Arctic Flame

Orville Fay R 1957 / 1960
Iris Class:
Bearded
Bearded Class:
Tall Bearded
Age:
1960-1969
Fall Color:
White
Standard Color:
White
Pattern:
Self
Beard Color:
Tangerine/Pink
Hybridizer:
Fay
Rarity:
GG eligible - endangered

Full Description

From AIS

TB, 32″ (81 cm), Midseason bloom. Pure white self, tangerine beard. ‘Lipstick’ x sister sdlg. (1/4 ‘Snow Flurry‘, 1/4 ‘New Snow, 1/2 pink sdlg.). Fay 1960. Honorable Mention 1960; Award of Merit 1962.

Orville Fay’s ‘Arctic Flame’, introduced in 1960, is the climax to the quest for red-bearded white. With large, ruffled blossoms of firm-textured loveliness carried on tall, splendidly branched stems, its dazzling whiteness is accentuated by the electrifying wide, red beard. Healthy, clean foliage, a characteristic of the Fay iris, complements the flowers and qualifies the plant as a welcome addition to the most meticulous border. With his thorough understanding of genetics, Orville Fay was able to predict exactly how many generations would be needed before this perfected iris would appear from the original cross of white x pink! [Mrs. J. R. Hamblen, “Drama of Progress”, A.I.S. Bulletin 161(April 1961): 12.]

ARCTIC FLAME, introduced in 1960, is about the best thing Orville Fay has done in whites. And it is early here, a thing we needed badly. The flower is large, ruffled and flares, but the four things that set this one apart is the frosty sheen, the wide, very red beard, excellent branching and a very healthy, vigorous blue-green plant. [Carey E. Quinn, “The Modern White Iris,” The Bulletin of the American Iris Society, No. 166 (July 1962): 9.]