■(TB) 'Purissima'

1927, Mohr-Mitchell

'Purissima' (William Mohr and Sydney B. Mitchell, 1927) TB, 48", Midseason bloom. Color Class-WW. Standards and falls pure white; good form; heavy substance. 'Argentina' x 'Conquistador'. Mohr-Mitchell, Salbach 1927. Orpington 1938, Van Tubergen 1938, P. C. Royal Horticultural Society 1933 Shown by Lady Hudson; 7 A xv.

note: Becuase of Mohr's untimely death in 1927 'Purissima' was not officially registered at the time, but it was recorded in the 1939 checklist.

2025 Legacy Iris Award @ Historic Iris Preservation Society

See below:

• References
• Progeny

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References:

From Carl Salbach catalog, 1927: PURISSIMA. It is going to be very hard to improve on this Argentina X Conquistador seed- ling for a pure white of great size, perfect form and heavy substance, this last a most important factor in white irises. These qualities, with its vigor and its tall branched stems, account for the rating of 96 given it by a jury of A.I.S members, all seedling raisers themselves, who judged it in the garden last season. This is the variety referred to by Mr. Jacob Sass in A.I.S. Bulletin 21, page 36, which he says he doesn’t expect to see surpassed. $25.00.
From J. C. Nicholls catalog, 1931: PURRISSIMA (Mitchell 1927) 46 inches. $4.00. Large wonderful white. Thrives and blooms here (Ithaca, NY) if given perfect drainage and if no covering be used for winter. Clear bottom of plants in spring to let in the sunrays.
Garden Illustrated 55: 277, 13 May 1933 with illustration.
The very old Purissima is for mild climates only, and that garden is fortunate that can grow it to perfection. The big bud is blue, the great blossom a crisp, sparkling white with slight venation of pale sea green. [Lila McCombs, “A Critical Evaluation of Older Irises”, The Bulletin of the American Iris Society, No. 110 (July 1948): 59.]

Progeny 239 F1 offspring

First generation offspring: Aril breeding: ‘Anita Catherine’ , ‘Another Day’ ‘Blue Elegance’ ‘Bluing’, ‘British Queen’ ‘Cerulean’, ‘Chrystal Clear’, ‘Early Mass’, ‘Glacier Mohr’, ‘Heigho’, ‘Honor Bright By White’, ‘Hurricane’, ‘Mary Valentine’, ‘Morning Blue’ ‘Nevermohr’, ‘Peg Dabagh’ ‘Sadee’ 'Silver Charm', ‘Somebody’, ‘Steel’, ‘Terry Anne’ Intermediates: ‘BB-Stormy Clouds’, ‘Alamo Rose’, ‘Arco’, ‘Autumn Sunshine’, ‘Berkeley Blue’. ‘Henry Hawkey’ ‘Immaculate’, ‘Violet Glory’ Tall Bearded: ‘Adda’ ‘Adige’ ‘Agnano’, ‘Alba Monte’, ‘Alice Souders’, ‘Aluminum’, ‘Amatrice’, ‘Anagni’, ‘And Thou’, ‘Angullara’, ‘Anita Catherine’, ‘Anitra’, ‘Anzio’, ‘Aosta’, ‘April Dawn’, ‘Aprilia’, ‘Aqui’, ‘Aquileis’, ‘Aquino’, ‘Archevia’, ‘Arcinazzo’, ‘Arcola’, ‘Ardea’, ‘Ardenza’, ‘Ariccia’, ‘Arolo’, ‘Arsoli’, ‘Artena’, ‘Ascoli’, ‘Asiago’, ‘Asolo’, ‘Asti’, ‘Aviano’, ‘Berkeley Dawn’, ‘Bermuda Moon’. ‘Beth Jewell’, ‘Bliss Carman’, ‘Blueberry Hill’, ‘Blue Heart’, ‘Blue Morn’, ‘Blue Nile’, ‘Blue River’, ‘Blue Spire’, ‘Bonita Blue’, ‘Blue Angel’, ‘Brown Feathers’, ‘Bugle Call’, ‘Buster Blue’, ‘Calling Me’, ‘Camilla Wheeler’, ‘Caterina Coronaro’, ‘Celestielle’, ‘Colaska’, ‘Connoquenessing’, ‘Chrystal Palace’, ‘Dainty One’, ‘Daisy D’, ‘Daraje’, ‘Dora Pfeffer’, ‘Due West’, ‘E M Gissing’, ‘Empyrean’, ‘Esquimo’, ‘Everest’, ‘Fair Enough’, ‘Falklands’, ‘Far North’, ‘Fleur D’Amour’, ‘Frosty Sheen’, ‘Garden Joy’, ‘Gheva’, ‘Gibralter’, ‘Gideon’, ‘Giulianella’, ‘Gray Nun’, ‘Gray Sister’, ‘Greenback’, ‘H E Gissing’, ‘Helen McGregor’, ‘Herford RFD’, ‘Her Grace’, ‘Hindu’, ‘Honor Bright By White’, ‘Hyacinth’, ‘Ice Blink’, ‘Ice Cap’, ‘Ice Maiden’, ‘Indian Rose’, ‘Irish Whim’, ‘Iris Origo’, ‘Ivory Tower’, ‘Jansie’, ‘Joanna Jansse’, ‘Kalinga’, ‘Kiska’, ‘Lady Boscawen’, ‘Lady Grace’, ‘Lady Milne’, ‘Lago Ascianghi’, ‘Lago Tana’, ‘Laguna By Faught’, ‘La Milne’, ‘Leonie Sullivan’, ‘Leptis Magna’, ‘Lighted Buoy’, ‘Lime Sulphur’, ‘Lorna Lee 1949’, ‘Lost Valley’, ‘Louis Pasteur’, ‘Lutetia’, ‘Malta’, ‘Manduria’, ‘Marmolada’, ‘Mary Rich Lyon’, ‘Matera’, ‘May Bride’, ‘Mentana’, ‘Merano’, ‘Mergellino’, ‘Misty Moon’, ‘Moka Meringue’, ‘Moncalier’, ‘Motalcino’, ‘Monte Autore’, ‘Morning Light’, ‘Morningside Cream’, ‘Morning White’, ‘Mrs. Roy Quilian’, ‘Multo Bono’, ‘Narada’, ‘Natal’, ‘No Top’, ‘Odette’, ‘Opaque Beauty’, ‘Orchid Frill’, ‘Palatino’, ‘Patricia Joyce’, ‘Pax’, ‘Peep O Day’, ‘Perfect Prayer’, ‘Pienza’, ‘Pikes Peak’, ‘Pinhoe Puritan’, ‘Pinhoe Purity’, ‘Piombino’, ‘Polistena’, ‘Primrose Dame By Pesel’, ‘Pure Joy’, ‘Purity’, ‘Quero’, ‘Rainier’, ‘Rascal Dascian’, ‘Robinia’, ‘Rose Dawn’, ‘Rose Mere’, ‘Royal Vintage’, ‘San Antonio Rose’, ‘Sanbar’, ‘Santhia’, ‘Seminara’, ‘Seriate’, ‘Sesia’, ‘Seven Sisters’, ‘Shasta Lemonade’, ‘Shell Blue’, ‘Sicilia’, ‘Siculiana’, ‘Skiddaw’, ‘Sky Maid’, ‘Snow Flurry’, ‘Sorbano’, ‘Sparkling Frost’, Spirit Of Amity’, ‘St. Vincent’, ‘Sunbonnet Girl’, ‘Sun Dart’, ‘Surf’, ‘Sutia’, ‘Sweet Alibi’, ‘Sweet Cream’, ‘Sweet Hortense’, ‘Tamalpais’, ‘Temple Glacier’, ‘Terminillo’, ‘Terry Ann’, ‘Texanaire’ ‘Texas Gold’, ‘Texas Royal’, The Capitol’, ‘Tobago’, ‘Trail Driver’, ‘Vangard’, ‘Variety Girl’, ‘Via Appia Antica’, ‘Via Ardeatina’, ‘Via Collatina’, ‘Virginia White’, ‘White Alone’, ‘White Flare’, ‘White Memorial’, ‘White Suede’, ‘White Sunbonnet’, ‘White Twin’, ‘William A Setchel’, ‘Will O Wisp’, ‘Windblown’, ‘Worthy Matron’, Wynooche’, Yellow Cellephane’, ‘Yellow Dream’,

'Purissima' as grandparents or greater: (97 offspring**) ‘Flairmohr’*. ‘Gros Grain’*, ‘Jungle Drums’*. ‘Purissamohr’*, ‘Priscilla’*, ‘Bonnie Lass’*, ‘Gold Coast’*, ‘Grace Eadie’*, ‘Pasque Glory’*, Tall bearded; ‘Abalone Shell’*. ‘Aleut’*, ‘Archangel’*, ‘Arcticice’*, ‘Barbara Adams’*, ‘Bataan’*, ‘Belfor’*, ‘Benton Persephone’*, ‘Black And Gold’*, ‘Blue Angel’*, ‘Blue Beyond’*, ‘Blue Cascade’,*, ‘Blue Flare’*, ‘Blue Gift’*, ‘Blue Rim’*, ‘Blue Sunlight’*, ‘Blue Throat’*, ‘Blue Waltz’*, ‘Bluewill’*, ‘Boyin Blue’*, ‘Bridal Bouque t’*. ‘Bright Jewel’*, ‘Brilliant Amber’*, ‘Brown Turban’*, ‘Buttercup’*, ‘Cahokia’*, ‘Calcutta’*, ‘California Madonna’*, ‘Captain White’*, ‘Chosen’*, Clair De Lune’*, ‘Country Lass’*, ‘Denver Nationa;’*, ‘easter Orchid’*, Edith Nash’*, ‘Elizabeth Toy’*, ‘Flax And Saxe’*, ‘Gallant Lady’*, Glacier Blue’*, ‘Golden Ruffles’*, ‘Golden Smoke’*, ‘Happy Isles’*, ‘Helen Fitzgerald’’*, ‘Immortal Hour’*, ‘Iopus’*, ‘Ivory Coast’’*, ‘Ivory Princess’*, ‘Jamaica’*, Joan Lay’*, ‘Justine’*, ‘Kindly Light’ *, ‘Lady Dainty’*, ‘Lady Moon’*, ‘Lagos’*, ‘Lake Isabella’*, ‘Lakeson’*, 'Lilac Lane'*, 'Margaret Bond'*, 'Maverick'*, Miss Hannah'*. ;Parysatis*, 'Peggy Sharp'*, 'Pierre Menard'*, 'Pure Sue'*, 'Quality First'*, 'Red Velvet'*, 'Rowena Hampton'*, 'Ruffled Bonnet'*, 'Ruffled Ice'*, 'Sierra Snow'*, 'Silent Waterfall'*, 'Silken Caravan'*, 'Silver Cloud'*, 'Silver Spring'*, 'Sky Chief'*, 'Sleighride'*, 'Snow Glaze'*, 'Southern Sun'*, 'Spanish Peaks'*, 'Spring Moon'*, 'Suncrest'*, 'Treasure Island'*, 'Victory V'*, 'Whirlpool'*, 'White Australia'*, 'Wings Of Song'*, 'Yola Boll'*,

**Note number includes only those that actually mention 'Purissima' in the heritage many more grandchildren exist that have registered progeny not mentioning that they have 'Purissima' ancestry. Certainly a Foundation Iris

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-- BobPries - 2011-03-07