Pre-1950 Color Codes

Before 1950, AIS Checklists saved space by using color codes instead of detailed descriptions. This posed a special problem for arils and arilbreds, whose intricate patterns did not fit neatly into the system.  Consequently, the codes can be useful to those who understand their construction but misleading to those who do not.

This page organizes historic cultivars by Color Code, with links to catalog descriptions and photographs.  It is designed to help you glean the most information from the codes while avoiding the pitfalls of common, but erroneous, assumptions.  This is an "advanced" lesson, so please don't hesitate to write to me if you have further questions.

These codes consist of one to three characters, structured to provide increasing detail with each level. 

The first character is a letter describing the basic color.  In modern terms, I've found it helps to treat this as a first approximation of the ground color of the standards and start with a mental picture of a self in that color.  W=White; B=Blue-violet; R=Red-violet; S=Squalens; Y=Yellow.  Four of these are self-evident, but "Squalens" is not.  Yes, it means "shot with color", but that includes dotted, marbled, and blended.  In practical terms, it embraces all cases that don't fall neatly into one of the other four.

The second character is a number that indicates BOTH the secondary pigments and the pattern.

The secondary pigments are thus:

1,2,3 = Blue-Violet

4,5,6 = Yellow

7,8,9 = Red-Violet to Pinkish

While the patterns are:

1,4,7 = Self

2,5,8 = Feathered (stitched, veined, or dotted)

3,6,9 = Bitone or Bicolor

The third character is a modifier:  L=Light, M=Medium, D=Dark.

This table provides a translation for each basic code, and a list of aril & arilbred cultivars registered with each code.

Code	Translation
WW	White white. No blue, red, or yellow tones.
	WW	DUE WEST, HERALDRY, HONOR BRIGHT, MT. KOSCIUSKO, SADEE, SPOTLESS, VICTORY, WHITE LEATHER
W1	White self with blue undertones.
	W1	ANITA CATHERINE, ELAN, ICICLE
W2	White to bluish-white ground with blue feathering.
	W2	AGLAIA, OBERON (or S9L), OBI (or S9L)
	W2L	IRENE
	W2D	ISMENE, MOHRLOFF, MOURNING DOVE, OSIRIS, PALLAS, PSYCHE
W3	White to bluish white standards with blue falls (bitone or bicolor).
	W3M	BAUCIS, FRIGA
	W3D	LADY MOHR
W4	White self with yellow undertones.
	W4	PURISSAMOHR
	W4L	ANOTHER DAY
W5	White to yellowish-white ground with yellow feathering.
	W5	SYLPHIDE, TOP HILLY
	W5M	JOCUND
W6	White to yellowish-white standards with yellow falls (bitone or bicolor).
	W6M	PLAYTHING
	W6D	LEONIE SULLIVAN
W7	White self with pink to red undertones.
W8	White to pinkish-white ground with pink to red feathering.
	W8L	COQUETRY, MYOMY
	W8M	SOME LOVE
	W8D	BUZZ, JINJANG, OYEZ
W9	White to pinkish-white standards with pink to red falls (bitone or bicolor).
	W9L	EURYNOME
	W9D	CHIEFTAIN
B1	Blue self.
	B	ALLEGRIA, ANTINEA, FERAKAN, GRACE MOHR, MAUD TRIBOLET, SIR DIGHTON PROBYN
	B1L	BABY BLUE, BELLORIO, BLUE OX, BLUE PRINCESS, BLUMOHR, CARMELO, DOROTHEA LOADER, E. M. GISSING, EASTER MOHR, HOOGIE BOY , HURRICANE (B1L to B2L), ILLUSION, MOHR LOVELY, MRS. RUTHERFORD, MY DAY, PEG DABAGH, SILVER CHARM, WESTWAYS
	B1M	BLUE MOON, CAPTAIN ROYAL, COLOSSAL, FAIR ENOUGH, HOOGSAN, LADY DOZIER, LITTLE LAKE, ORMOHR, POLLY, ZEBULON
	B1D	BEAUTY SPOT
B2	Blue ground with blue feathering.
	B2L	HURRICANE (B1L to B2L), PARTHENOPE, SIR TREVOR LAWRENCE
	B2M	IRMA, KOLYDOS, MARAMOHR
B3	Blue bitone.
	B3	MEINE MUTTER
	B3L	AURORE, BLUE ELEGANCE, MORNING BLUE
	B3M	CLYTEMNESTRA, FLECTA, FREYA, HAMADAN, MESTOR, N. J. THOMAS, PITTY-PAT
	B3D	DORAK, IPHIGENIA, LAUTOKA, SHIRIN
B4	N/A
B5	N/A
B6	Blue standards with yellow-toned falls.
B7	Blue self with pink to red undertones.
	B7L	EARLY MASS, EVERMOHR, VALERY GERMANIS
	B7M	ALTA MOHR, BELADI, EVENSONG, FLURRY MOHR, HEIGHO, HIJIN, IBPALL, MISSONA, MOHRSON, PARTY ROBE, TRY AGAIN
	B7D	GAY PURPLE, JUPITER, PESHAWAR, PROFESSOR MITCHELL, SMIDGIN
B8	Blue ground with pink to red feathering.
	B8	CAMILLA
	B8M	SOQUEL
	B8D	DIDO, GENJI
B9	Blue standards with pink to red falls.
	B9L	CONGRES
	B9M	BELISANE, BIANCA, EOS, LYDIA, NEFERT
	B9D	HILLSIDE SHOW, SALEROSA, TWOTONE MOHR, VARIANT, YARKAND
R1	Red self.
	R1L	EURYDICE, HONEYMOHR, SOMEBODY, VAN HOUTEII
	R1M	ELMOHR, GOETZ, KISH, KOLA, PLUTO, SIKH-MOHR (R1M to R7M)
	R1D	ALINDA, ASPASIA, DOTT. ATTILIO RAGIONIERI, ESDRAELON, SUEZ, WEE ADMIRAL, WINE OF SHIRAZ
R2	Red ground with blue feathering.
	R2L	ANATOLIA
	R2M	HERMIONE
	R2D	CAPITOLA
R3	Red standards with blue-falls.
	R3L	CALYPSO, ENCHANTED, EUNICE, ZIA
	R3M	LEUCOTHEA, VELVO
	R3D	PARIS, URANIA
R4	Red self with yellow undertones.
	R4M	AMOHR, BAMBINO
R5	Red ground with yellow feathering.
	R5	ANTIGONE
	R5M	AGATHA
R6	Red standards with yellow falls.
	R6M	FLORDELICE
R7	Red self with pink to red undertones.
	R7L	LAUREL HILL
	R7M	MARS, PANDORA, ROSEMOHR, SIKH-MOHR (R1M to R7M)
	R7D	BRONYA, COGETTE, GIRAN, IB-RIC, ONE LITTLE INDIAN, PRESENT, REGARD, TAMPA, TINY TREASURE, TOUSSAINT L'OUVERTURE, WANADIS
R8	Red ground with pink to red feathering.
	R8M	BARRIMOHR, RASPBERRY, TEHERAN
	R8D	NELSON OF HILLY
R9	Red bitone.
	R9L	MIST O'PINK
	R9M	LUCIA
	R9D	MASSILIA, PRINCELING, SOCRATES, TAPS, YOUNG APRIL
S	Squalens
	S	CHEROKEE MAID
S1	Blue-toned squalens
	S1L	AKMED, MOTHER'S DAY, SARDIS
	S1M	CHILD OF LEBANON
	S1D	ANDROMACHE, BALTIS, BRUKOR, MIHRAB, THOR, TURKOMAN
S2	Blue-toned squalens, feathered
	S2	POLLUX, THALIA
	S2L	EVA
	S2M	ARETHUSA, CYRENE, FARMERETTE, GRAY CLOUD, HEBE, LEICHTLINI, MEDUSA, TERPSICHORE
S3	Blue squalens, bitone
	S3L	BALROUDOUR, BEATRIX, BUFFOON, MME. SAVOUILLAN, PARSAM, STORMY DAWN, TWILIGHT, VAL
	S3M	AZIM, BLUE TOPAZ, DOVE, ISIS, MOHRESQUE, MONSIEUR STEICHEN, NEPTUNUS, OPENTYDE, YOHO
	S3D	CACTIFORIUM, JUNO, LADY LILFORD, PARVAR
S4	Yellow-toned squalens
	S4L	APHRODITE, HERSELF
	S4M	AUTUMN LEAF, ELENA CHOOSING, MOLASSES, RIC, THETIS
	S4D	MILO, NEMESIS, PONTIAC, SEMELE
S5	Yellow-toned squalens, feathered
	S5L	SOPHROSYNE, VENUS
	S5D	SHERIFFA
S6	Yellow-toned squalens, bitone
	S6L	AIGRET, QUEEN ANNE, ZWANENBURG
	S6M	ISOLDA, MOHR MAJESTY, SUSAN OF HILLY
	S6D	BROWN BETTY, CHARON, JOPPA PARROT, MELIC, NEW ERA, SPRING CAPER
S7	Reddish-toned squalens
	S7L	BELEEK , SAGA
	S7M	ALTA ROSA, DEAR ME, MORERA, PARACINA, PERSEPHONE, UNA, WILLIAM MOHR, YERA
	S7D	BED TIME, BIRD OF PARADISE, BRILLIG, FARCROSS, GYPSY KING, HERA, ORMACO, YUSSUF
S8	Reddish-toned squalens, feathered
	S8	CASTOR
	S8D	THEA
S9	Reddish-toned squalens, bitone
	S9	KOROLA, SHIRAZ
	S9L	FLORA, HECATE, HESPERIA, JOCASTE, OBERON (or W2), OBI (or W2), POLYHYMNIA, VACUNA
	S9M	FALLEN LEAF, IB-MAC, ISMALI, LUNA, MARUKH, MOZO, NAZARIN, PROSERPINE, SATURNUS, SIRONA
	S9D	CLOTHO, DILKASH, GOVERNOR, LANDMARK, LITTLE MASTER, MOUNTAIN POTTERY, MUSTAPHA, ORESTES, OVER HERE, RUSKIN, SHUSHAN, SIMPLEX MUNDITIS
Y1	Yellow self
	Y1L	GREEN GLORY
	Y1D	BRINDLE PUP
Y2	Yellow ground, blue-toned feathering.
	Y2M	AHA
Y3	Yellow standards, blue-toned falls.
	Y3L	CHERUB
	Y3M	BOLT OF THUNDER, GREEN MOHR
Y4	Yellow self.
	Y4L	MERINGUE, MOHR BEAUTY, MYRRH
	Y4M	KEEPSAKE
	Y4D	ALISTER, DEEP BUTTERCUP, GANGWAY
Y5	Yellow ground with darker feathering.
Y6	Yellow bitone.
	Y6L	SESPE
	Y6D	MAJNUN
Y7	Yellow ground with pink to red undertones.
	Y7D	KILROY , WELCOME NUGGET
Y8	Yellow ground with pink to red feathering.
	Y8L	MOHRDYKE
	Y8M	TRUE ENOUGH
	Y8D	FLICKER, MISS MUFFET, NEAR EAST
Y9	Yellow standards with pink to red falls.
	Y9M	CREAM TART, DARYL
	Y9D	ARUNA, BY JOVE