William Mohr Medal

The highest award given by the American Iris Society strictly to Arilbred Irises with less than 1/2 Aril content.

History from Clarence Mahan:.........................................related links: Awards; 2015 William Mohr Medal Candidates.

This medal is restricted to irises of one-quarter or more aril content that do not meet the more restrictive requirements of the Clarence G. White Medal. It is named in honor of William A. Mohr (1871-1923).

William Mohr was born on a 400-acre ranch near Mount Eden, California. He lived and worked on the ranch all, his life. Mohr's interest in plants began in his childhood, and he not only imported many plants but also grew different many plants from seed. He hybridized almost everything he grew. He developed hybrid strains of wheat and his neighbors bought their seed from Mohr. He developed new strains of polyanthus, tulips, clematis, lilies, and many bulbous plants.

About ten years before his death, Mohr began working with irises. He obtained the tetraploid Asiatic species, as well as regelia and oncocyclus irises, and communicated with other iris hybridizers such as Grace Sturtevant and Samuel Stillman Berry. He grew thousands of seedlings, including reglio-cyclus, regalia, and oncocyclus crosses with pogonirises, and all classes of bearded irises. He also hybridized spuria irises and made crosses between Siberian irises and Pacific Coast native irises.

William Mohr and his wife were killed in 1923, when an express train hit their car. He never knew the fame his irises would ultimately achieve. His wonderful new irises could have been lost had it not been for his friend, Professor Sydney B. Mitchell, who saved his irises and continued his work. Only a few of Mohr's irises were registered at the time of his death, including 'Balboa' and the arilbreds 'Bellorio' and 'Carmelo'. After Mohr's death, Sydney Mitchell introduced a number of Mohr's most outstanding seedlings; these are shown in the 1939 Check List as "MohrMitchell" introductions. Some of these outstanding cultivars are 'Purissima', 'Santa Barbara', 'Conquistador' and 'Marian Mohr'.

The two greatest achievements of William Mohr's hybridizing programs are probably his plicatas and his innovative and beautiful arilbreds. His great plicatas are 'Los Angeles' and the iris that won the first American Dykes Medal, 'San Francisco'. Mohr's most important arilbred iris is the magnificent 'William Mohr'.

From Aril Society International (ASI):

Since 1993, the William Mohr Memorial Medal has been awarded to the best arilbred iris with less than 1/2 aril ancestry. (Before 1993, it was the William Mohr award, equivalent to an award of merit. Arilbreds must now earn an award of merit before they can qualify for the William Mohr medal.)

The medal honors William Mohr, one of the first experimenters in arilbred breeding during the early decades of the 1900s.

'Signal Butte'
2024 - Richard Tasco
‘Perry Dyer’
2023 - Paul Black
2022 - No Winner 'Heart Of Hearts'
2021 - Paul Black
'Parable'
2021 - Thomas Johnson
'Desert Snow'
2019 - Paul Black
'Sri Lanka'
2018 - Thomas Johnson
'Eye To Eye'
2017 - Keith Keppel'
'Brash And Bold'
2016 - Paul Black
'Prince of Egypt'
2015 - Perry Dyer
'Octave'
2014 - Thomas Johnson
'Egyptian Queen'
2013 - Thomas Johnson
'Suspect'
2012 - Thomas Johnson
'Persian Sapphire'
2011 - Lowell Baumunk
'Ulalena'
2010 - George Sutton
'Sue Bee'
2009 - Susie Kammer
'Shabaza'
2008 - George Sutton
'Hakuna Matata'
2007 - Anna & David Cadd
'Walker Ross'
2006 - Ross by Chapman
'Desert Jubilee'
2005 - Flanagan
'Desert Celebration'
2004 - Flanagan
'She Devil'
2003 - Paul Black
'Omar's Gold'
2002 - Carl Boswell
'Kalifa's Horn'
2001 - Robert Annand
'Silent Tears'
2000 - Petersonn
'Patriot's Gem'
1999 - Fred Gadd
'Bozrah'
1998 Tie - Fred Gadd
'Prairie Thunder'
1998 Tie - Paul Black
'Omar The Tentmaker'
1997 - Carl Boswell
'Solomon's Glory'
1996 - Nichols
'Smoke With Wine'
1995 - Carl Boswell
'Omar's Torch'
1994 - Carl Boswell
'Jewel Of Omar'
1993 - Carl Boswell

'Omar's Torch'
1992 - Carl Boswell
'Jewel Of Omar'
1991 - Carl Boswell
'Bold Sentry'
1990 - Les Peterson
'Green Eyed Sheba'
1989 - Carl Boswell
'Humohr'
1988 - Ben Hager
'Sultan's Jewelry'
1987 - Ben Hager
'Smoke With Wine'
1986 - Carl Boswell
'Dune'
1985 - Ben Hager
'Cairo Love Song'
1984 - Hooker Nichols
'Sizzle'
1983 - Fred Gadd
'Aril Lady'
1982 - Henry Danielson
'Byzantine Beauty'
1981 - Hooker Nichols
'GeneticBurst'
1980 - Henry Danielson
'Pogo Doll'
1979 - Leda Christlieb
'Little Orchid Annie'
1978 - Doris Foster
'Girl Watcher'
1977 - Stanley Street
Stitchery'
1976 - Doris Foster
'Mint Parfait'
1975 - Doris Foster
'Sojourn'
1974 - Harry Tate
'Fairy Goblin'
1973 - Doris Foster
'Saletta'
1972 - Stanley Street
'Saffron Jewel'
1971 - Abell
'Aspen Country'
1970 - McClure
No image 'Nineveh'
1969 - Keith Keppel