For some Star Wars fans, the best form of honoring their favorite characters is by naming a beautiful flower after them. Iris Haven nursery owner Heather Pryor named her Australian-bred Louisiana Iris 'Princess Leia' (Iris Hexagonae) in 1997, at the request of a special young fan.
"In 1996, I registered another Louisiana iris, called 'Alicia Clare' for my niece," Pryor recalls. "My nephew Nathan (Alicia's older brother) was very envious that his sister had had a flower named for her -- and sheepishly asked me if I would name a flower for him. It's not traditional for flowers to be named for boys, and it was difficult to explain to Nathan who was, at that time, just 11 years old. However, as a compromise I suggested that if he could think of a special name, I'd use it. Nathan was not born when A New Hope was first released, but he was an avid Star Wars fan all the same. So he asked me if I would name his special iris after Princess Leia because he so admired her character."
"As it turns out, the Louisiana Iris 'Princess Leia' is a wonderfully strong-growing flower," Pryor says. "The stalks are very tall and they hold the flowers high above the garden. When in bloom, 'Princess Leia' demands attention. The plant can be rather strong-willed at times, but also very elegant in appearance. Doesn't this sound like Princess Leia to you?"
The 'Princess Leia' iris not only has a breathtakingly beautiful color of purple, but also exhibits an unusual appearance of the flower's petals and style arms (where the pollen is found).
"In iris terms, 'Princess Leia' is a self, which means that all of the six petals are the same color of a deep cyclamen-purple," Pryor explains. "If it were a bitone, then three petals would be one tone of a color and the three other petals would be a different tone of the same color. Louisiana irises open out like a hibiscus, rather than the 'three petals up and three petals down' configuration of a bearded iris. This means that the center of the flower is a major feature of the bloom. 'Princess Leia' also has unusual style arms. These are the three arms which stand out in the middle of the flower. The style arms on 'Princess Leia' are very unusual because when the flower first opens the style arms are pure white. As the flower ages, the style arms change to pale pink and then to a strong cyclamen-pink when the flower is three days old. This gives a beautiful effect if you have a large clump of it growing."
Pryor and her husband took great care in giving the 'Princess Leia' it's unique look and charm through a special process called flower hybridization.
"The parents of 'Princess Leia' are two other very interesting Louisiana irises," Pryor explains. "The 'father,' or pod parent, is 'Gladiator's Gift' (chocolate-brown color) and the 'mother' is 'Desert Jewel' (sunset-marmalade color). First we created a seed pod on 'Desert Jewel' by putting the pollen from 'Gladiator's Gift' on it. We then planted out the seeds. It takes about two years for a Louisiana iris to go from a seed to a flowering plant. Usually we wait for a seedling to bloom for at least three years before we register it. This allows for it to grow to a consistent height over a number of years."
"Once we were happy that the iris was a strong grower, and had a lovely, new color -- we registered 'Princess Leia' with the American Iris Society (the organization where all iris are registered)," Pryor continues. "After that, nobody else can use the name for an iris. The seedling number of 'Princess Leia' was 60/90-16. This means that it was seedling No. 16 from cross No. 60 done in 1990. We went on to name several other seedlings from this same cross -- so 'Princess Leia' the iris has several other sisters from the same seed pod that are well known and grown around the world."
It seems that Pryor and her nephew chose well in naming the stunning iris 'Princess Leia.' The flower hybrid has won several awards in Australia, including Best Collection in Show at an iris show in 1996. 'Princess Leia' has been exported to many countries since it was first released to the gardening public in 1997 and can be found in flower gardens in the U.S., New Zealand, South Africa, Japan and England.
For fans interested in growing 'Princess Leia' in their own gardens, Pryor has a few helpful tips. "Louisiana irises will grow in full sun, part shade, in the garden, near a pond or even in water. They also like a naturally acidic soil -- and lots of mulch and food. I like to say that Louisiana irises are the 'teenage boys' of the iris world: the more that you feed them -- the better that they will grow. They can't ever be over-watered -- but they are not the marginal aquatic plant that many people think that they are. Louisiana irises also love humidity and they will thrive in areas where the more widely-known bearded irises struggle."
When asked why plant experts like herself enjoy paying homage to the characters in Star Wars, Pryor quickly points out the benefits. "Life can be difficult for us all from time to time and I think it's nice to have something special to think about to encourage us all," Pryor says. "Princess Leia, I believe, epitomizes loyalty to friends, inner strength, good leadership and courage. All of these are positive things."
To read more about the 'Princess Leia' iris, visit Pryor's Iris Heaven Nursery site here.
If you would like to learn more about these iris and flowers, please visit your local or school library for more detailed books.
