James Marion Shull (1872-1948)

Chevy Chase. Maryland, USA

Mr. J. Marion Shull, artist and botanist for the U. S. Department of Agriculture for thirty years, died at his home in Chevy Chase, Md., on Sept. 1, 1948. His work with iris and hemerocallis is well known to many gardeners. Mr. Shull was a faithful attendant and sane observer at many of our Annual Meetings, including the Nashville meeting last year. He served as an accredited judge from the earliest days and had been awarded the Society's Distinguished Service Medal. His "Rainbow Fragments--A Garden Book of the Iris" was published in 1931, and though now out of print, is of historical interest because of the beautiful color plates.

It is hard to realize that Mr. Shull's yellow iris, 'Virginia Moore', received a first Honorable Mention from the AIS in 1920, and that his 'Morning Splendor' was awarded the Gold and Silver Medals of the Garden Club of America in 1926, even before the Dykes Medal was in existence. It was the most noted of his group of trojana seedlings and received A. M.'s in Holland and England in 1931. It was a rich red-purple of distinction, and though probably not now extant, has few if any successors. His interest in line breeding preceded the present trend and his irises are rarely recorded in current pedigrees.

An outstanding botanical artist, Mr. Shull recorded Bruce Williamson's early hybrids of regelia, onco and pogon parentage. This experience led to his own genetic interest in breeding. His accomplishments were another example of what can be done in the smallest of back yard gardens. We shall miss his benign smile at our future meetings.

--R. S. Sturtevant [Bull. A.I.S. 112 (January 1949):88.]

Registrations/Introductions:

Intermediate Bearded: 'Maori Princess'.

Tall Bearded: 'Coppersmith', 'Dune Sprite', 'Elaine', 'Julia Marlowe', 'Khiva', 'L'Aiglon', 'Moon Magic', 'Morning Splendor', 'Nimbus', 'Nocturne', 'Old Madrid', 'Orchid', 'Pensamiento', 'Phosphor', 'Sails Aloft', 'Sequoiah', 'Shantung', 'Sir Galahad', 'Solana', 'Sylvia Lent', 'Tropic Seas', 'Virginia Moore', 'Waterfall'.

-- Main.RPries - 2012-05-18