Melchior
[V]
What's This?
Full Description
TB 42″ M *R7L
From Cooley’s Gardens catalog for 1932: “In many ways this was the outstanding iris blooming in our gardens in 1931. The deep velvet-maroon flowers left nothing to ask for in either size, shape, or all-round iris perfection. My own color description would be “a self of velvety-garnet, with beard of bronze-yellow. ” Melchior was introduced in England as an improved Mrs. Valerie West, but with us it is distinctly different, and we personally regard it as one of the world’s very best.”
From The Longfield Iris Farm catalog for 1934: “A fine Dominion seedling along the lines of Mrs. Valerie West; large, tall, massive and of fine habit and heavy substance. S. deep bronze violet; F. rich velvety crimson purple. Forty-two inches.”
AM RHS 1939.
Note: Mrs. Valerie West’s *CC is R7D, which one imagines should also be the CC for Melchior.