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Bearded Iris Pups

User
11 years ago

This is the first time I have seen pup plants on an Iris flower shoot. It this common for most Bearded Iris?

The pups are starting to push out roots so I will cut them off the flower stalk and let them root in a pot. I thought this flower stalks were producing seed pods but when I checked a few weeks later, the pups were sprouting off the flower stalk. Free plants are always a nice surprise..

Comments (15)

  • hosenemesis
    11 years ago

    Wow! I have never seen proliferations like that on irises. Lucky you. I get them on daylilies.
    Renee

  • onederw
    11 years ago

    I've never seen anything like it either. Free plants = Good! Zzyzx, do you know what the name of your iris is? What color are the blooms?

    Kay

  • User
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I'm not sure of the name because I forgot what color it is. I know I bought the Iris from Walmart year or two ago so it's one the the standard varieties they carry. I have to look at some of the pictures I took of the front yard and see if I can figure out what the name of that particular Iris is. I kept the packaging labels for the Irises I bought but I'll just have to find those too (some where in my garage...

    Course I'm not sure if Walmart carries different varieties for different section of the country.

  • PollyNY
    11 years ago

    How cool is that! I've never seen it either. I would send a picture to AIS.

  • jeanrichter
    11 years ago

    I've heard of this happening, but it's not common.

    If you got your iris at Walmart, chances are it's not true to name anyway, so don't go to too much trouble to figure out what they called it...

  • User
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Wow, I feel like I'm an owner of a two faced kitty cat now!

  • gardenofeden777
    11 years ago

    Hum, you learn something new everyday. Very neat indeed!

    Rena'

  • flowergirl70ks
    11 years ago

    I have been growing iris since 1951, and have had this happen only once. It was on Victoria Falls.I mentioned this to people in the club in Wichita and they acted like I was crazy. So I am happy to see the pic you put on here. At the time I didn't have a computer, or know about this forum.
    By the way, I planted the rhizome and when it bloomed it was white, all white.

  • User
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I'll have to see what color the flowers produced by the proliferations turn out to be and report back to here.

    The mother plant actually made two separate proliferations, one on two flower stalks. I thought the plant was setting seed pods but the pods turned out to be pup plants. Take a look at the photo. One of the pup plants has three appendages in summitry. It's like the pup grow out of the seed pod.

  • Nancy
    11 years ago

    Wow! I'm so glad you posted pictures, I've never seen anything like that.

  • eukofios
    11 years ago

    That is very cool! I have a topsetting onion that does that, and I've seen orchids do that, but not irises! I would plant them. Who knows - maybe your variety is prone to do that.

  • User
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I'm guessing from what flowergirl above said that these proliferations are not going to be a clone of the mother plant rather a cross growing from the seeds in the seed pod.

  • illinoisdoglover
    11 years ago

    Please keep us posted. We will all be watching to see what happens. Good luck.

  • User
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    OK, I have them in small pots now. I left them on the mother plant as long as I could but with the onset of cooler weather, the flower stalks the pups were living on started to decline rather quickly.

    This post was edited by zzyzx on Tue, Jan 1, 13 at 21:32

  • mccommas
    11 years ago

    That is awesome. Perhaps what happened was it was a seed pod and for whatever reason, the seeds in there sprouted. You would not think so given the inhibitor.

    It would be very boring if they were just clones of the mother plant. Make sure you label them if you don't have a good memory. I use colored Popsicle sticks.

    I would guess they would not exactly like each other as they are siblings. I hope that happens to me someday!