in regards to irises that push the boundaries of their
class, yet the system as a whole remains effective and
useful. We should also remember that the gardening
public cannot be expected to care about parentage or
the technicalities of hybridizing. Rather, their need is
for terms that reflect the differences one actually sees
in living plants in the garden.
I encourage everyone interested in these irises to
avail themselves of the Checklist of Arilbred Dwarfs
and Medians, which I maintain and make available
on my website. This is an important resource for
understanding how these definitions are applied in
practice to specific irises. The scope of that work is
intentionally wide; it includes not only irises that meet
the proposed definitions above, but all arilbreds with
dwarf or median ancestry, and even irises with aril
ancestry that were registered in the dwarf or median
classes rather than as arilbreds.
Although no change to the official classification
system for arilbreds is proposed at this time, it is
hoped that the promotion of a uniform terminology
for discussing the smaller arilbreds will result in an
enhanced appreciation of their distinctive qualities
and promote a wider recognition of their value and
potential as garden subjects.
d
REFERENCES
“The Story of Arilbred Medians,” The Medianite,
2013 and 2014.
The Aril Society International Illustrated Official
Checklist 2012, Joseph Stringham, editor. Aril
Society, 2013.
Registrations and Introductions, American Iris
Society, annually through 2016.
A Checklist of Arilbred Dwarfs and Arilbred
Medians to 1979, compiled by Tom Waters (Tom
Little), The Medianite vol. 21, no. 1, winter 1980.
A Checklist of Arilbred Dwarfs and Arilbred
Medians Through 1996, compiled by Tom
Waters (Tom Tadfor Little), ≠≠≠,
vol. 38, no. 3, fall 1997.
A Checklist of Arilbred Dwarfs and Arilbred
Medians, maintained by Tom Waters, annually
through 2016. www.telp.com/irises/checklist.htm
The American Iris Society Iris Encyclopedia,
wiki.irises.org/bin/view
The American Iris Society On-line Registration
Database, www.irisregister.com
Enjoying IRISES?
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Jane Milliman, Editor, IRISES, 390 Hillside Ave., Rochester, NY 14610
irises@janemilliman.com
38 AIS Bulletin Fall 2018