathological devotion to natural history. One of the earlier plant explorers was William Bartram, like his friend Benjamin Franklin, a Philadelphian. In more recent years the Louisiana irises have attracted the attention of a cadre of admirers, a number of whom were avid collectors in the years following Dr. Small's introduction of Louisiana irises to the national public. The late Joseph K. Mertzweiller of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, himself a pioneer in developing tetraploid Louisianas, has written of the role played by amateurs: "Following the work of Small some 20 years passed before hybridizing really came of age, but this was not a static period. It was the most important period of collecting."9
Small was an unusual scholar for he not only published in the professional botanical press, such as Addisonia, but he also felt a mission to share his passions with a larger public. His articles in the Journal of the New York Botanical Garden were written with an appealing mixture of scholarly authority and horticultural enthusiasm. In 1931 he published heartfelt appeals to save "the vanishing iris," by which he meant the beardless irises of the lowlands--the same areas in Florida and Louisiana being drained in a frantic effort to "develop" the economically depressed South.
In the minds of many people, especially gardening enthusiasts who lived in the "Cajun Country" of south Louisiana10, Small's appeal was a clarion call to action. In Mary Swords DeBaillon the Louisiana iris found someone who had Dr. Small's promotional skills if not his academic degrees. Mrs. DeBaillon, who lived in Lafayette, the defacto capitol of the far-flung Cajun domain of coastal Louisiana, was a woman of storied enthusiasm and indefatigable energies.
At her home near Lafayette Mrs. DeBaillon assembled a huge collection of native irises, including many she collected herself. Here's how W. B. MacMillan, himself a legend in Louisiana iris circles, recalled his first meeting Mrs. DeBaillon:
"Fortunately, I had the advantage of meeting Mary DeBaillon in a camellia garden a short distance north of Jacksonville, Florida. She had heard of our discoveries in Vermilion Parish not far from Abbeville, of an apparently new type of native iris which quickly became known as the Abbeville Reds, now Iris nelsonii. She was quite eager to see it and invited me to come to her place some two or three miles beyond the outskirts of Lafayette. Perhaps you can imagine my amazement when I first saw Mary and Dan DeBaillon's spacious home and beautifully landscaped surroundings covering several acres. Mary was pampering some camellia grafts that she had made herself, though she was well advanced in her last illness. When I had explained more fully about those Abbeville Reds, she was in our yard the next day with her chauffeur, a spade for digging, wrappings and boxes for collecting, plus a heavy blanket for a pallet when the pains might strike her as they did before she was through that day."11
Mrs. DeBaillon died in 1940, but not before she managed to distribute Louisiana iris plants far and wide. A network12 of her friends traded both rhizomes and seeds. W. B. MacMillan tells of one encounter with Mrs. DeBaillon while visiting her home. At the end of the day his host gave MacMillan "a small bag of Iris seed taken from her finest plants but she had not identified specific pods. They were shelled and all together; so we will never know what produced 'Bayou Sunset' and 'Aurora Borealis'...."13 These two irises became early standouts, and 'Bayou Sunset' was the winner of the DeBaillon Award in 1949.
The death of Mrs. DeBaillon seemed to spur on further work among other amateurs. Significantly, she left her iris collection to a respected naturalist, Miss Caroline Dorman, proprietor of Briarwood, a 100-acre nature "preserve" in north central Louisiana. Miss Dorman immediately began evaluating the irises, and over the following years introduced at least eighteen irises under the name DeBaillon-Dorman. But greater things were to come.
On May 18, 1941 a group of Louisiana iris fanciers, collectors, and a scattering of academics met to consider organizing a society to promote Louisiana irises. J. G. Richard, an Extension Horticulturist stationed at Louisiana State University and a friend of Mrs. DeBaillon, suggested naming the society after the late Mrs. DeBaillon, and "the very representative and enthusiastic group of people" voted to create the "Mary Swords DeBaillon Louisiana Native Iris Society."
A month later the president of the new Society, Abbeville businessman and discoverer of the Abbeville Reds, W. B. MacMillan, circulated an invitation to charter membership in the Society. He outlined general plans for the Society, including a desire to classify "the various types and colors." He also called for the Society to identify and document all named varieties. Happily, he reported that the Southwest Louisiana Institute (now the University of Southwest Louisiana) had become the home of a "more or less" official Society plant collection. And equally happily, he concluded with the hope that the DeBaillon Society could work cooperatively with other iris organizations, including the American Iris Society.14
Transformation into an organization with by-laws might have threatened the spontaneity of this jolly band of latterday William Bartrams or John Kunkel Smalls, but the historical record indicates just the opposite. For years after its formation, Society records indicate the group opened its circle of friends to newcomers. Plantsmen like Sam Caldwell of Nashville, Tennessee came to the Society's annual gathering with expectations of not only meeting with iris fanciers, but also venturing into the swamps to collect the now-threatened irises. This invitation to adventure, held the constant possibility of stepping on a cottonmouth snake or, much worse, tangling with an alligator. The tours offered the veneer of danger, an experience that modern day irisarians can no longer reasonably expect.15
The Society had the misfortune of organizing during World War II when shortages meant that annual meetings were expensive even if austere. The members usually gathered in mid-April in the darkened confines of the Evangeline Hotel in Lafayette. First time visitors to the annual meeting and show were amazed at the greenness of the Lafayette area during the rampant months of spring. Saturdays were spent inside the hotel in meetings and, in the afternoon, viewing the iris shows. Walking through the show rooms with the ceiling fans gently whirring, visitors were astounded at the beauty of these native irises.
Occasionally someone would enter a new variety in the show and cause a stir among the attendees. In 1947 a "dainty yellow named 'Jolie Blonde'" stole everyone's attention.16 The public welcomed these shows, and the Society was always eager for publicity. In 1945 the annual meeting of the Mary Swords DeBaillon Iris Society was filmed by Fox Movietone for national showing, and Society members viewed it at the Jefferson Theater in Lafayette.
In 1948 the organization changed its name to the Society for Louisiana Irises, and at the same time issued the first "Mary Swords DeBaillon Award" for the best Louisiana iris cultivar. By 1950 the young society had over 200 members, including people in Europe, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Clearly, something was going on.17
Part of the success for the organization and the movement it served was the leadership of Professor Ira S. "Ike" Nelson, who came to the Southwest Louisiana Institute in 1941 to teach horticulture. But teaching was only one interest of the many-talented "Professor Ike." He was the first secretary of the Mary Swords DeBaillon Iris Society, and in that capacity he served as the coordinator for the organization and thereby gave it stability. He also knew how to work physically, so every year he staged elaborate iris shows; at least once he created a replica of a swamp, and another show featured a reproduction of a Cajun cabin! Mrs. Katherine Cornay, writing in 1946, could promise a grand convention in Lafayette: "We can also promise you trips into the vast beds of native irises where you may feast your eyes and collect to your heart's content. Then, too, there will be Cajun food, Cajun people, and a Cajun welcome, all of which we believe you will enjoy."18
Not every convention was free of mishap. The very success enjoyed by the Society in promoting these natives irises had the unintended consequence of attracting unsavory characters. In 1947 the Society issued a letter of condemnation to a commercial dealer in Lafayette who had used the Society's annual tour to locate the shrinking beds of wild irises--on which the stinker had "wrought carnage." Society President Hamilton Robertson concluded: "Such conduct ill befits any right thinking citizen and to lovers of natural beauty it is de[s]picable."19
Not long after Professor Ike settled into his professorial duties at U.S.L., he began to hear of a newly discovered group of irises called the "Abbeville Reds," or sometimes the "Super Fulvas." W. B. MacMillan, a shrewd businessman and a keen naturalist who settled in Abbeville in 1928, was captivated by the natural environment of the Lafayette/Abbeville area, and he explored the swamps for interesting plants. He immediately joined the circle of local fanciers, and his pleasant personality and intelligence soon allowed him to blossom into an iris expert.
In his later years, MacMillan recalled that collecting superior wild seedlings "became a kind of crusade," in which "marsh trips were no longer recreational jaunts or due to the lure of the mysterious marshland. Collecting the more striking hybrids for yard gardens in addition to the very special collections in the DeBaillon and Dorman spreads, became the vogue." To make a long story short, suffice it to say that W. B. MacMillan discovered the Abbeville Reds in the swamps of Vermilion Parish, an area Dr. Small had somehow missed entirely.
MacMillan knew these irises were different. They were larger in size, with good vigor, strong substance, and a color more noticeably red. Early one Sunday morning as he ventured into his backyard seedling patch, MacMillan was startled to discover a young man in his garden..."He was so likely looking that, after he introduced himself as Ike Nelson, newly arrived at U.S.L. and with a special interest in finding out more about our local irises, I listened with increasing interest...so, I cut church, discarded all plans for the day, and we found ourselves headed to my pet rendezvous in Buteau Woods...." Awaiting were the Abbeville Reds, and Professor Ike set about to get these irises analyzed for scientific and horticultural interests. After years of study and taxonomic analysis, L. F. Randolph, a botanist at Cornell University, published the necessary description of a new species, Iris nelsonii, named in honor of the tireless Professor Ike Nelson.20
Other Collectors
Both W. B. MacMillan and Professor Ike were dedicated collectors, and both introduced several named cultivars that played important roles in creating what Joe Mertzweiller called the "Foundation Stock." This stock consisted of the superior specimens and natural hybrids from which the modern hybrids have been bred. Several stand out as particularly important. MacMillan named a fine magenta selection 'Peggy Mac' after the wife who shared his horticultural passions. Mertzweiller believed 'Peggy Mac' to be "very possibly the most important of all collected Louisiana irises." He ventured that "'Peggy Mac' was the first to show the flaring, overlapping form and was unsurpassed in transmitting this form to its progeny." Professor Ike registered a number of collected forms, and his hybrid 'Cherry Bounce,' a cherry red self, won the DeBaillon in 1951.21A listing of important collected irises is published as Appendix B to this document.
Many irisarians through the years have expended immense energy and money in an attempt to improve upon the natural design of the iris. We have seen this most pronounced among the breeders of the tall bearded irises, where much of the plant's original grace and charm have been lost to ruffles and crimping, spoons and flounces--frills that merely appeal to gaudiness and change for the sake of change. We might be facing the same phenomenon today in the Louisiana iris world as cultivars are being bred and introduced at a prodigious rate, many of them little resembling the species and collected forms of their recent ancestors. However, there seems to be a consensus that most modern Louisiana iris introductions still retain the old charm and beauty that attracted earlier generations, although some hold that many modern Louisiana cultivars are approaching the maximum size allowed before becoming top-heavy like many of the modern bearded.
Percy Viosca, Jr. is remembered most as the man who punctured Dr. Small's taxonomic balloon, the man who organized the Hexagonae series into the scheme generally followed today. However, Viosca was a man of good judgment as well as good botanical sense. In 1935 he wrote of the potential for hybridizing the Louisiana irises into a broad range of garden cultivars: "...with the assistance nature has already given them, hybridizers, within a few years, will be able to produce many hardy garden varieties with undreamed of horticultural qualities."22
Most breeders of garden varieties had varied goals, but they all dreamed of developing cultivars that would find homes in gardens of the nation and world. A bit of Luther Burbank lurks within the breasts of all plant breeders, and those of us who love gardens and beauty should be ever grateful. This is not to say that every collected iris--nor hybrid-- was appealing to every beholder.23 Nor is this to say hybridizers actually "improve" upon nature. However, hybridizers use nature's own potential for change, to produce new garden varieties that manifest some sort of improvement upon other varieties. Sometimes it will be a new color combination, such as Charles Arny's 'Easter Tide,' a yellow/lavender concoction sure to bring praise from any garden visitor. Sometimes a cultivar will simply possess a combination of traits that comprise a memorable whole; Frank Chowning's 'Dixie Deb' is a prime example of this.24
Alas, for every new seedling registered, hundreds must be ruthlessly rogued out. Breeding new plants is hard work, and the results can only be seen after years elapse. Still, there is that yearning to produce something beautiful, a seedling that will produce a flower so beautiful, so distinctive, so endearing, that it must be registered and introduced into commerce.
The early breeders faced the challenge of obtaining stock sufficient to undertake breeding on a large scale. The collectors were generous with each other, and from the 1930s a small trade in Louisiana iris rhizomes served this tightly knit clan of plantspeople.
Mrs. DeBaillon left her collection to Caroline Dorman, a fellow collector who also undertook a hybridizing program. Miss Dorman's greatest claim to fame as a breeder is 'Wheelhorse' (R1952), a rose bitone which has remained popular to this day and figures prominently in the genealogy of many award-winning irises.25
Another north Louisiana neighbor of Miss Dorman was Sidney L. Conger of Arcadia. Conger worked to produce wider flowers with overlapping parts, with 'W. B. MacMillan' (R1957) being his crowning glory. This red bitone was considered quite an achievement, and it has figured in the parentage of the famous DeBaillon Award winners 'Charlie's Michele' (Arny 67), 'Ann Chowning' (Chowning 73), and 'Marie Caillet' (Conger 63).
Charles Arny, Jr. of Lafayette evolved into the preeminent hybridizer in the 1960s. In addition to his previously mentioned 'Easter Tide,' he is recognized for his work in producing the outstanding ruffled white named 'Clara Goula,' which he named after his next door neighbor. Arny captured more than a dozen DeBaillon Awards/Medals, more than any other individual.
Like Arny, Marvin Granger of Lake Charles, Louisiana, was a prolific hybridizer. His 'Bramble Queen' (R62) is still considered distinctive; but he is known especially for his "double" cultivars--meaning varieties in which the standards are pendulous like the falls. His 'Creole Can Can' (R56) is a collected double that has been used by many breeders to induce doubling.
A hybridizer of note and a past president of SLI, Dorman Haymon bred 'Praline Festival' (R92). Many people believed 'Praline Festival' was fated to win a DeBaillon and it did in 2001. His sultry 'Empress Josephine' (R89) is one of the darker Louisianas. Another Lafayette breeder is Richard Goula. A next door neighbor of Charles Arny and a former president of SLI, Goula has an intimate knowledge of all aspects of breeding and growing Louisiana irises--and he is considered an authority on the history of Louisiana iris work.
Not all successful hybridizers were residents of Louisiana. Neighboring Arkansas has produced a number of outstanding breeders, the dean being the late Frank Chowning. Chowning pursued a variety of goals, but he was unusual in his concentration on producing cold-hardy cultivars. Thus, he made extensive use of I. brevicaulis, which is considered the most hardy of the species. His 'Black Gamecock' (R78) is grown deep into the freeze zones, including Canada. Chowning served as a mentor to many, including Richard Morgan and Henry Rowlan also of Arkansas. Morgan and Rowlan carried on Chowning's pioneering work after his death, producing hardy garden varieties.26
Texas is the home to a number of people active in the Louisiana iris world. Josephine Shanks of Houston has been a leader in promoting Louisiana irises through her chairmanship of the SLI International Committee. Kirk Strawn, of the College Station area, has introduced a wide variety of cultivars. In more recent years J. Farron Campbell of the Dallas area has evolved as a leader in the field, having served as President of SLI. He is also a hybridizer. Albert "Bobo" Faggard of Beaumont, Texas has introduced a variety of cultivars, many of them being shorter varieties.
California gardeners are gradually weaning themselves from bearded irises, and the late Mary Dunn has been the most productive of the west coast breeders. She won DeBaillon Medals for four of her introductions: 'Monument,' 'Rhett,' 'Bajazzo,' and 'Bayou Mystique.' Joe Ghio and the late Ben Hager, both celebrated breeders of bearded irises, have produced several outstanding cultivars, including DeBaillon winners 'Delta King' and 'Mary Dunn.'
Kevin Vaughn, a research scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has dived into hybridizing Louisiana irises in a spectacular sort of way. He has been chairman of the SLI Scientific Committee for years, and in 2000 he became SLI President. Vaughn has admitted to hybridizing "anything with pollen on it," and he first made a reputation in breeding hostas. His crosses are based on a remarkable knowledge of genetics, and observers expect a great future from this young man.
The Struggle for Tetraploidy
Members of the Hexagonae series are diploid, meaning plants have two complete sets of chromosomes (expressed as "2n"). Interestingly and somewhat unusually, the Hexagonae species have chromosome counts that vary little--from 2n=42 for I. fulva and I. nelsonii to 2n=44 for I. brevicaulis, I. giganticaerulea, and I. hexagona. These irises will hybridize quite easily, at least in theory.
Tetraploid irises are those which have, either through natural mutation or chemical inducement on the part of humans, had their chromosome count doubled. Here's how the late Joseph K. Mertzweiller, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana hybridizer and the leading proponent of tetraploidy, described the perceived benefits of this doubling of chromosomes: "Tetraploidy offers many advantages in plant breeding. Each gene is represented four times rather than twice and this offers a much wider range of genetic features which translates into larger sizes, improved substance, deeper colors, new color combinations and patterns, new forms and other desirable features."27
In 1964 Mertzweiller began converting Louisiana irises using the dangerously toxic chemical colchicine, a harsh process that kills most plants, but in a few rare instances colchicine will double the number of chromosomes in a given subject. After three decades he had produced a series of "tet" cultivars, commonly referred to as "the Professors." These are 'Professor Claude,' 'Professor Ike,' 'Professor Paul,' 'Professor Sigmund,' 'Professor Ellis,' 'Professor Jim,' 'Professor Marta Marie,' 'Professor Fritchie,' 'Professor Barbara,' and 'Professor Neil.' Mertzweiller's great hope was that his "professors" could serve as the "foundation stock" for a whole new race of Louisiana irises. His enthusiasm was boundless.28
One of the people who joined in the tetraploid crusade was Kenneth Durio, a brilliant nurseryman from Opelousas, Louisiana, who bred a whole string of tetraploid cultivars: 'Bozo,' 'Decoy,' 'Godzilla,' 'King Kong,' 'Sauterne,' and 'Wine Cooler' being some of his popular tetraploids. In more recent years hybridizers as diverse as Samuel N. Norris of Kentucky and Robert Raabe of Australia have produced popular cultivars. Raabe's 'Coorabell' and Norris' 'Kentucky Cajun' are both outstanding plants, with large flowers of incredible substance.
From the earliest years the irises within the Hexagonae series have appealed to iris fanciers around the world. The English authority William R. Dykes himself, as noted earlier, produced at least two hybrids, and even citizens of the southern hemisphere found that Louisianas are quite adaptable.
Residents of Australia and New Zealand encountered huge obstacles in building collections capable of sustaining breeding programs, but they did it nonetheless. No one represents this phenomenon better than Sam E. Rix of Mount Maunganui, North Island, New Zealand.
Rix, proprietor of the Hotel Oceanside in Mount Maunganui, first began communicating with the Society for Louisiana Irises in 1952. By that point he had already built a large collection of species irises, including the Hexagonae. Within two years this diligent and persistent Kiwi had assembled a vastly expanded collection, thanks to Royce D. Spinkston, a South Australia fancier of Louisiana irises who had sent seeds. He also received seeds from Inez Conger, Caroline Dorman, and W. B. MacMillan. "At the moment I have some hundreds of fine seedlings, and those from the first germination are now huge plants, and are about to flower," Rix proudly announced in 1952.
But the best news, Rix reported, was the arrival of a shipment of named cultivars from the Congers in Louisiana. The names fairly spring from his typewritten letter: 'Royal Gem,' 'The Khan,' 'Bayou Glory,' 'Just Kate,' 'Sara Gladney,' and many more. He continued: "In a month or so I hope to see the first blooms on plants like 'Caroginia,' 'Peggy Mac,' 'New Orleans,' 'Dixie Deb,' 'Elizabeth the Queen,'' and many others." He was eager to share further news with his international peers:
"I plan to breed these plants on a large scale, and within a year or so hope to have many thousands of seedlings coming in bloom each spring. For a number of years I have been deeply interested in iris species, and have grown the rather difficult oncocyclus and regelio-cyclus hybrids in large numbers, together with many other types. I have had to work under difficulties in a very exposed position, for our hotel is right on the sand dunes, facing the Pacific Ocean. Storms sweep in from the sea, and have frequently scorched many of my plants badly. I have noticed though, that the Louisiana irises have withstood salt spray very well.
I have been studying genetics, in the hope that more knowledge may make it possible for me to produce something worthwhile in years to come.29
Nearly a decade passed before Sam Rix finally saw his hopes recognized. In 1961 he received an Honorable Mention from the American Iris Society for a Louisiana iris named 'Frances Elizabeth.' By 1963 it was runner-up for the DeBaillon Award, and two years later 'Frances Elizabeth' won the coveted DeBaillon, essentially the highest award given for Louisiana irises. 'Frances Elizabeth' was the first non-American iris to win the DeBaillon. The winning record begun by Sam Rix in New Zealand has, however, been continued with a vengeance on the continent of Australia.
Americans tend to think of Australia as being a "sunburnt country," and not a suitable home for Louisiana irises. However, Australia is blessed with a climate which, if sufficient water can be provided, will produce record growth in Louisiana irises (as well as many other introduced plants). Royce D. Spinkston was one of the early growers of Louisiana irises in Australia, and he soon had many associates. Robert Raabe, New South Wales, introduced many outstanding Louisiana irises, including two popular blues, 'La Perouse, (R75) and 'Sinfonietta' (R86), and a stunning tetraploid named 'Coorabell' (R88).
John C. Taylor, New South Wales, has become something of a phenomenon. Among his dozens of registrations are several that are considered breakthroughs. His 'Dural White Butterfly' (R89) is a glorious pure white with ruffles to spare, and it is a good grower. While not a consistent performer in North America, 'Margaret Lee' is widely recognized as the first of the hugely ruffled Aussie introductions.
Heather and Bernard Pryor, New South Wales, breed Louisianas on a large scale, and they have introduced a large number of cultivars. Heather Pryor has worked especially hard to develop a true orange and her 'Bushfire Moon' is a step in that direction. Bernard is working on a range of goals, with shorter varieties--which he calls "water sprites"--being a specialty.
Dr. T. J. Betts gardens in a dry place, near Perth, Western Australia. But that has not kept him from registering more than a score of his hybrids. Other Australian hybridizers of note are Janet Hutchinson, New South Wales, the originator of the distinctive 'Popsie,' and Peter Jackson, South Australia, who is working to develop "a high quality red, a ruffled near black and he is experimenting with veining and spray patterns."
Recently the Society for Louisiana Irises ventured onto the Internet. A Louisiana iris discussion group (technically a "listserv") has existed for more than two years, and people from around the world subscribe. This year the Society debuted its "site" on the Internet, one of the more sophisticated sites posted by any horticultural group. One of the features of the site will be access to a comprehensive checklist of Louisiana cultivars, which will ultimately be searchable by a number of functions. These Internet activities, along with a recently published book, will do much to generate renewed interest in Louisiana irises as we venture into the new century.30
Appendix A
DeBaillon Medal Winners
|
Year |
Cultivar |
Originator |
|
1948 |
'Mary S. DeBaillon' |
Caroline Dormon (collected) |
|
1949 |
'Bayou Sunset' |
W. B. MacMillan |
|
1950 |
'Caddo' |
Lillian Hall Trichel |
|
1951 |
'Cherry Bounce' |
Ira S. Nelson |
|
1952 |
'Royal Gem |
Sally Smith |
|
1953 |
'Violet Ray' |
Caroline Dormon |
|
1954 |
'Saucy Minx' |
Caroline Dormon |
|
1955 |
'The Kahn' |
Caroline Dormon |
|
1956 |
'Wood Violet' |
Caroline Dormon |
|
1957 |
'Blue Chip' |
Sally Smith |
|
1958 |
'Wheelhorse' |
Caroline Dormon |
|
1959 |
'Her Highness' |
William E. Levingston (collected) |
|
1960 |
'Amethyst Star' |
Sidney DuBose |
|
1961 |
'Louise Arny' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1962 |
'Dixie Dusk' |
Lenora Mathews |
|
1963 |
'New Offering' |
Claude Davis |
|
1964 |
'W. B. MacMillan' |
Sidney Conger |
|
1965 |
'Frances Elizabeth' |
Sam Rix |
|
1966 |
'G. W. Holleyman' |
Ruth Holleyman |
|
1967 |
'Dixie Deb' |
Frank E. Chowning |
|
1968 |
'Black Widow' |
W. B. MacMillan |
|
1969 |
'Katherine L. Cornay' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1970 |
'Marie Caillet' |
Sidney Conger |
|
1971 |
'Delta King' |
Ben Hager |
|
1972 |
'Ila Nunn' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1973 |
'Mrs. Ira Nelson' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1974 |
'Clyde Redmond' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1975 |
'Charlie's Michele' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1976 |
'Eolian' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1977 |
'Mary Dunn' |
Ben Hager |
|
1978 |
Tie; no award given |
|
|
1979 |
'This I Love' |
Frank E. Chowning |
|
1980 |
'Ann Chowning' |
Frank E. Chowning |
|
1981 |
'Brice Leigh' |
Frank E. Chowning |
|
1982 |
'Clara Goula' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1983 |
'Easter Tide' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1984 |
'Monument' |
Mary Dunn |
|
1985 |
No award made due to |
change-over to Medal status |
|
1986 |
'Ann Chowning' |
Frank E. Chowning |
|
1987 |
'Clara Goula' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1988 |
'Easter Tide' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1989 |
'Black Gamecock' |
Frank E. Chowning |
|
1990 |
'Acadian Miss' |
Charles W. Arny, Jr. |
|
1991 |
'Rhett' |
Mary Dunn |
|
1992 |
'Bajazzo' |
Mary Dunn |
|
1993 |
'Frank Chowning' |
Henry Rowlan |
|
1994 |
'Jeri' |
Neil Bertinot |
|
1995 |
'Kay Nelson' |
Marvin Granger |
|
1996 |
'Professor Jim' |
Joe K. Mertzweiller |
|
1997 |
'Voodoo Magic' |
Henry Rowlan |
|
1998 |
'Bayou Mystique' |
Mary Dunn |
|
1999 |
'Professor Neil' |
Joe K. Mertzweiller |
|
2000 |
'Cajun Sunrise' |
Joe K. Mertzweiller |
|
2001 |
'Praline Festival' |
Dorman Haymon |
|
2002 |
'Extraordinaire' |
Mary Dunn |
Appendix B
Important Collected Louisiana Irises
|
Cultivar |
Collector |
Year |
Color__ |
|
Angel Wings |
Percy Viosca, Jr. |
1935 |
White |
|
Bayou Vermillion |
W. B. MacMillan |
1943 |
Crimson |
|
Breeders Red |
Ira S. Nelson |
1949 |
Metallic Red |
|
Cardinalis |
W. B. MacMillan |
1943 |
Cardinal Red |
|
Cathedral Blue |
Caroline Dorman |
1944 |
Blue |
|
Contrast |
Mary DeBaillon |
1943 |
Orchid-Violet Bicolor |
|
Dandywine |
Percy Viosca, Jr. |
1935 |
Wine Purple |
|
Forsythia |
Caroline Dorman |
1946 |
Yellow |
|
Foxglove Bells |
Caroline Dorman |
1953 |
Red-Violet Bitone |
|
Haile Selassie |
W. B. MacMillan |
1943 |
Royal Purple |
|
Homochitto |
Mary DeBaillon |
1943 |
Dark Red |
|
June Clouds |
Caroline Dorman |
1945 |
White |
|
Lafitte |
Percy Viosca, Jr. |
1932 |
Lobelia Blue |
|
Lillian Trichel |
Caroline Dorman |
1943 |
Rose Pink |
|
Mary S. DeBaillon |
Caroline Dorman |
1943 |
Orchid-Lav. Bitone |
|
Old Coral |
Caroline Dorman |
1949 |
Coral Pink |
|
Peggy Mac |
W. B. MacMillan |
1943 |
Magenta Rose |
|
Royal Highness |
Mary DeBaillon |
1946 |
Dark Blue |
1 In the early 1980s, a major American mail order nursery offered a collection of Louisiana irises under the name "American Irises." This caused an uproar in the iris world, and after much protest, the usurper name was cast aside. See Allen Lacy, Home Ground: A Gardener's Miscellany. New York: Ballentine Books, 1984, pp. 48-49.
2 In the 1930s Frank Chowning, a well known lawyer in Little Rock, Arkansas, discovered a beautiful clear yellow I. fulva near the small east Arkansas town of Marvell, which he continued to grow and distribute for the remainder of his long life. In 1991, Dr. James Waddick registered the iris and named it 'Marvell Gold.' The name Marvell is pronounced MAR-vel, as in "marble."
3 Addisonia, Vol. 14 (1929), pp. 1-13.
4 For a scientific analysis of I. nelsonii, see M. L. Arnold, J. L. Hamrick, and B. D.Bennett, "Allozyme Variation in Louisiana Irises: A Test for Introgression and Hybrid Speciation." Heredity, Vol. 65 (1990), pp. 297-306, and Arnold, "Iris Nelsonii (Iridaceae): Origin and Genetic Composition of a Homoploid Hybrid Species." American Journal of Botany, Vol. 80, No. 5 (1993), pp. 577-583.
5 See Charles Fritchie, Jr. and J. Farron Campbell, Louisiana Iris Cultivars. Lafayette: Society for Louisiana Irises, 1990, pp. 25, 29.
6 An overview of Dr. Small's work may be found in Joseph K. Mertzweiller, ed., Fiftieth Anniversary Publication of the Society for Louisiana Irises, 1941-1991. Lafayette: Society for Louisiana Irises, 1991. This publication includes full color reproductions of the paintings used in Addisonia.
7 Addisonia, Vol. 12, No. 1, (March 1927), pp. 1-2.
8 In a vigorously worded treatise, Viosca concluded that Small's species types were actually naturally occurring variations within existing species. Small was guilty, according to Viosca, of trying to bestow species status on "a profusion of closely related plants in a limited area with infinitesimal differences not readily classifiable, presenting phenomena not repeat[able]...." Viosca recognized a mere four species, with Small credited only for I. giganticaerulea. See Percy Viosca, Jr., "The Irises of Southeastern Louisiana: A Taxonomic and Ecological Interpretation." AIS Bulletin, No. 57 (April 1935), pp. 3-56; Philip W. Ogilvie "Louisiana Iris: A Literature Review," in James W. Waddick, ed., Gardening with Iris Species: Proceedings of an International Symposium. St. Louis: The Symposium, 1995, p. 91.
9 Mertzweiller in Marie Caillet and Joseph K. Mertzweiller, eds., The Louisiana Iris: The History and Culture of Five Native American Species and Their Hybrids. Lafayette, La.: Society for Louisiana Irises, 1988, p. 51.
10 Even from these early years a wide geographic area was represented among the collectors and growers. Little Rock, Arkansas was the home of the pioneering Frank Chowning; T. A. Williams was a collector in Nashville, Tennessee; and eastern Texas was well represented. However, it was the city of Shreveport, in the piney woods of north Louisiana, where by the late 1930s acres of collected Louisiana irises were growing. William Fitzhugh was selling them from his Shreveport nursery as early as 1939, and he was one of many collectors in that area. Caillet and Mertzweiller, The Louisiana Iris, pp. 51-67.
11 See untitled memoir by W. B. MacMillan in the MacMillan Papers, Collection 88, file 88-5-16, Southwestern Archives and Manuscript Collections, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA. [Hereinafter cited as "Southwestern Archives."]
12 W. B. MacMillan fondly recalled the people who took such a profound interest in native irises: Claude Davis and Joe Richard, both of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge; Minnie Colquitt, Sally Smith, Ruth Dorman, Lenora Mathews, Lillian Hall Trichel, Ruth Shehee, Claire Gorton, Hattie Clark, and others from the Shreveport area; Caroline Dorman of Briarwood near Saline, Sidney and Inez Conger at Arcadia, George Arceneaux of Houma, Hazel and Asbury Parks of Houston, Texas, G. W. Holleyman of Lake Charles; Charles and Joyce Arny of Lafayette, and "those lady professors" at U.S.L., Marie Caillet and Tressie Cook. Ibid.
13 Ibid.
14 "To all Members and Prospective Members," from President W. B. MacMillan, Society for Louisiana Irises Records, Collection 66, File 63-1-5, Southwestern Collection.
15 The excitement of entering swamps afoot or in boats is profound enough that even botanists, nay, even geneticists, can dare to write so movingly of field work in the swamps of Vermilion Parish. Here's how Professor Michael L. Arnold wrote of his efforts to locate modern remnants of I. nelsonii: "Southern Louisiana is a beautifully mysterious place. The bald cypress trees adorned with gray-green strands of Spanish moss strike the senses with a feeling of antiquity. This feeling is heightened by the ever-present alligator.... The dew wetted our waders [waterproof clothing covering the body up to the chest] as we pushed our way through the vegetation border that marked the entry into the swamp.... When the dense plant life was finally penetrated[,] we broke through into the now-familiar environs dominated by the bald cypress...we had finally located our quarry. There stood iris flower stalks that were over one meter in height, crowned with flowers...." See Arnold in Marie Caillet and Joseph K. Mertzweiller, Special Publication of the Society for Louisiana Irises. Lafayette, La.: Society for Louisiana Irises, 1995, pp. 16-23.
16 Daily Iberian, April 21, 1947, clipping in SLI Records, Collection 63, file 63-1-3, Southwestern Collection. 'Jolie Blon' is the spelling of this cultivar registered by Edgar A. Arceneaux in 1947.
17 Early convention programs, newspaper clippings, and correspondence can be found in the SLI Records, Collection 63, especially files 63-1-3 and 63-1-5, Southwestern Collection.
18 Mrs. Roy J. Cornay to Geddes Douglas, Nashville, Tenn., March 6, 1946, in SLI Records, Collection 63, file 63-1-3, Southwestern Collection. Caillet and Mertzweiller, The Louisiana Iris, p. 59. Another stalwart of SLI is Miss Marie Caillet, a charter member who continues as she nears the end of her eighth decade to play a leading role in the organization. She is the lead editor of the recently published book on Louisiana irises and her garden near Dallas, Texas is a showplace for beardless irises.
19 President Hamilton Robertson to Robert L. Mouton, Lafayette, La. [May 1947], in SLI Records, Collection 63, file 63-1-1, Southwestern Collection.
20 Untitled MacMillan memoir, MacMillan Papers, Collection 88, file 88-5-16, Southwestern Collection.
21 Mertzweiller in Caillet and Mertzweiller, The Louisiana Iris,, p. 59
22 Viosca, "The Irises of Southeastern Louisiana," p. 54.
23 Indeed, most people are appalled to discover exactly what 'Creole Canary' (Granger R76) looks like, and why anyone would even think of introducing it onto an unsuspecting public where it could be seen by innocent children and the susceptible elderly. Hybridizer Marvin Granger, a magnificent and warm Cajun gentleman, is so nice that one must forgive him this momentary lapse.
24 'Easter Tide' was registered in 1979; 'Dixie Deb' in 1950.
25 Miss Caroline Dorman was one of the premier female naturalists of the twentieth century American South. Her estate, Briarwood, is now a nature preserve. She wrote several books, and is the subject of a biography: Fran H. Johnson, The Gift of Wild Things: the Life of Caroline Dormon. Lafayette: Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Southwest Louisiana, 1990.
26 Much of the data on hybridizers is taken from Caillet and Mertzweiller, The Louisiana Iris, pp. 87-105.
27 Mertzweiller chronicled his tetraploidy crusade in many articles in the SLI Newsletter. A brief summary may be found in Caillet and Mertzweiller, The Louisiana Iris,, pp. 84-85.
28 Toward the end of his long effort on behalf of tetraploidy Mertzweiller seemed to give up hope. It is ironic and sad that this brilliant and persistent man will probably be best recognized for a diploid iris, the radiant 'Cajun Sunrise.' However, his tetraploids 'Professor Jim' and 'Professor Neil' have both won DeBaillon Medals.
29 Sam Rix to Ira S. Nelson, October 29, 1952, in Ira S. Nelson Papers, Collection 29, file 29-2-13, Southwestern Collection; Sam Rix to Miss Aline Arcenaux, August 11, 1954, in SLI Records, Collection 63, file 63-1-17, Southwestern Collection. Marie Caillet, "The 1965 Mary Swords DeBaillon Award," SLI Newsletter, No. 43 (March 1966), pp. 7-9. For a time Rix also sold Louisiana irises on the retail market. See New Zealand iris Society Bulletin No. 27 (September 1958), p. 35.
30 Marie Caillet, et. al, eds., The Louisiana Iris: The Taming of a Native American Wildflower. Portland: Timber Press, 2000.