Cultivar Name: Barad-dur
Seedling Number: HDKTMD2
Bloom Diameter: 6"
Scape Height: 62"
Branches: 5
Bud Count: 34
Bloom Season: Early-mid
Rebloom:
Color/Description: Dark red trumpet with darker red band above chartreuse throat, slight white midribs, obverse of sepals dark red, obverse of petals dark red on upper half, yellow on lower half, flowering on dark colored scapes.
Ploidy: Tetraploid
Bloom Habit: Diurnal
Foliage: Dormant
Pod Parent: Heavenly Dark Knight
Pollen Parent: Tet. Mount Doom
Year Bred: 2020
Rust Resistance: Unknown (raised after my rust resistance testing ended)
Fertile: Pollen is strong, pods are difficult for me
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Comments: Barad-dur is a gorgeous, tall tetraploid with dark flushed scapes, lots of branches and a ton of buds. It is a standout in the garden and mimics its pollen parent, Mount Doom, bringing that look into the tetraploid level. Dave Mussar converted my popular diploid introduction Mount Doom to the tetraploid level and then crossed it to Gossard's Heavenly Dark Knight. He sent me some seeds from the cross and I had three germinate. Of those three, one was very tall with impressive flowers that look very similar to Mount Doom, but are larger and a darker shade of red with taller scapes that are flushed with dark pigmentation. It brings the best of Mount Doom to the tetraploid level and increases all those good traits.
As with Mount Doom, the reverse side of the petals of Barad-dur show the interesting coloring we see in Mount Doom, with the sepals showing the half yellow/half red coloring that makes the flower so striking. With the taller scapes, Barad-dur's flowers are up higher, making the reverse of the flower even easier to view. The dark scapes add a subtle contrast and are extremely striking in the garden. I was certain that Mount Doom carried the dark scape genetics. Heavenly Dark Knight has the dark scapes deriving from the conversion of Itsy Bitsy Spider, which is the same source much of the dark scape genetics in my lines derives from as well. In my dark scaped lines it is mainly coming through Ancient Elf, while in Jamie Gossard's dark scaped lines it is mainly coming through Heavenly Shooting Stars. Ancient Elf and Heavenly Shooting Stars are both Gossard introductions and are full siblings from tet Itsy Bitsy Spider and tet Nutmeg Elf. That means that Heavenly Dark Knight is closely related to my own dark scaped breeding through Ancient Elf and Sun Dragon, but derives from a different branch of the same tree. I have not grown Heavenly Dark Knight, having focused on the dark scapes I have coming through Ancient Elf.
Barad-dur is pollen fertile, but pods have been very difficult for me. I haven't bred from it much because of the pod issue, but the few times I have used its pollen, I have gotten excellent pod set from the pollen. It should make an excellent breeder for bringing in Mount Doom genetics to the tetraploid level. I have so many seedlings with dark scaped genetics at this point that I have been more focused on them, though I will use Barad-dur more in the next few years as I have some excellent reds with dark scapes that I plan to blend it through.
If you like Mount Doom, you will love Barad-dur. The name 'Barad-dur' is the name of Sauron's tower at the foot of Mount Doom in Tolkien's LOTR trilogy. A fitting name for this giant, tetraploid, tall scaped seedling of Mount Doom. Barad-dur, the daylily, truly is a dark tower sitting at the feet of Mount Doom. See the images of the flower and the plant below.
