MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION (McAllister, 1993) OGB- Pearl-grey standards. Apricot-buff falls are lightly washed with plum-red and accented with a large oxblood-red signal. Sostenique X Tribe of Judah. I haven't tested this for fertility, but intend to try it with Joint Venture in hopes of getting quarterbreds with even more of the "aril look" and with tetraploid arils in hopes of getting functional halfbreds that will inject new genes in the arilbred pool. This is an excellent garden subject and show flower, but as a breeder it's strictly for experimenters. The goal of putting prominent signals on quarterbreds has been an elusive one, a long – and often frustrating – quest. Because the objective had become somewhat of an obsession, and the ultimate success was so welcome, the title of the old movie seemed fitting.

MAIN SEQUENCE (Wilson, 1995). OGB S. pale oyster white veined light yellow; F. clear yellow-gold, heart-shaped maroon-brown signal; yellow beards; sweet fragrance. Syrian Moon X Onlooker. 

MAINSTREAM (Flanagan, 1986). OGB S medium violet, amber ribs; F rich rose-tan blend, reddish black signal; bronze beard. Caravan Trail X 72007-12: (Esther, the Queen x Desert Dove sib). Excellent parent. 

MANSIONS OF LIGHT (Hunt, 1987) OGB+ Standards very pale violet-blue; falls yellow overlaid willow green. Rust beard and small violet signal. Presumably triploid, from Martha Mia X (I. samariae x Judean Charmer). It has produced a few seeds, which I've cultured, but none of its seedlings have survived to bloom size so I hesitate to report any fertility. I wanted a name that fit both its light colors and magnificent form. Once again, the inspiration came from an old gospel song.

MARGANIT (Shahak, 1993) OH S yellow, lightly veined darker; F yellow with orange signal; yellow beards. 

MARGO (Foster, 1977). OGB S white with green midrib, ruffled; cream and pink styles; F cream, pale green at lower half, dotted maroon through upper area around brown beard. Rare Spice X Grecian Form. 

MARTHA MIA (Hunt, 1975) OGB Pale violet blue, with deep brown spot and dark brown beard. Esther the Queen X Dove Song. Another oldie-but-goodie in terms of breeding potential. Transmits good form and substance and throws many surprises crossed to other lines. Seems to be a source of the stippled-type of signal spot that is becoming more prominent in modern varieties. A fully fertile halfbred that I recommend highly for beginners. I've heard two explanations for this name, neither directly from Gene. One is that he named it for his sister. The other is that he thought it worthy of naming after one of his favorite arilbreds, Miss Martha. As the translation of "Martha Mia" is "My Martha", either or both could be true.

MARY OF MAGDALA (Hunt, 1978) OGB Velvety red-violet, veined darker, with violet streak at end of brownish-maroon beard. (Tuesday Song x (Kalifa Baltis x Kalifa Gulnare)) X Esther the Queen. Throws all sorts of pinkish, pinkish-violet, and reddish-violet seedlings. May be a carrier for the tangerine pink, as well. A fully fertile halfbred that I recommend highly for beginners. As Gene told me at the time, it was "a colorful iris named after a very colorful lady". If you're not familiar with her story, consult the New Testament.

MAXINE PERKINS (McAllister, 1996) OGB Bi-color "pseudo-plicata" with classic aril form, from Boaz X Jean Ralls. The standards have a white ground, with a reddish-violet midrib and ½" of veining around the rim. The falls have a soft ivory-yellow ground with intense reddish-violet dotting around the mustard-and-maroon beard, and reddish-violet veining on the inner half and ½" around the rim. Golden yellow style arms give it a "Heart of Gold". I've crossed it with others that show or carry the pseudo-plicata pattern, as well as ½-breds with intense veining, but it's too soon to assess its offspring. Named for Region 23's then-RVP.

MEIRAV (Shahak, 1987). OH S light violet veined darker; full violet styles; F light violet veined darker. Large round, very dark purple signal, brown-purple beard. I. samariae X Princess Maya. 

MEMSAHIB (Shockey, 1983). OGB+ S. white, large creamy yellow crests. F light chartreuse yellow with small diffusing signal of brown-maroon; bronze beard. 

MERRIGLOW (Peterson, 1973) OGB Pinkish tan standards with reddish overlay; darker falls banded with color of standards. A near-black signal surrounds its dark brown beard. Esther the Queen X (El Kizar x red sib to Soni Ce). An exceptional parent, as demonstrated by Peterson's introductions from it. I've found it to be valuable in work toward sun-resistant reds. Try it with Deborah's Song, Mary of Magdala, and Special Guest. It also gave me a very nice, strong-growing, sun-resistant red-violet when crossed with Werckmeister's Beauty. I recommend it highly for beginners. 

MESILLA MORN (McAllister, 1992) OGB Brick red near-self, with falls only slightly darker than the standards. About as sunfast as reds get here in southern New Mexico. Story Theme X Fourteen for Rachel. A very strong-grower that produces strong-growing seedlings. I expect it to be useful for breeding toward more sunfast reds from the brown side and would not be surprised to get some interesting jewel tones from it, like those that appeared in some of its sibs. Gus and Lil called this one "Brick Oven" because of its color, but I chose "Mesilla Morn" because the color is also that of sunrise over the Organ Mountains and I thought it a prettier phrase.

MOHRESQUE (Keith, 1950) OB- S light brown; F yellowish-buff at edges deepening to near chartreuse at hafts, with some purple flecking. Parentage given as probably Doxa X Zwanenburg, which if true would make it a great candidate for genetic experiments. 

MOHRIC ART (Peterson, 1983) OGB- Standards very pale silver blue, falls soft white with faint showing of yellow-brown near tip of beard. Small, rich brown-red signal; deep brown beard. From Mohr Pretender X Genetic Burst, which makes it a so-called "3/8-bred" that was registered as OGB- under the quantum system. I'm not aware of any chromosome count, it does appear to be fertile enough to be useful in producing gardenable arilbreds. Its offspring from a cross with Boaz produced some nice, intricate patterns. One of the few iris registered as quarterbreds that I recommend for beginning hybridizers.

MOHRIC BUTTERFLY (McAllister, 1998). OGB- Mohric Art X Boaz. Think of the classic Butterfly Wings in modern, rounded form. Pale blue-violet standards have faint blue-violet veining. Greenish-buff falls are veined burgundy to rust, with an area of intense burgundy dotting around the golden-brown beard. I coined the name to depict both the "butterfly" pattern and the Mohr-like form. 

MOHRNING HAZE OB- Greyed-lavender self with thick blue beard and suggestion of a signal. (Snow Flurry x Mitchell seedling) X Capitola. Won the C.G. White Award in 1962. 

MOONCHILD (Craig, 1955). OB- S lavender to amethyst grey; F same with mulberry-purple blended signal. Moon Goddess X Ib-Mac. 

MOONDUST (Danielson, 1975) OGB Golden tan, sprinkled with darker dots and a glittering of gold dust. From (Jallah Effendi x Kalifa Baltis) X (Rojo Grande x Ib-Mac). One of my all-time favorite breeders, I've found it does best as the pollen parent. 

MOONLIGHT MADNESS (McAllister, 1996) OGB+ My favorite of the "ghostly" series so far – but it has been steadfastly uninterested in parenthood. Lustrous dark beauty, blue-violet, red-violet, brown-violet by day – with an eye-catching glows-in-the-dark quality when seen by moonlight. From Sal Leo Five X Rebekah's Veil.Lustrous blue-violet self with a glow-in-the-dark quality when viewed by moonlight. Also refers to my habit of trying to get in "just one more cross" before it's too dark to see what I'm doing!

MORNING MEMORIES (Flanagan, 1984). OGB Light golden tan with pale maroon shading on falls, red-black signal around black beard; slight sweet fragrance. Honey Dove X Esther's Son. Another of my favorite Flanagan breeders. 

MT. ZION (Shockey, 1992). OGB+ S violet-blue; F greyed yellow with large greyed red signal, greyed orange beards. Complex pedigree.

MY CAP (Blomquist, 1988) OB Smooth medium violet standards; medium violet ground falls finely veined darker. Signal area veined deep violet; yellow beard. From William Mohr X Ib-Mac, a repeat of the cross that produced Capitola, which it resembles somewhat, except that it is much more reliably pod fertile. For experimenters only – valued as a fully fertile halfbred that is only two generations from species. (Grandparents are I. gatesii and I. iberica). From Ruth Blomquist's repeat of the cross that produced Capitola – her name for the fertile seedling she selected from that cross.

MY ETCHINGS (McAllister, 1998). OGB As in "come up and see...." This flower has an intricately etched half-and-half pattern. The top half is pseudoplicata – white standards with light red-violet veining that is most intense at the rim, almost clear in the center. The bottom half has classic veining – yellow falls covered by a network of fine red-violet veining. It also has a small area of red-violet dotting at the tip of the beard. Boaz X Jean Ralls. 

MY JOY (Hunt-McAllister, 1986) OGB Palest lilac standards. Buff falls finely dotted and veined brown over upper half, blushed orange-buff over lower half. Proving to be an outstanding parent, both for conventional veined patterns and for the pseudo-plicatas. The pattern seems to be recessive – it has also given many other colors and patterns. Its offspring include: Delicate Embroidery, Engraved Invitation, and Whirlwind Tour. Many more are still under evaluation. A fully fertile halfbred that I recommend highly for beginners. ((Kalifa Baltis x Kalifa Gulnare) x Esther the Queen) X Tuesday Song. It's a sib to Boaz, so in searching for a name for it, I looked to that Biblical story. The name "Naomi" had already been used, but it can be translated as "My Joy".