Posted by
scvirginia on Aug 1, 2020 5:18 PM concerning plant:
From "Varietal Notes on Louisiana Natives" by Frank E. Chowning, Little Rock, Ark., in Bulletin of the American Iris Society, April 1946, No. 101, p.76.
Abbeville Iris: Many remarkable hybrids have been collected from the vicinity of Abbeville, Louisiana, and in articles on the Louisiana Iris we often see references to the "Abbeville Reds" and the "Abbeville Yellows." Our stay was of such short duration that we did not have an opportunity to visit a wide area near Abbeville; however, we visited the Buteaud Swamp where many of the finest specimens originated. We will mention a few of the more famous forms.
(a) Haile Selassie: this flower was found growing in close proximity to the Fulva like Reds hereinafter mentioned, but whereas the Fulva like Reds grow in water, Haile Selassie was found growing on the sloping bank of the swamp some feet or yards away from the water's edge. The flowers are large, broad and flat with sepals and petals touching. The color is dark velvety red-violet with a long clear gold line on the sepal. The flower has wonderful texture and a velvety quality and sheen that has caused it to be regarded by those engaged in hybridizing the natives as being as valuable a parent for the native beardless as was Dominion for the bearded.
