One of my goals with bearded irises is to breed for intensity and overall coverage of the PBF (purple-based-foliage) characteristic. Below are two of my most advanced diploid (24 chromosome) lines. On the right are two rhizomes of "PBF plicata" which was selected as the best seedling (for both PBF and overall quality) from a cross of Iris pallida 'Kupari' X 'Rosemary's Dream'. I used this seedling as pod parent and crossed it with another 'Kupari' hybrid (from a cross with Iris suaveolens var. rubromarginata). This pollen parent didn't have much PBF but did have decent expression of red/purple edging on its foliage. My hope was to combine PBF with red/purple margins to get more purple.
The two rizomes on the left are the result. I call this one "PBF/RM". In addition to having some edging on the foliage, the PBF itself is extended a little higher up the foliage and it also extends down over the part of the leaf that encircles the rhizome. It's too late for this season, but next season I should try inbreeding these to see what kind of dosage effects my show up - because both of these, had one parent that had none or hardly any PBF. Imagine what a double dose might give.
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