McAllister Introductions

These summaries include all of my crosses that produced introductions in the first generation or resulted in breeders that produced introductions in later generations. Those from 1981 through 1985 also include some Seligmann crosses because we were working together during that period. Crosses that contributed no genes to any registered cultivars have been omitted.

Each individual cross is numbered with the two-digit year and a one- or two-digit sequence number. Selected seedlings, whether registered or just used in breeding, also bear a sibling number. For registered siblings, names have been added. In many cases, a cultivar was still under number when the cross was actually made but for ease of reference I've used its registered name in the summary.

It starts with crosses made in 1977, when I turned from pollen daubing and individual experiments to systematic hybridizing. I had already used Esther, the Queen extensively in my experiments and found she gave me good seed set, a good germination rate, and strong plants. When I discovered Checklists, I learned that EQ came from Gene Hunt, the man who had introduced me to iris decades before. Ironically, because we'd always visited his TB display garden I'd been unaware of his interest in arils and arilbreds. Naturally, I got back in touch with Gene. In the years that followed, I supplied him with aril pollen and he not only gave me expert practical advice but also put me in touch with experts who could answer some of my questions about other programs.

All seedlings from 1977 through 1987 have been completely evaluated. Selections have been either introduced or kept as breeders, and the rest have been destroyed. Some from 1988 through 1992 are still in various stages of the selection process. No summaries are posted from 1993 to date, because no registrations have yet been made from those crosses.

  1977-80 1981-83 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993  1994