Description
In 1999 a very distinct orphan was noticed in Antoine Hoog’s old Van Tubergen stock of Iris hoogiana purpurea. This was suspected to have been either a new straight hoogiana mutant or a previously non-flowering, hybrid plant which remained unnoticed in the VT stock for dozens of years. The orphan was christened Antiope. The old VT stock had, in the past, contained other cultivars (as rogues) but Antoine’s research indicated that none of the old named cultivars seemed to match the colour scheme of Antiope, which was thought to be something new and different.
When the first batch of seedlings from Antiope flowered, they seemed very similar to each other, (Amphion is one of these). This perhaps backed up the suggestion of Antiope being a straight hoogiana mutant. In subsequent years however, the variability and colouring which displayed as further seedlings flowered began to suggest that Antiope was perhaps a hoogiana x stolonifera hybrid and that the seedlings were displaying segregation, towards one putative parent or the other.
It is notable that all of the siblings lack a yellow beard, which I always accepted to be typical of hoogiana, but this feature does match stolonifera. Even Zethos, which most closely resembles hoogiana, has the white beard more typically thought of as being from stolonifera.
The exact parentage will, of course, remain as supposition but the seedlings seem to fit the hypothesis and the progeny are superb garden plants with superbly patterned, beautifully scented flowers.
In the case of Antiope, you have a pale blue-washed background edged with golden-bronze veining and contrasting with deep imperial purple falls, again edged with bronze veining, darker than that found on the standards. The flowers are scented in sunshine and it is sun and good drainage that the revel in. Recently it has been suggested that perhaps this is after all, the same as the old Van Tubergen selection ‘Bronze Beauty’ but as I do not know that plant, I can’t comment either way.
