| Where the garden meets the wild | ||
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IRIS: REGELIOCYCLUS HYBRIDS ARIL IRIS CROSSES Iridaceae (Iris family) |
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| Return to Plants Index Bulbs Index Iris main page | ||
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'Theseus' (dark) and 'Antiope' (light) make good cut flowers, too. Photograph © Paige Woodward |
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Regeliocyclus irises are crosses between the
two sections of Iris that have arils: Oncocyclus and Regelia. Both
have spectacular flowers and are native to parts of Asia where summers are
parched, winters snowy and spring brief and wet. But Regelia is easy to
grow, while Oncocyclus is for experts. Combined, however, they sometimes
produce spectacularly beautiful plants that are easier to grow.
An aril is a nutritious bit of tissue attached to a seed that attracts ants or other creatures. In collecting the food, they distribute the seed. Oncocyclus irises have one large flower per stem. The flower is usually rounded, with dramatic linear markings that look almost etched, and dark signals on the falls. The best known species is probably Iris iberica. Regelia irises usually have two narrower flowers per stem. Some are veined, others have solid coloring. Examples are I. hoogiana, I. korolkowii and I. stolonifera. A hybrid that is mostly oncocyclus is called an oncogelia; one that is half regelia or more is called a regeliocyclus. Some of the most beautiful regeliocyclus hybrids were achieved about a century ago at the great Dutch bulb nursery named for its proprietor, C.G. van Tubergen. His descendant, Antoine Hoog, continues the tradition of selecting outstanding cultivars. |
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Photograph © Paige Woodward |
Iris
'Antiope'. This heart-stopping beauty was selected by Antoine Hoog in May 1999 from a bed of Iris hoogiana f. purpurea.
It blooms here in May. Antoine gave it a name from Greek
mythology, "to keep in line with names given by my
ancesters to this group of irises." Rhizome (Fall shipping only). $8.00 |
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Photograph © A.M.D. Hoog
Photograph © Paige Woodward |
Iris
'Theseus'. This is a hybrid registered in 1915 by C.G. van Tubergen. It
blooms here in May. Theseus, king of ancient
Athens, killed the Minotaur in Crete. There is much more to that story.
This is an exceptionally beautiful Iris. Height
60-80 cm (24-30"). Zone 6, perhaps colder.
Rhizome (Fall shipping only). $8.00 |
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| Return to Plants Index Bulbs Index Iris main page | ||
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| This page was updated March 25, 2008. | ||
