Hybridizer William John Caparne

Guernsey, Channel Islands

William John Caparne (1855-1940) is credited with originating a new class of Iris; the Intermediate, which blooms between the dwarf and tall bearded classes. Caparne was also a well respected landscape artist and was commissioned by Sir Michael Foster to paint portraits of all known garden irises of that day. Some of these portraits remain in the archives of the Royal Horticultural Society. In 1936 Caparne was awarded the Foster Memorial Plaque by the British Iris Society. The highest award for miniature dwarf bearded iris (the Caparne-Welch Medal) is named in honor of Caparne and Walter Welch, the founder of the Dwarf Iris Society. Caparne introduced many irises, only a few of which are grown today. The most common of these is probably the MDB 'Bride'.

A letter from W. J. Caparne to Mr. Wister, December 1920 from the June 1921 AIS Bulletin, No.3, pages 14-16.

Registrations/Introductions:

Minature Dwarf Bearded: 'Amy', 'Bouquet', 'Bride', 'California', 'Canary', 'Charmer', 'Cloth Of Gold', 'Curiosa', 'Dainty', 'Danae', 'David', 'Delicata', 'Dragon', 'Eclipse', 'Elfrida', 'Evelyn', 'Golden Fleece', 'Grandee', 'Harmonia', 'Josephine', 'LaGrande', 'La Perle', 'Leopold', 'Libra', 'Maia', 'Mazarin', 'Meteor', 'Milton', 'Nance', 'Naomi', 'Nimrod', 'Niobe', 'Obelisque', 'Oriel', 'Pandora', 'Perle', 'Puck', 'Quilp', 'Rosalie', 'Rosine', 'Rupert', 'Sapphire', 'Snowball', 'Stewart', 'Uranus',

Intermediate Bearded: 'Brunette', 'Ceres', 'Charmant', 'Dauphin', 'Diamond', 'Dolphin', 'Don Carlos', 'Dorothea', 'Empress', 'Etta', 'Freya', 'Hayden', 'Hereward', 'Ivorine', 'King Christian', 'King Humbert', 'Mars', 'Odin', 'Peter The Great', 'Prince Victor', 'Queen Flavia', 'Reinette', 'Rembrandt', 'Royal'.

Tall Bearded: 'Amethyst', 'Assyrie', 'Cervantes', 'Moor',

-- BobPries - 2012-05-18