William Mohr

Mohr-Mitchell, 1925
Iris Class:
Aril/Arilbred
Age:
1920-1929
Fall Color:
Purple
Standard Color:
Purple
Pattern:
Self
Beard Color:
Lemon/Light Yellow
Hybridizer:
Mohr Mitchell
Rarity:
GG eligible - endangered

Full Description

TMB (AB) M S7M

From Cooley’s Gardens catalog for 1937: “This strange and beautiful hybrid is named for one of the world’s most famous hybridizers, and is considered as his greatest piece of work. The entire bloom is a self color of pale lilac, closely netted and veined with deep violet, producing a weird, yet very lovely effect. In some ways it resembles the variety ‘Susiana’, but lacks the dullness of this older sort, and is not at all difficult to grow. A monster flower, produced on stems up to 30 inches tall.”

From Oakhurst Gardens catalog for 1939: “A wonderful hybrid from Parisiana X Gatesii. The ground color (is) of pale lilac, standards flushed darker, the whole flower beautifully veined Manganese Violet. It has huge size and typical Oncocyclus form. Of recent years it has proved itself to be a wonderful parent. 20 in.”

From National Iris Gardens catalog for 1948: “Nothing so rare or beautiful in your garden as the original Wm. Mohr. A huge exotic lavender, with a fine network of purple veining.”

From Tell’s Iris Gardens catalog for 1951: “A sensational hybrid and a good parent when it can be induced to set seed. Veined violet.”

From Syllmar Gardens catalog for 1956: “Rare and beautiful is this huge exotic lavender with a fine network of purple veining. Plant in a hot and well drained location.”

(Parisiana X gatesii), AM RHS 1930.

Note: Since 1993, the Aril Society International (ASI) has awarded the William Mohr Memorial Medal to the best arilbred iris with less than 1/2 aril ancestry. (Before 1993, it was the William Mohr Award, equivalent to an AIS Award of Merit. Arilbreds must now earn an Award of Merit before they can qualify for the William Mohr Medal.) The medal honors William Mohr, one of the first experimenters in arilbred breeding during the early decades of the 1900s. [From the Aril Society International Website].