Okagami Iris

[Morgayn]

  Hi Everyone
I was sorting through some photos and found this one of an Okagami Iris (japanese/species cross) that we recieved as a gift last spring and just had to show it off!

[BULBISSIME]

Wonderfull colors and pattern !
Looks like big Moraea 

does it have a name ?

[Morgayn]

The name is Okagami.  Here's a little blurb from the grower who sent it to us:

(Hiroshi Shimizu, 2008)    34-36"   M    Draycott Gardens
This pseudata was awarded the best seedling in our beardless show in 2006. The color changes slightly as the flowers open giving a clump an interesting appearance. The standards are white but have a purple blush upon opening, style arms are creamy yellow with the ends brushed lavender and the falls have a very pointed bright wine colored eyelash. The name ( Okagami) means “Big Mirror”.

Sorry I should have worded my post a bit better the first time.

They also sent us some red irises, but they haven't bloomed yet, hopefully this spring they will!

[BULBISSIME]

Thank you Morgayn for this explanations, will try to find it when building my bog garden 

[fermi de Sousa]

I think there was discussion on these iris hybrids on an early thread - if i recall correctly they are I. ensata x I. pseudacorus.
I think they look great. Last month I got one called "Kimboshi" from a friend and it's a soft yellow with darker markings.
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

I think the breeding is a bit more complicated than that and involves a hybrid from those two in I remember rightly. I have somewhere a book from the Japanese Iris Society which tells about their origins. The Japanese who first bred them call them "eye shadow" irises. There could be a thread of that name, maybe on the old Forum. They are truly beautiful but not permitted into NZ because of their pseudocorus content. Unfortunately they are sterile.

[Gail]

There was an article in the British Iris Society journal I'll try and find - had lovely pictures.  And see http://www.japan-iris.org/English/eye_shadow.html

[Morgayn]

They are all very pretty flowers, but most (if not all) are sterile like Lesley said. However the clump seems to increase quite quickly so I hope to have a few to take to market next year.

[YT]

Among the I. pseudacorus x ensata hybrids (I think pseudacorus is always used as a seed setter), 'Kinboshi(金星)', 'Sayo-no-tsuki(小夜の月)' and 'Hatsuho(初穂)' are artificial amphidiploids. These three hybrids are fertile.

[PeterT]

The pseudoacorus clone involved is called Gubijin which is supposed to be a third generation seedling from Houlden Clough as is Roy Davidson. In Gubijin 2n=35 and it is pod fertile pollen sterile according to the article on page104 of the BIS year book 2002 by Hiroshi Shimizu from Japan. It takes pollen from Iris ensata to produce these sterile "eye shadow" hybreds. I think I recollect that Thomas Tamberg may be working with them at polyploid level to produce fertile plants.
Gubijin is available from nurseries in North America.