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BULBOUS IBISES.

BY

PROF. MICHAEL FOSTER, Sficli

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BULBOUS IBISES.

BY

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PUBLISHED AT THE SOCIETY'S OFFICES, 117 VICTORIA STREET, WESTMINSTER, S.W.

printed for tbe "Regal Iborttcultural Society

BY

SPOTTISWOODE & CO. NEW- STREET SQUARE, LONDON.

BULBOUS IBISES.

By Professor M. FOSTEE, F.B.S.
[A Lecture delivered May 3, 1892.]

[The following contains the substance of the lecture as given,
though I have somewhat expanded and variously modified what
I actually said ; and I have added a detailed description of the
several species.

I am much indebted to the editors of the Gardeners'
Chronicle and of the Garden for the loan of woodcuts ; the
source is indicated in each figure. Those figures which bear the
name " Caparn " were most kindly drawn for me by my friend
Mr. J. W. Caparn, of Oundle. The rest were prepared for me
by Mr. Wilson, of Cambridge. Unless otherwise stated, the
figures are of natural size.]

I PROPOSE to treat my subject as much as possible from a
gardener's point of view, and shall therefore not take up more
time than is necessary with botanical details. To start with,
I use the term " bulbous " in the gardener's, not in the botanist's
meaning. We gardeners are regarded, and indeed justly re-
garded, by the botanists as being very loose in our use of the
word " bulb "; we often include as bulbs what ought to be called
" corms," " tubers," or the like. I do not propose to discuss
to-day which Irises form " true " bulbs, and shall use the term
" bulb " in the loose gardening sense. If a gardening definition
of a bulb be wanted, we may perhaps say that " it is a specially fed
bud which separates of its own accord from the mother stock
in order to live an independent existence."

Iris Sisyrinchium.

Let me begin by calling your attention to a little bulbous
Iris which is perhaps the most widespread, geographically
speaking, of the whole genus, and at the same time probably
one of the oldest Irises in existence, retaining the archaic
features of the stock from which many other Irises have

A2

364294

descended. This is Iris Sisyrinchium (figs. 1 and 2), which may
be traced from Spain, Portugal, and Morocco on the extreme west
of Europe, through Algiers, Sicily, Corsica, South Italy, Greece,
Egypt, Palestine, Asia Minor, Persia, and Beloochistan to
Afghanistan and the Punjaub in the east.

The bulb, small and globose — that is to say, a flattened sphere
— may be readily recognised by its shaggy coats, several of which

may be peeled off from
an old bulb. Hence the
name ; for the Greek word
sisyra (fftarvpa) means a
shaggy goat skin. From
between two very narrow
channelled curving leaves
springs a slender stem,
half a foot or a foot, or
even more in height ;
this bears at its summit,
and sometimes on late-
rals, a tuft of small,
purple, but variously
marked, often fragrant
flowers. Each flower is
very fugitive ; it does not
last even a day. Open-
ing in the late forenoon,
it closes and withers in
the afternoon, so that the
owner who is away all
day never sees it ; but,
to atone for Aiis, many
blooms open in succes-
sion. It varies much in stature, and in the colour and marking
of the flowers. One of the most distinct varieties is the Iris
maricoides of Regel, which I feel unable to sever from the rest
as a true species. Another is the I. monophylla of Boissier and
Heldreich, which has one leaf only, frequently one flower only,
and a stem a few inches high. Considering, however, the wide
geographical distribution of the species, it is to be wondered that
it does not vary more.

FIG. 1. — IRIS SISYRINCHIUM (reduced
one-fourth).

3

In one point of intimate structure — namely, the coalescence
of the filaments of the stamens in their lower parts with each
other and with the styles — it shows its affinity to some of the
South African Irids, for instance, to the genus Moraea; and,
indeed, by some authors the plant is spoken of as a Moraea, and
not as an Iris. But I will not dwell on this, except to say that
the amount of coalescence is variable.

As a rule, this Iris does not do well in this country. In all
its natural habitats it is
sent to rest after flower-
ing, being dried and
baked by the heat of a
dry, hot, rainless summer;
this it does not naturally
meet with in our land.
And, though it is a pretty
little thing, it hardly re-
pays the efforts necessary
to give it artificially such
a summer. Whenever I
have been able to get in-
formation as to the soil
in which it lives at home,
that soil has been, in
nearly all cases, not
" peaty sand," but a stiff
clay, baked to a hard
brick in summer. And
though I cannot pretend
to have had much success
in cultivating it, it has
seemed to me happiest
when grown in the stiffest
soil at my command. Pro-
bably in most places in this country the best plan would be
to take the bulbs up after flowering, and replant in autumn. In
any case it needs the hottest, sunniest spot.

The Eeticulata Group.

I have suggested that I. Sisyrinchium is a very ancient
primitive bulbous Iris, a bulbous Iris which still retains many

FIG. 2. — IBIS SISYRINCHIUM.

of the characters of the bulbous Irises of long ago. And
we may fairly suppose that from it has descended the more
specialised form now so well known as I. reticulata (fig. 3).
This receives its name from the netted nature of the coats of the
bulb * (figs. 4 and 5). I. Sisyrinchium has also netted coats,
but the coats of I. reticulata are fewer and thinner than those
of I. Sisyrinchium, never forming a shaggy envelope, and the
pattern of the network is different. The form of the reticulata
bulb is, moreover, an oval, sometimes a long oval, not a flattened

FIG. 4. — BULB OF IRIS KETICULATA
(Caparn).

FlG. 3.— IBIS BETICULATA. FlG.'5.— POBTION OF THE OuTEB

(From the Garden.) COAT OF A BETICULATA BULB,

magnified five times.

sphere as in Sisyrinchium, so that there is no difficulty in dis-
tinguishing the bulbs.

I have used the phrase Iris reticulata as if there were a
single species only ; but we now know several allied Irises, arid
the number will probably be still enlarged, forming together
what may be called " the reticulata group."

* The netted character is more marked in the outer older coats than in
thei nner newer ones, so that if the outer coats be removed it is not so easy
to recognise that the coats are netted. This is more particularly so with
some of the species of the group— e.g. I. Danfordice and L Kolpakowskiana,
in which the inner coats show hardly any netting at all.

What is generally considered as the typical I. reticulata
is a familiar and beloved plant. Nearly all gardeners know
its beautiful deep violet fragrant flowers, with the long narrow
fall* stretched out nearly on the level, and bearing just in
front of the stigma a bright golden or orange patch, which,
forming a charming contrast to the deep violet of the rest of
the blade, serves as a "signal" for the insects, showing them
the mouth of the path which leads to the nectar at the stamen's
base. Also well known is the less handsome form known as the
variety Krelagei, with its broader segments and more purple,
not unfrequently dull-coloured flowers, which, moreover, are
rarely fragrant. The former is called the type, because it is
the one which was first described, namely, by Marschal von
Bieberstein, early in this century (having been discovered, Sweet
says, by Adams, who sent the plant to Bieberstein), whereas the
variety Krelagei was not described (and then by Regel) until long
afterwards. But in the native country of the two, the south-
eastern regions of the Caucasus, the variety Krelagei is not only
much more variable, but also far more abundant than the type.
The variety Krelagei is abundant in the neighbourhood of Tiflis,
and all the specimens of imported bulbs during the last few
years which have come into my hands have been of this variety ;
so far I have not come across any specimen of the type brought
direct from its native habitat. Moreover, seedlings of the type
turn out in many cases to have all the characters of the variety

* I use the familiar term "fall " instead of " outer perianth segment "
or "sepal," and in like manner " standard " instead of "inner perianth
segment " or " petal." Each consists of a terminal " blade," usually ex-
panded, and attached to the rest of the flower by a "claw" or "haft,"
which is usually narrower than the blade, and in the case of the fall
frequently marked off from it by a constriction. The three parts forming
the centre of the flower are sometimes called " petaloid stigmas " ; each
consists of a body overhanging the stamen, united at the base with its
fellows into a column, and ending above in two triangular, quadrate, or other-
wise shaped " crests " of variable size. Immediately below the crests is a
horizontal ledge of variable size and form projecting towards the blade of
the fall, and so arranged that an insect brushes against the upper surface as
it crawls into the sort of tunnel formed by the body of the style above
and the claw of the fall below. It is this upper surface, and this only, which
is the true stigma, and on which the insect visiting the flower deposits the
pollen which it has gathered from another flower; all the rest is simply
" style." We may imagine the body or stem of the style to divide at its upper
end into three leaves or branches, one of which becomes the " stigma " proper,
while the other two are modified into the often very conspicuous "crests."
Since the ovary is composed of three united carpels, each of which has a
right to a style, I prefer to speak of three styles united at their bases, rather
than, as Mr. Baker does, of one style dividing into three " style branches."

6

Krelagei, even when they are raised under conditions which seem
to exclude the possibility of the parent having been crossed with
Krelagei. For these reasons I am inclined to think that what
we call the type is a special variety or sport, which Bieberstein
happened to come across, and what we call the variety Krelagei
ought to be considered as the type.

Be that as it may, I. reticulata, both in its typical form and
in the variety Krelagei, is characterised not only by the netted
coats of the bulb, but also by the peculiar form of the leaf, which
is four- sided, square in section, and armed at the tip with a
horny point. The only Iris outside the reticulata group possess-
ing such a leaf is the peculiar Iris tuberosa of Southern Europe,
of which I shall speak later on. The flower is sessile, but is
thrown up above the as yet short leaves by means of the long
tube, which is longer in the type than in the variety Krelagei.

The variety Krelagei differs from the type not only in colour
and in form, but in the distinctness of the lateral veins on the
claw of the fall ; these, in the type, are lost in the general ground-
colour. In the type the ripe pod is long and narrow, thrown up
above the ground by a somewhat long pedicel ; in Krelagei the
pod is short and broad, and lies half buried in the ground.

The variety Krelagei varies very much in colour, being some-
times of a dull plum colour, sometimes of a rich red-purple,
sometimes almost black ; and it varies also much in size. From
the type the late Mr. Nelson raised two varieties having all the
general features of the type, except that in one the flower was
larger than in imported specimens, and in the other the colour
was not violet, but a peculiar light blue, varying, however, a good
deal in tint. Mr. Max Leichtlin has also raised some seedlings of
various shades of blue. All these are very beautiful, g,nd one of
Mr. Max Leichtlin's forms is an especially handsome flower.
These more or less light blue varieties of the typical form are
sometimes spoken of as the variety ccerulea.

A few years ago there was introduced, under the name of
I. reticulata cyanea, a small dwarf variety which differs from
both the type and Krelagei, not only in being of a very striking
blue, the blue known as cyanic, verging towards indigo, but
also in form, size, stature, and in some other minor features.
Three or four years ago I received, through the kindness of
Dr. Baynolds, of Van, some specimens gathered near Van, in

Armenia, which resembled the above in form and other features,
but which were purple in colour; and I have quite recently
received from Mr. Allen, of Shepton Mallet, a plant also like the
above in form and other features, but of a very pale blue colour.
We obviously have to deal here with a distinct third variety of
reticulata, which may or may not possess the distinct blue
colour justifying the name cyanea.

A few years ago I received through the kindness of Mrs.
Barnum, of Kharput, a fourth variety, which I described in
the Gardeners' Chronicle as var. sophenensis. This is charac-
terised by the narrowness of the segments and the metallic sheen
of the coloration, as well as by the fact that the flowers expand
as soon as, or even before, the leaves pierce the soil. This variety
seems to occur in several shades of colour, from a red-purple
to a lightish blue. It is fairly abundant in Central Asia Minor.

Quite recently Mr. Max Leichtlin has introduced, also from
Central Asia Minor, under the name of var. purpurea, a fifth
variety, which resembles Krelagei in colour, but in many of its
features comes near to sophenensis.

And there is yet a sixth variety. But before I speak of this
I must turn to a member of the reticulata group, found in
Palestine, which has been described as a distinct species, under
the name of I. Histrio (fig. 6). This, however, does not seem to
me to differ more widely from the varieties of 7. reticulata, of
which I have just spoken, than do some of these from each other,
and I therefore cannot help regarding it as in reality a variety
of reticulata. Indeed it differs from reticulata chiefly by its
colour, which is peculiar. The fall in its central parts is of
creamy white, dotted over with blotches of a bright blue ; these
blotches fuse together at the edge and tip of the fall into a uni-
form ground colour of blue ; the blue, however, is not a pure
blue, having a slight admixture of red. There are certain
differences in form between it and reticulata, but these are not
marked ; more distinctive, perhaps, is the habit possessed by the
plant, that, unlike the other varieties of reticulata, the leaves
acquire very considerable length before the flower expands.

I. Histrio is found in several places in Palestine, which country
is also given as one of the habitats of the typical reticulata ;
but I have never as yet come across bulbs of the latter, about
which there could be no doubt that they came from Palestine, and

its supposed occurrence in that country is probably based merely
on herbarium specimens, which in this matter are not wholly to
be trusted. On the contrary, I would rather say that typical
reticulata represents the most eastern and Histrio the most
western development of the species. This view being accepted,

FIG 6. — IRIS HISTEIO. (From the Gardeners' Chronicle.)

it is interesting to note that Western Asia Minor furnishes us with
a form intermediate between the more ordinary reticulata and
Histrio. This was brought to my notice some years ago through

9

the kindness of Miss Wright, of the American Mission in Amasia,
and since then Mr. Max Leichtlin has obtained a large supply
of it. This, the sixth variety of reticulata referred to above, in
many specimens very strikingly resembles Histrio in its colour,
being marked in the same way with bright blue spots and blotches ;
hence I propose to call it I. reticulata var. histrioides (fig. 7).

FIG. 7. — IRIS RETICULATA var. HISTRIOIDES.

It differs, however, from I. Histrio in exact tint of colour, in form,
and in minor features, but especially in its habits. The flowers ex-
pand, like those of sophenensis, while the leaves are as yet hardly

10

above ground ; it flowers distinctly later than Histrio, though

often earlier than the
ordinary reticulata,
and, unlike Histrio,
is perfectly hardy in
this country. More-
over, though some
specimens are spot-
ted and
blotched
very like
Histrio,
the plant

as a whole is very variable
in colour, and some speci-
mens are of a uniform blue,
marked only by deeper veins.
The flowers are often large,
larger than in any other
form of reticulata, the segments
being broad, broader even than those
of the variety Krelagei, and the foliage
is remarkably stout. It is a very
handsome plant, and a great addition
to our gardens.

So far for the actual species,
I. reticulata and its varieties ; but
we now know three other forms,
which, though they differ specifically
from I. reticulata, must be con-
sidered as belonging to the reticulata
group.

From the neighbourhood of
Nazareth I obtained, through the
kindness of Dr. Vartan of that city,
an Iris (fig. 8) which in dried herba-
rium specimens has probably been
confounded with I. reticulata, but
which when cultivated proves to be

FIG. 8. — IRIS VABTANI
(Caparn).

very distinct. Itlias netted coats to the bulbs, and four-sided leaves,

11

each armed with a horny tip, but in the form of the flower, and
especially in the narrow claw of the fall expanding into an oval
blade, it is very distinct ; moreover, it is unique (in the group)
in habit, since it flowers in late autumn or early winter, the
blooms often appearing in October. This habit, however, makes
it difficult to cultivate in this country ; and since the colour, a
slaty blue, has no great merit, the plant is of botanical rather than
gardening interest, and I need say no more about it. I have
called it I. Vartani.

Of great gardening value, however, is another species of the
group, 7. Bakeriana (figs. 9 and 10), growing in the mountains

FIG. 9.— IRIS BAKERIANA
(reduced one-fourth).

FIG. 10.— IRIS BAKERIANA (a rather
small specimen).

above Mardin, on the confines of Armenia and Mesopotamia.
This was brought to my knowledge by the Rev. Mr. Gates, of
Mardin, and Mr. Max Leichtlin secured a large supply of it, and
so introduced it into our gardens. It has bulbs with netted coats,
and the flower closely resembles that of reticulata, differing
chiefly in colour, the distinctive feature being that the deep
violet blade of the fall bears a central patch of creamy white or
yellow, sprinkled with dots or crossed with veins. Curiously
enough, the leaves are not four-sided, but eight-sided, or rather

12

cylindrical with eight prominent spiral ridges ; hence, though
for gardening purposes it is a reticulata, we must botanically con-
sider it as a distinct species. The specimens collected for Mr.
Max Leichtlin vary a good deal in colour, and among them he
tells me a beautiful white form has made its appearance. Dr.
Cochrane, of Urumiah, kindly sent me some years ago bulbs
from that district, which have proved to be those of I. Bakeriana;
but the flowers differ in several respects from those found near
Mardin.

Lastly, still keeping within the reticulata group, I must
speak of a little yellow Iris growing in the South of Cilicia, im-
perfect specimens of which many years ago the accomplished
traveller and botanist, Mrs. Danford, sent to Mr. Baker. This
he described as I. Danfordice (fig. 11). Quite recently Dr. Born-

miiller rediscovered the same plant
in another region of Asia Minor,
namely Amasia, and Mr. Max
Leichtlin happily obtaining a supply,
distributed it under the name I.
Bornmulleri, given by Haussknecht.
Though the plants collected by
Bornmuller vary somewhat, and
Baker's description, being founded on
imperfect specimens, was not com-
plete, there can, I think, be little
doubt that we are dealing here with
the same species, and the earlier
name Danfordice should therefore be
used. The plant is in many respects
of great interest. The bulbs have
netted coats, the leaves^ are four-
sided, armed with a horny point, the
inflorescence and habit is that of I.
reticulata, and the flower has many of

the features of a reticulata flower. But besides the colour being,
except for a few dark green spots or veins on the fall and style,
of a rich yellow, the flower of DanfordicB stands quite apart from
all the forms of reticulata, in that the inner segments or standards
are almost abolished ; they are reduced to mere spikes, hardly
visible when the flower is viewed in the ordinary way. Still, on

FlG. 11. — IRIS

The flower is not quite fully
expanded and rather small.
In the side sketch the mi-
nute standards are shown as
seen from above.

18

account of its other characters, we must claim the plant as a mem-
ber of the reticulata group. The flower, though of a beautiful
rich colour, is small and low ; it appears, as in some other forms
of the group, while the leaves have as yet hardly speared.

These are the several members of the reticulata group as yet
known to us ; but I cannot help thinking that careful search in
the country lying between the coast of Palestine on the west
and Mid-Persia on the east will reveal to us yet other forms.
And even with those which we now possess a promising future
lies before the cultivator and the hybridiser. From seeding, and
especially from crossing the newer forms with the old, many
brilliant results may be expected ; we may be glad that the ever-
active Mr. Max Leichtlia is carrying on the work which the late
Mr. Nelson began. Among the forms we at present possess,
the typical reticulata, especially Nelson's large seedling, holds
beyond doubt the first place. Next, to my mind, comes the
variety histrioides in its best forms, with Bakeriana and Dan-
fordia, the latter so especially welcome for its yellow hue.
II is trio is beautiful, but too tender for common use, and hence,
next to the above, I should put the variety cyanea, followed by
some of the better forms of Krelagei, sophenensis, and purpurea.
As I have said, the variety Krelagei, especially as shown in
seedlings, is variable, and while some forms are hardly worth
Bowing, some of them are exceedingly beautiful, and, in my
eyes, rank not much below the type.

One word as to fragrance. For the development of this, in
any of the forms, warmth is necessary. The typical reticulata
is the most constantly fragrant of the group, but on a cold
February or March day even this, in the open, may fail to give
out an appreciable odour. With the other forms fragrance is
uncertain ; a pot of His trio in a warm greenhouse is deliciously
sweet, but in a cold border is almost inodorous ; Bakeriana is
generally fragrant, as are also many specimens of histrioides,
but sophenensis, purpurea, and cyanea are generally inodorous.
As a rule, Krelagei has no scent, but some specimens, especially
in warmth, are delicious ; and that, too, even though the
flowers may be extremely poor in colour. The occurrence of
fragrance is in fact extremely capricious, and no hard-and-fast
line can be laid down. The nature of the fragrance, the exact
kind of odour, differs in the different forms.

14

As to time of flowering in this country, the following seems
to be the order, though variations occur, and the exact date will
of course depend upon situation and special climatic conditions.
The first to appear is Vartani, followed after a long interval by
Histrio. Then come more or less together, sometimes one and
sometimes another being in advance, Danfordia, Bakeriana,
sophenensis, histrioides, and cyanea. Krelagei and purpurea
are somewhat later, and the so-called type, as a rule, flowers
the last.

The cultivation of the reticulata group has chiefly to be
directed towards combating a disease, in the form of a minute
fungus, which attacks the bulbs when left in the ground, and
the presence of which, in the dry bulb, may be recognised by
the coats being splashed with black as if marked with ink.
When this disease makes its appearance the foliage prematurely
withers, and the bulb speedily rots away, leaving behind an im-
perfect husk filled with black powder. In any garden to which
the fungus has gained access, bulbs left in the ground soon
perish ; what one year is a beautiful clump full of bloom, may
next year be represented by one or two flowers only, or not even
by that. I am by principle adverse to too much meddling in the
garden, but, through successive heavy losses, I have been driven
to move all my reticulatas every year. I take the bulbs up as
soon as the foliage has died down, keep them for a while in dry
sand, and, before I replant them in fresh ground in July, go
carefully over them all, removing the coats which by their black
patches show signs of the fungus, and placing all really diseased
bulbs in a reserve ground by themselves. By this method I find
that I largely diminish the disease, though I have not as yet
wholly stamped it out. Sometimes one variety, sometimes
another, seems to succumb soonest to the enemy ; I do r|)t find
that any one kind permanently resists attack, but have in turn
lost patches of each kind. If I fancy one kind is disease-proof
because it stands several years, I am undeceived at last.

Beyond this, and the selection of a sunny, sheltered spot, dry,
or at least not too wet in winter, no special culture is required.
The plants will thrive in sandy peat, but they will thrive as well,
or even better, in stiff clay. When I have received imported
bulbs, the soil attached to them has generally been some kind
of stiff loam, and when I have sought information as to the soil

15

in which wild plants have been found, the answer has usually
pointed to a stiff and loamy rather than to a light or sandy
soil. My own experience has also led me to choose for them a
moderately firm loam ; and, with the method of lifting annually,
I do not hesitate to make the ground as rich as possible. When
the bulbs are taken up every year I do not find those planted in
heavily manured ground more diseased than those planted in
virgin soil free from manure.

Much pleasure may be gained in the dull, dreary days of
December and January by growing these reticulatas in pots, and
flowering them in a greenhouse. For this purpose they should
be potted at midsummer, plunged in a cold frame, protected from
excessive autumnal rains and from early winter frosts, and
brought into a cool greenhouse just as the buds are about to
expand. They are somewhat difficult to manage after they have
flowered ; and whether they be kept in the greenhouse (where
their long foliage, necessarily increased in length by being " drawn
up," is a source of trouble), or whether they be returned to their
chill home of a cold frame, they never ripen bulbs as do plants
living in the open. Moreover, the giving them the proper quantity
of water, neither too much nor too little, needs very careful judg-
ment, and errors in this matter tend very markedly to injure the
bulbs. Hence it is advisable to make use each year of bulbs
which have been previously grown out of doors.

Several members of the reticulata group, such as sophenensis,
histrioides, Vartani, and others (I have not observed this in the
type or in Krelagei), throw out a very large number of small
bulbils round the base of the bulb. If these are planted
separately in a reserve ground, they will develop into flowering
bulbs in the course of two or three years.

Considering the tune of year in which they flower, the
reticulata Irises go to seed fairly well. In gathering seed care
should be taken not to overlook the seed-pods, which are often
more or less buried in the ground. The seed, if sown as soon as
ripe, will to a large extent germinate in the folio whig winter and
spring ; but some of it may lie dormant for two, three, or even
more years. Germination is more certain when the seed is sown
in the open than when it is sown in pots or pans, owing pro-
bably to adequate moisture being thus more regularly secured.
But the seedlings which appear in December or January from

B

16

the summer sowing need protection if the winter is severe, and
in general the management of the seedlings is more easy in pots
than in the open ; a pot can, for instance, be easily preserved and
watched for three, four, or even a longer number of years when
germination is tardy, whereas it is difficult to keep a seed-patch
in the open, or even in a frame, clean of weeds and otherwise
preserved for such a length of time. Hence it is, I believe, the
best to sow in pots, choosing somewhat deep pots rather than
shallow pans, since the roots strike deep. But the young bulbs,
after their first year's growth, will thrive better in the open,
though they will benefit by protection in winter for one year
more. Seedlings of Vartani certainly, and ofHistrio to a large
degree, will need protection at all times.

Before leaving the reticulata group, I must mention a little

Iris, I. Kolpakowskyana
(fig. 12), an inhabitant of
Turkestan, named after a
Russian general who has
done much to further our
knowledge of the botany of
Central Asia. This is an
outlying member of the
group, being to a certain
extent intermediate between
I. reticulata and I. Sisy-
rinchium. It has netted
coats to the bulb, and the
flowers are single and sessile,
but in its leaves it resembles
I. Sisyrinchium, as indeed it
does also the features of the
flower. It is a charming
little plant, the falls pre-
senting a beautiful contrast
of rich red-purple and bright
FIG. 12.— IRIS KOLPAKOWSKYANA. golden yellow ; but for some

reason or other it is most

difficult of cultivation in this country ; imported bulbs die for
the most part after the first year, and I much fear that it will
never become a garden favourite.

17

I. Winkleri, also from Turkestan, described by Regel, I have
never seen ; though allied to the above, it appears to diverge
still more from the Eeticulata group, for the coats are mem-
branous, not netted.

The Xiphium Group.

We must now pass to another group of bulbous Irises, which
is as markedly western and European in geographical distribution
as the Eeticulata group is eastern and Asian, and which we may

FIG. 13. — IRIS XIPHIUM, or SPANISH IBIS. (From the Garden.)

regard as a development in a direction different from that of the
Eeticulata group from a common ancestor, now represented, as 1
have suggested, by J. Sisyrinchium, found alike in Europe and in
Asia. This group I will venture to call, after its best known member,
the Xiphium group, in spite of the allied term " Xiphion " being
applied, unfortunately, I think, to the entire bulbous division of
Irises. Naturally enough, several members of this group have

B 2

18

long been known to European gardens. The bulbs have mem-
branous, not netted coats ; the leaves are not four- sided, though for
the most part long and narrow, almost linear ; and the flowers,
generally two, but sometimes one only, are borne on stems of
some, and often of considerable, height.

Two species of this group are exceedingly well known : Iris

FIG. 14. — IBIS XIPHIOIDES, or ENGLISH IRIS. (From the Garden.)

xiphium (fig. 13), the so-called Spanish Iris, whose headquarters
are in Spain, Portugal, and Algiers, but which stretches into
Southern France and Italy, and I. xiphioides (fig. 14), the so-
called English Iris, found in the Pyrenees. The latter came into
the hands of the Dutch gardeners by way of England, being

19

carried from Bordeaux to Bristol, and so to Holland ; hence the
name. I need not dwell at length on the characters of these two
forms, so well known to all.

The differences between the two are many and striking. The
foliage in the English Iris is much broader than in the Spanish
Iris, and while the latter often " spears," and with me always
does so, in late autumn, the shoot appearing as an awl-like
spike, the latter does not spear until spring, and the shoot
on its first appearance has more the form of a nipple. The
parts of the flower of the Spanish Iris are narrow, rigid, formal,
the fall is extended more or less horizontally, and the style lies
close down upon the fall, so that the tunnel leading to the
nectar is very complete ; by reason of these features the flower
has a striking resemblance to that of the " spuria " group of
rhizomatous Irises. The parts of the English Iris are much
larger and broader, especially the blade of the fall, are lax,
with a more graceful sweep, and the edge of the fall is gene-
rally very wavy ; the style is often raised high above the fall, so
that the tunnel is a very open one. The colour of the Spanish
Iris, taking in all its varieties, is limited to blue, blue-purple,
yellow, and white, with a variable admixture of brown, a dis-
tinctly red-purple or red never occurring. The colour of the
English Iris is limited to blue, to purple of all tints from a nearly
pure blue to a nearly pure red, and to white, yellow being con-
spicuous by its absence. The bulb of the English Iris is larger
than that of the Spanish, and the outer coats are apt to fray out
into fibres, especially in their upper parts, so that the bulb becomes
shaggy ; the coats of the Spanish Iris are always much smoother.
The ripe capsule of the Spanish Iris is long and narrow, generally
more or less club-shaped, broader above than below, and the three
sides are deeply grooved ; the sides of the young ovary already
possess these grooves. The ripe capsule of the English Iris
is larger, broader, pointed above and below, more distinctly
triangular, with flat even sides. Lastly, while the seeds of the
Spanish Iris are small, and cubical or wedge-shaped, those of
the English Iris are larger, and oval or pyriform ; they are,
moreover, less numerous in the pod, and, as old Parkinson
observes, " rattle in the dry husk."

The wild forms of the English Iris, I. xiphioides, which have
come into my hands have always been of a deep rich blue, and,

so far as I know, in a wild state it varies little in colour. The
variously tinted garden forms of which I spoke just now, the red-
purple and the almost red kinds, as well as the very common
forms in which a white ground is more or less splashed with
blue or blue-purple or red-purple blotches, are the outcome of
the repeated seeding to which this species for some two or
three hundred years has been subjected in cultivation. But
as I said, a yellow plant is unknown ; this colour has never
made its appearance during the many, many generations of
seedlings. Moreover, so far as I can ascertain, though repeated
seeding has produced great variety of colour, it has hardly
affected at all the structural characters of the plant ; the
various forms now cultivated, apart from size and colour, are all
exceedingly alike. This is interesting in connection with the
narrow geographical distribution of the species. Iris xiphioides,
indeed, may be regarded as the type of a really good species. It
differs from all its allies by characters so broad as to be obvious
to everyone ; it exhibits little or no tendency to vary, or to form
hybrids with other species. It at some time or other acquired
certain features, and those early became so rigidly fixed that it
speedily lost all power of adapting itself to varied circumstances,
and hence has proved unable to spread outside a very limited home.
The Spanish Iris, I. xiphium, on the other hand, has not
only a much wider range, spreading throughout the greater part
of Spain and Portugal into the African continent, and reaching
both into France and into Italy, but also comes very close to
other species ; so much so that between them and it the ques-
tion of specific differences is soon raised. Among the wild forms
two types may be recognised. In the one, the falls, which
are relatively narrow, spread out horizontally, the ovary pro-
trudes from the spathe-valves for some distance, and the prevail-
ing colour is blue or purple. In the other, the claws of the
falls, which are relatively very broad, rise up in a slanting
fashion, so as to form more or less of a funnel ; the flower
is " turbinate " ; the ovary is much less exserted, and the
dominant colour is yellow. The latter form is found in Portugal,
and hence, though the other blue form is also common in that
country, has been called I. lusitanica ; a variety of it, in which
the colour is not pure yellow, but heavily blotched with brown „
is the I. sordida of Salisbury.

21

The Spanish Iris, like the English Iris, has been largely pro-
pagated by seeding, and we now possess a very large number of
varieties of many tints of blue, blue-purple, purple, yellow, and
white, many of the flowers being parti-coloured, and a peculiar
effect being produced in some by the admixture of brown, giving
a bronzy hue. In all these we may recognise the two types of
which I just spoke variously intermingled. To those which show
traces of descent from the lusitanica stock — such, for instance,
as " Sultane " — the turbinate arrangement of the parts, and the
way in which the styles are overlapped laterally by the broad
claws of the falls, confer on the flower an aspect which contrasts
strongly with that of a flower — such, for instance, as " Don
Carlos " — having the characters of the type, the falls being nearly
horizontal as well as long and narrow, so that the centre of the
flower is much more open, much less closed up. As a rule, the
varieties which affect the lusitanica form also tend to be yellow,
and those with the more typical characters are chiefly blue ; but
this rule is by no means closely followed. Some very beautiful
varieties have the falls of a pure yellow and the standards of a
lovely blue.

When a number of plants [are examined, very many small
differences in the shape of the parts are met with, such as the
relative breadth and length of the fall, and the depth of the
constriction which separates the claw from the blade, in the
relative length and breadth of the standard, and in the presence
or absence of a notch at its apex, and in the crests of the styles,
which are generally broad and quadrate, but may be narrow and
almost triangular. The standards are sometimes widely spread
out, very divergent, but sometimes are connivent, almost meeting
in the centre ; sometimes they are very twisted, but sometimes
quite straight.

So far as one can judge from the old descriptions, such as
those of Parkinson, and from old figures, preserved in the British
Museum and elsewhere, several striking varieties known in old
times have been lost to cultivation. We possess one marked
variety of vigorous growth, with striking bronze flowers, com-
monly known as " The Thunderbolt " (fig. 15), but sometimes
called " sordida " : erroneously, since it has nothing to do with the
I. sordida of Salisbury. This, which seems to have been known
to Parkinson, unlike the other varieties, rarely bears seed ; and

22

I have no doubt but that it is a hybrid, probably between the
yellow lusitamca variety and either L filifolia or I. tingitana, of
which I shall speak presently. This may be the Iris spectabilis

Fro. 15. — IBIS XIPHIUM var. " THE THUNDERBOLT." (From the Garden.)

of Spach, which he regards as probably a hybrid between
I. xiphium and I. xiphioides ; but I see in " The Thunderbolt " no
trace of I. xiphioides, nor, indeed, have I as yet come across any

28

plant showing any admixture of I. xiphium and I. xiphioides,
with either as seed-bearer.

Beyond the two types spoken of above, the wild forms of
I. xiphium do not vary much in structural features ; but Mr.
Maw, some years ago, sent me a plant which he had found in
the Sierra Nevada, having some special characters ; and two or
three years ago I received, by the kindness of the esteemed
botanist of Algiers, M. Durando, a bulbous Iris found by M. Bat-
tandier near the Marais de la Rassanta in Algiers. The flowers of
this, which are of a beautiful pure white colour, differ so markedly
in form from those of I. xiphium as to justify varietal, if not
specific, distinction. In all the ordinary forms of /. xiphium the
fall is fiddle- shaped in outline ; in this it is hardly more than
spathulate. It almost deserves the specific name of I. Battan-
dicri ; but, on the whole, I am inclined to speak of it as a variety
or sub-species. It is a very handsome plant, but, so far as my
experience goes, not so robust as the type.

Concerning an Iris inhabiting Algeria, and known as I. Fon-
tanesii, since I have not as yet been able to obtain it for cultiva-
tion, I will, for lack of knowledge, say nothing, except that while
some have apparently given this name to Algerian specimens of
/. xiphium, others believe it to be a form of an Iris of which I
will speak directly, I. tingitana ; and others, again, regard it as
a distinct species. For a similar lack of knowledge, I will say
nothing of the I. serotina of Wilkomm, since this also I have
never seen ; but from the description it seems hardly more than
a small variety of /. xiphium.

As a near ally to I. xiphium comes the I. filifolia of Boissier,
found in Spain, at Gibraltar, and in Morocco, and differing on
the one hand by possessing a perianth tube, though this feature
seems variable, and on the other hand chiefly by the red-purple
colour of the flowers, and by the great breadth of the " signal "
or golden patch on the blade of the fall beneath the stigma. It
is also less robust than I. xiphium, and has scantier foliage,
though a form in which the leaves are relatively large and broad
occurs near Tangier. It crosses readily with /. xiphium, the
offspring having intermediate characters.

More common than the above in Morocco is I. tingitana,
which has a most distinct perianth tube above the ovary, and the
bulbs and flowers of which are much larger than in either

24

I. xiphium or I. filifolia. The segments are much larger than
in either of these, and the blade of the fall is more oval, more
lax, and with a tendency to be wavy at the edge ; in fact, the
flower shows a certain analogy with /. xiphioides. Indeed,
I. filifolia and I. tingitana may be regarded as the counterparts
of I. xiphium and I. xiphioides respectively ; and, geographically,
we have I. xiphioides as the extreme northern and I. tingitana

as the extreme southern representa-
tive of this section, the two being
separated by I. xiphium.

Differing more widely from the
above than any of them from each
other is J. Boissieri, discovered a few
years ago by Mr. Tait, of Oporto, in
the Gerez Mountains of Spain (figs. 16
and 17). It is not only dwarf, the short
stem bearing as a rule one flower
only, but the flower possesses a long,
narrow perianth tube above the ovary,
and the form of the segments is very
different from that of the other mem-
bers of the group, the narrow claw of
the fall suddenly expanding into a
broad blade, and the standard being
broad and short. A singular feature
of the flower is that the yellow
" signal " of the fall bears a number
of short hairs, almost forming a
" beard." In many respects it draws
near to /. Sisyrinchium, and we may
perhaps regard it as a remnant of an older form of Irfe which
was once prevalent in Spain, but which has been pushed out by
the newer L xiphium. The rich red-purple of its flowers makes
this Iris a welcome addition to our gardens.

We may place in this group too the beautiful J. juncea (fig. 18)
with its handsome, fragrant yellow flowers, though it differs widely
from I. xiphium in the characters not only of the flower, but
also of the bulb. The bulbs are more globose, not so elongated
as those of J. xiphium, and, as they grow old, become covered
with a nest of stiff brown coats. The flower, which possesses a

FIG. 10.— IBIS BOISSIERI
(reduced one-fourth).

25

very long, narrow perianth tube, is more graceful in form than
that of I. xiphium, less formal and rigid, having a more pleasing
sweep of outline ; and the rich golden colour, together with a
distinct fragrance, which is absent or extremely rare in the other
members of the group, renders it a most delightful plant. It
has, moreover, a wider geographical distribution than have its
fellows ; it is not only
found in Southern
Spain and in Northern
Africa (Algiers and
Morocco), but stretches
away through Sicily
to Italy, occurring in
the Riviera. A lemon-
coloured variety from
Africa is in cultivation,
under the name var.
numidica, but other-
wise this species varies
very little.

Turning now to the

cultivation of this Xiphium group of
Irises, the first thing to note is the con-
trast between the needs of I. xiphium,
the Spanish Iris, and I. xiphioides, the
English Iris. Both profit, as regards
vigour of bloom, by good exposure to
sunshine ; but while the Spanish Iris
delights in a dry spot, the English Iris
insists on an adequate supply of mois-
ture at its roots in summer. Hence,
as a rule, where the one thrives the
other fails. In my own dry garden, for FJQ 1? _IRIS BoisgIERI
instance, I find no difficulty at all with

the Spanish Iris ; the bulbs multiply rapidly and bloom freely,
and seedlings grow apace. Provided that the plants are
not encroached upon by the roots of too vigorous neighbouring
perennials, or smothered by too luxurious annuals (for these,
and indeed all bulbous Irises, make but a poor fight in the
struggle for existence), they will flourish in the same spot for

several years at least in succession. The English Iris, on the
other hand, I can only keep alive by careful effort ; as the soil
becomes dry in spring and early summer, the foliage becomes
pale and lags in growth, yielding only few and feeble flowers.
They need far more moisture than they can get by any watering
which I can give them. The different circumstances under
which the two forms naturally thrive is indicated by their
manner of growth. The Spanish Iris begins to shoot in late
autumn, and the foliage has reached some height before winter
sets in ; from which we may perhaps infer that in its native

FIG. 18. — IRIS JUNCEA.

home it has little to fear from the soddening effects of a wet
winter. The English Iris, on the other hand, does not spear
until winter is practically over ; in its native wet habitat it has
learnt to avoid winter growth. Hence, as a rule, in every garden
it is only either the Spanish Iris or the English Iris which will
flourish without special care ; and one of the golden rules of
gardening, " Grow the plants for which your surroundings are
fitted," may be applied very forcibly here. If he whose garden
is adapted to the English Iris wishes to grow the Spanish one,

27

let him take the bulbs up yearly, planting them somewhat late,
choosing each year, as far as may be, a sunny, dry spot where
the soil is a moderately light but not too sandy loam. He, on
the other hand, who fights against fate for the English Iris,
should choose his dampest but unshaded situation, giving the
preference as regards soil to a black vegetable mould rich in
humus, and supply artificially the moisture which may be lack-
ing to the plants while they are making foliage and preparing to
bloom.

The other members of the group seem always to require
special care. 7. filifolia and Ljuncea show more pressing needs
than I. xiphium ; they not only need a dry, hot spot, but they
must be kept dry in the summer for some time after flowering.
The easiest way to effect this is to lift the bulbs annually, re-
planting somewhat late, and they bear this shifting without
harm. If they are to be left in the ground, the place chosen for
them should be a hot, dry spot on the top of a rockery, with no
more soil than can be well drained in winter and baked dry
in summer ; but under such circumstances they are apt to be
starved. As far as my experience goes, they are more vigorous
in a moderately stiff loam than in a more distinctly sandy soil.

The cultivation of I. tingitana is peculiarly difficult in this
country, at least in most districts. The plants start growth
early, and their relatively broad, ample foliage is terribly
punished by winter storms. Moreover, they need genial mois-
ture and more decided warmth in early spring, just as they are
preparing to flower (for they should bloom in April or early in
May, long before the Spanish Iris), than they obtain in most
parts of this country. The plants are hardy enough, in the
sense that they can, unprotected, stand without injury even
our severest frosts ; not winter, but cold, cutting spring is their
enemy ; they live, but they refuse to bloom. I sent to a friend
on the Riviera some bulbs which had been growing and in-
creasing with me for several years, and yet without yielding a
single bloom ; even in the first spring of their sojourn in that
more genial land they bloomed profusely. I very much doubt
whether any artificial care can ever in this country supply what
this plant needs to bring out the magnificent blooms which it
ought to give.

Of the cultivation of I. Boissieri I cannot say much, except

28

that the want of success which I have had with it leads me to
infer that it, like the English Iris, needs more moisture in spring
than my circumstances will admit.

Most of the Xiphium group go to seed freely, and the seed,
as a rule, germinates readily ; by far the greater part of the seed
sown in the summer as soon as ripe sprouts in the following
spring. The seed of I. xiphium starts very early, and when
the seed is sown in the open the young seedlings are apt to be
damaged, thrust out of the ground, and otherwise injured, or even
killed, by late frost ; hence, to secure a full crop of plants from a
batch of seeds, some protection is advisable. But when seed is
plentiful a little loss is of no great moment, and my practice
now is to sow in the open in a prepared bed, and to let the
seedlings remain until the bulbs are for the most part ready for
flowering. The seed of /. xiphioides is much later in germinating,
does not start until spring is fairly advanced, and hence does not
need any protection at all ; care, however, should be taken that
the young seedlings do not suffer from drought.

Iris tuberosa.

I may, perhaps, here say a few words about a charming little
plant, which is not a bulbous Iris in the strict sense of the word,
and which, indeed, by some authors is not considered an Iris at
all, and which yet has certain affinities with the bulbous Irises of
which I have been speaking. I mean the plant with lovely
black and green flowers, known in some of its native homes as
" The Widow " (la vedova), and called by the majority of authors
Iris tuberosa (fig. 19), but by others Hermodactylus tuberosus. It
was separated by Salisbury as a distinct genus, with the name just
given, because the ovary is not, as in Iris, divided completely into
three chambers by three septa or partitions meeting in the
middle along the whole length of the organ ; the partitions are
imperfect, not meeting in the upper part of the ovary, which
thus consists of a single chamber, partly divided by the projecting
partitions. Otherwise all the characters of the plant are those
of an Iris ; and, since the lack of complete fusion of the partitions
of the ovary may occur accidentally in many specimens of
Iris, it seems unreasonable to lay such great stress 011 this
feature. I shall, therefore, continue to consider it as an Iris.
But, as I said, it is not strictly a bulbous Iris ; if you dig up a

29

plant when the foliage dies down you will find, not a bulb, but
an irregular brown tuber, like
a small, hard, deformed po-
tato, the mass being often
made up of two, three, or
more parts joined together
like the fingers of a hand, or
perhaps more like a star-fish.
The change, however, from a
regularly formed to an irre-
gular tuber is not a great
one ; and, indeed, if you sow
the seed of /. tuberosa, you
will find that the product of
the first year's, and indeed of
the second year's growth, is a
small rounded nodule which
you would at once say is a
bulb; this Iris is a bulb (in
the loose sense of the word)
when it is a baby, and be-
comes a tuber as it grows old.
We may probably infer that,
though we must now speak of
it as a tuberous Iris, it has
descended from ancestors
which were undoubtedly what
we should call bulbous.

The plant has one very
striking feature : the leaf is
four-sided, with a horny point,
like that of I. reticulata ; in-
deed the differences between
the leaves of the two plants
are relatively small, and a
casual observer might easily
confound the two. The
flower, again, in another fea-
ture draws near to a mem-
ber of the Eeticulata group,

FIG. 19. — IRIS*TUBEBOSA. (From the
Gardeners' Chronicle.)

namely, I. Danjordia\ the inner segments or standards are

30

reduced to mere bristles, so that at first sight they seem to
be absent. On the other hand, the plant betrays its affinities to
I. Sisyrinchium, in the filaments of the anthers being in part of
their course united together. We may place side by side with
these structural features the geographical distribution of the
species. While the Reticulata group, as we have seen, is confined
to the east, and the Xiphium group to the west, Iris tuber osa
stretches from almost the extreme west a long way towards the
east. Beginning at the west in Southern France, we may trace
it through the Riviera, Corsica, Sicily, Middle and Southern
Italy, past Dalmatia to Greece and the Grecian Islands, and even
to Turkey. So far as I know, however, it is absent from Asia
Minor. In width of distribution it is second only to I. Sisy-
rinchium, and, like that, is probably a somewhat ancient Iris.

The flowers, which are probably known to most, are singular
in colour. The ground colour of the fall is an olive-green,
which on the blade becomes a dark, almost black, velvety
purple ; this combination, with an occasional admixture of
yellowish or of bright green streaks, is to my mind, as to that of
many others, especially charming ; it has a beauty all its own.
The flower is single, borne on a stalk of variable length ; the
spathe-valves (one of which is often missing) are large and
swollen, and the relatively large swollen pod is a conspicuous
object when the foliage is ripening.

The flower differs in minor characters, in form and in colour,
in its different habitats, so much so that authors have made
more than one species ; but we ought probably not to consider
them as other than mere varieties.

As regards the cultivation of I. tuberosa, I can only say that
in this country it seems to need the sunniest, driest spot which
can be given to it ; and, so far as my experience goes, it dofts better
in a moderately light loam than in any other soil. Where it
thrives, it is perfectly hardy, in the sense that though the foliage
may shoot, and even acquire some height, in late autumn, the
severest winters leave it untouched ; but it is sorely tried by the
harsh spring winds and dry cold which are apt in England to
visit us in March and April, when it should be in flower. Yet ic
is exceedingly capricious. In some places it refuses to flower,
and, indeed, to grow. In my own garden it multiplies rapidly,
and, indeed, I find a difficulty in getting rid of it from any place

31

in which it has been planted ; possibly my calcareous soil is
acceptable to it. Yet, while some years it flowers freely, in other
years the blooms are very scarce. On the whole, it seems to me
to do much better when left undisturbed in the ground year after
year than when it is lifted, though some of the older writers
recommend that it should be lifted, not every year, but every
three or four years. It does not lend itself readily to pot culture ;
at least that is my experience.

The Juno Group.

I must now pass on to another large group of bulbous Irises.
In the two groups which we have been considering, both the
Eeticulata group and the
Xiphium group, the bulb is
composed of two or three
thick, fleshy coats (the
swollen remnants of the
bottoms of leaves which
have vanished), wrapped
round the baby central
shoot, and surrounded in
turn by a certain number
of thin membranous wrap-
pings, varying in the dif-
ferent species. The bulb,
if examined when ripe, is
found to be free from all
roots, the old ones having
wholly disappeared, and the
new ones not yet sprouted.
The leaves, moreover, in all the members of the group are few,
often two only, and relatively long and narrow ; in many cases,
as we have seen, almost linear. By the possession of these
characters, the two groups form a single group, to which the
name Euxiphion has been given.

As a typical member of the other group of whicli I am about
to speak, let me now call your attention to an Iris, which is a very
old garden favourite, well known to Parkinson, Gerard, and even
Clusius, an Iris which has the honour of being depicted in plate 1

FIG. 20. — IRIS PERSICA (reduced).
(From the Garden.)

of the long, admirable series of plant portraits known now as
the Botanical Magazine, and which is probably familiar to all
as the Persian Iris, Iris persica (figs. 20 and 21). It is, like
the members of the Euxiphion group, a bulbous Iris ; but the
bulb is composed not of two or three very fleshy coats, but of
several less stout coats, surrounded, as in Euxiphion, by mem-

branous wrappings. If you take
the bulb up in summer, when the
foliage has died down, you will
find attached to the base of the
bulb a number of fleshy, finger-
like, but somewhat tapering roots,
each with a narrow
neck, easily broken at
its attachment to the
bulb. In the case of
purchased, stored bulbs
these conspicuous roots
have often been broken
off, and the bulb then

does not differ in outward appearance very
markedly from a Euxiphion bulb ; but when
the ripened bulb is taken direct from the
ground these fleshy roots are always present.
If you study the history of the plant during
the yearly cycle of its life, you will find that,
as the foliage and bloom are developed, these
thick roots shrink, and finally disappear;
when the plant is at the height of its vege-
tation, only their shrivelled remains are to be
seen. But as the leaves are withering in the
ripening process, new roots of the same kind

are formed- which become thick and stout> like

the new bulb which is forming while the leaves
of the past season fade and depart. Obviously
these thick finger-like roots are, like the thickened coats of the
bulb itself, stores of nourishment for the coming plant. In Euxi-
phion the plant possesses such stores only in the thick coats of
the bulb itself ; in Iris persica the plant can fall back upon the
supplementary stores afforded by these peculiar thick, fat roots.

flower). (Caparn.)

33

Now these two features, the having several coats to the
bulb and the possession by the ripe bulb of thick store roots,
are common to a large number of Irises, which thus form a
group known as the Juno group. These two characters are,
moreover, accompanied by certain others. Thus the leaves are
usually broader and more numerous than in the Euxiphion
group, though this feature is somewhat variable. Again, in
most cases, in nearly all cases in fact, the flower has a special
form. The outer segment or fall, instead of having, as in most
Irises, the claw narrower than the blade, is broadest at the claw,
which is expanded sideways into two angular flanges or auricles,
one on each side. Further, in nearly all cases also, the inner seg-
ment or standard is very small, reduced often to a mere bristle,
and usually takes up a horizontal position, or is even turned
directly downwards instead of standing erect. To compensate,
as it were, for the smallness of the standards, the crests of the
styles are unusually large, and form a conspicuous part of the
flower. These several features, and other minor ones on which
I need not dwell, characterise this Juno group of bulbous Irises,
and may be spoken of as the " Juno characters."

Iris persica, in the typical form so long known — the stock
which has been so long in cultivation coming, it is stated, from
South Persia, in the region between Murgab and Persepolis
(I have not come across any recent importations of this typical
form) — is a striking and yet beautiful plant, with a deep violet,
almost black, patch on the lamina of the fall, forming a pleasing
contrast to the white or bluish-green tint of the rest of the
flower. In nearly all these Juno Irises the middle line of the
claw of the fall is raised into a ridge or crest, which fades away
as it passes on to the blade ; this ridge or crest has usually a
distinct colour of its own, and in Iris persica is a bright golden-
orange, setting off and set off by the deep violet of the blade
of the fall.

The short, hardly visible stem generally bears (in March,
sometimes earlier, sometimes later) one flower, which appears
sessile, but at times has two, or even three flowers. The leaves,
which have only just speared when the bloom appears, and do not
attain their full growth until long afterwards, are narrower than
in most other Junos, and the bulb when well grown is large,
being sometimes as big as a hen's egg.

C2

34

The plants of Iris persica in cultivation are all very much alike,
and Miller remarked long ago that seedlings showed little or no
variation from the parent. Within the last few years, however,
we have obtained from various parts of Eastern, Central, and
Southern Asia Minor a number of forms differing from the typical
Iris persica, more particularly in colour, but also, to some extent,
in form. Mr. Max Leichtlin, for instance, has recently distri-
buted, under the name of I. persica var. purpurea, one of these
varieties found in several parts of Central Asia Minor, which
differs from the type chiefly in that nearly all the parts are of a
red-purple ; the blade of the fall, however, is especially dark, and
the orange signal on it affords the usual contrast. Neither
the fall nor the standard has exactly the form which prevails
in the type ; and did we possess only this purple variety, we
might perhaps grant it the dignity of a specific distinction. But
this is not the only variety. I have received from Mrs. Barnum, of
Kharput, and from the Rev. Mr. Gates, of Mardin, and Mr. Max
Leichtlin has received from these and other parts of Asia Minor,
plants having the general characters of Iris persica, but differing
not only widely in colour — some being reddish, others violet,
others, again, steel-grey, or even sea-green — but also considerably
in the form of the fall, more especially in the relative propor-
tions and details of the blade and the claw. Each of these, con-
trasted with the type, is so distinct that it might well be regarded
as a new species ; but this would entail the institution of a
dozen or more new species. Hence, as in other instances, we are
driven to consider the different forms as varieties only, so that
Iris persica is, after all, an extremely variable plant. A plant
growing in South Persia, below Shiraz, for bulbs of which I am
indebted to Mr. Isaacson, of Bushire, differs so much, from the
other varieties of I. persica that I am somewhat inclined to con-
sider it as a new species, but I am in doubt, and have pro-
visionally described it as merely var. Isaacsoni. None of these
varieties, to my eye, equal the singular and striking beauty of
the old typical form, but they are, nevertheless, nearly all of
them welcome additions to the garden. Most of them flower
earlier than the typical form.

Iris persica is often spoken of as "not hardy," and we are
recommended to grow it in a frame or greenhouse. If by " not
hardy" is meant " succumbs to severe winter frost," the term

35

cannot be applied to Iris persica, since the bulbs underground
will stand, untouched, the severest frosts that ever visit England,
and, indeed, in many of its native homes it has to endure severer
frosts than those which visit this country. Nevertheless, it is in
many places difficult of cultivation, and for the following reasons :
it needs, when blooming and growing, genial mild warmth, and
when it has done growing, it needs to be ripened by heat and
drought. In this country, in most districts at least, it is pinched
with dry, cutting winds when it is young and tender, and drenched
with warm rains when it ought to be at rest ; hence bulbs, even
large and vigorous when planted, often refuse to flower beyond
the first year, and soon after disappear altogether. The Dutch
nurserymen, I understand, meet the difficulties of climate by
lifting the bulbs every year, and I believe that that is the best
course for most of us in this country also to observe.
This " climatic " treatment seems to be of much more im-
portance than the choice of soil. " Sandy peat " is, as usual,
recommended by many, but in its native home, in most cases in
which I have obtained information, it is found in loam, often of
a very stiff character ; and my own experience leads me to think
that the stronger soil yields the stronger plants. So far as I can
see, the Asia Minor varieties need the same treatment as the
typical form.

If we take the Asia Minor forms as mere varieties of the one
species I. persica, we may say that the species has a fairly wide
distribution. Stretching from South Persia westward along the
more southern parts of Asia Minor, it extends from the extreme
east of Persia to the extreme west of Asia Minor. In Armenia
and Kurdistan, more especially in their more northern parts, it
is accompanied, and eventually replaced, by another Juno Iris,
which stretches farther north than it does — namely, into the Cau-
casus— and which, having been first discovered in that country, is
called I. caucasica.

In the form which was first described, and which we must
therefore take as the type, I. caucasica is a dwarf plant. From
a tuft of four or six shiny, glossy, yellowish-green, ovate-lanceo-
late leaves, the margin of each of which is armed with a horny
ridge, rises a very short stem, often hardly visible, carrying one,
two, or three flowers having the Juno characters described above,
the whole flower being of a dull greenish-yellow. It is a plant

36

" of botanical interest only," and well-nigh useless for garden
purposes.

The species stretches eastward along the Caucasus and the
North of Persia, but when we reach Turkestan we find the
typical form replaced by a larger, more vigorous, and really
handsome plant, I. caucasica major, or turkestanica. In
this, compared with the type, the foliage is more abundant and
ample, the stem more obvious, carrying often as many as five
or six flowers, each of which, while resembling the type in general
form, is larger, has the lateral expansions of the claw of the fall
more developed, and possesses a colour which, though somewhat
variable in exact hue, is on the whole a rich yellow. The yellow
is deepest on the blade of the fall, the effect being heightened by a
conspicuous orange ridge or crest, while the lateral expansions of
the claw are pale and usually transparent. The standards are,
as in Juno Irises in general, insignificant and extended horizon-
tally ; the crests of the styles, also yellow, are large and con-
spicuous. It is a handsome plant, well worthy of cultivation.

I have obtained from Kharput, in Armenia, another variety,
which resembles the above in its ample glossy foliage, and in
possessing an obvious stem, though this is covered by the decur-
rent bases of the leaves ; it differs in the flower, though large,
being more compact, with less prominent, and firmer, lateral ex-
pansions of the claw. In form it is exceedingly graceful, but,
unfortunately, lacks the golden colour of the Turkestan form,
possessing the greenish-yellow of the type. There also exist in
Asia Minor other forms, differing in various ways from the
type ; but none of these appear to be of value for the garden.

The name J. caucasica var. major has also been given to a
plant inhabiting Turkestan, which differs in many respects from
the plant which I have just described under that naiie. This
has also been distributed under the name of J. orchioides (fig. 22),
and since it seems to me to differ from I. caucasica by characters
of specific value, I propose to retain the latter name. In I.
caucasica turkestanica (I propose to use this term in order to
avoid the confusion attached to the word "major ") the stem,
though it exists, reaches at most a few inches in height, and is
almost wholly hidden by the bases of the leaves, the internodes
being invisible, or nearly so ; in /. orchioides the stem is often
two feet in height, and the nodes are separated by clearly visible

37

internodes two inches, or even more, in length. In J. orchioides
the leaves lack the horny margin present in I. caucasica and in the
variety turkestanica ; they are also longer and narrower. In
J. orchioides the individual flowers have a distinct stalk, in
J. caucasica they are sessile. In I. caucasica and its varieties
the spathe-valves are inflated, in orchioides they are not. In
orchioides the fall lacks the lateral expansions of the claw so

FIG. 22. — IBIS ORCHIOIDES. The side-sketch (A) shows, magnified twice,
the standard and its mode of attachment.

conspicuous in caucasica, and is long and narrow, spathulate, or
even strap-like. The whole flower is smaller and narrower in
orchioides, but this is compensated for by the rich golden colour
of all the parts, the blade of the fall being often marked with
black or purple spots. In both orchioides and caucasica the

38

fall has a median ridge or crest of a deeper, more orange, colour
than its surroundings ; but this in the former is somewhat low
and simple, whereas in the latter it is large, conspicuous, and
often cut up into a fringe of short hairs, simulating the beard of
a rhizomatous Iris. The bulb of orchioides is very large, some-
times as large as a goose's egg, and the fleshy roots, so generally
characteristic of a Juno Iris, and well seen in I. caucasica,

are frequently ill-developed. Lastly,
while I. caucasica goes to seed
most freely, I. orchioides, so far
as my experience goes, yields seed
most scantily.

Besides this yellow form of
orchioides, there is also found in
Turkestan and Bokhara a plant
agreeing with it in all the features
of form and habit, differing only in
the colour of the flower, which,
instead of being uniformly yellow,
is of a delicate lavender colour,
except some yellow markings over
the ridge of the fall and its neigh-
bourhood. This, to my eyes, pecu-
liarly graceful and pleasing Iris has
been called I. caucasica var. cceru-
lea ; but, in accordance with what I
have stated above, I should prefer
to call it I. orchioides var. ccerulea.
Another variety, the var. oculata,
in which the yellow fall is simply
dotted with blue, I have laot seen
alive ; nor have I yet seen still
another variety, var. linifolia, in
which the leaves are extremely
narrow, linear in fact, the flowers

being yellow. Still other varieties probably occur in the
regions around Turkestan, for the species seems to be exceed-
ingly variable ; and though I have not yet come across wild
iorms distinctly intermediate between I. caucasica and J. or-
chioides (I have obtained them by artificial crossing), these may

FIG. 23.— IRIS PALESTINA.

39

exist, and all the forms may eventually have to be regarded as
varieties of one species.

Unlike the majority of Juno Irises, J. caucasica and J. or-
cliioides present few difficulties in the way of cultivation. Since
their foliage does not appear until the severe winter frosts are
over, they are quite hardy in the ordinary acceptation of the
word. Nor do they need, to the same extent, at least, as many
other Juno Irises, the " drying-up " in summer. Their leaves
do not wither (and this is especially true of I. orchioides) until
the hot days of summer are upon us, and these seem quite
adequate to ripen the bulbs. All that is necessary is to give
them a sunny, fairly warm spot, and a soil that is not too light.
As far as my experience goes, they nourish best in a rich,
somewhat stiff loam, and if I had to choose between clay and
sand, I should choose the former.

As I said a little while back, I. caucasica spreads from the
Caucasus westward into Asia Minor. Here, however, it occurs
sparsely ; and when we travel further westward and southward
we find it replaced by other species of limited range.

In Palestine, for instance, and the Sinai peninsula, the Juno
group of Irises is represented by I. Palestina (fig. 23). This, which
is found on Mount Hebron, and on Mount Carmel, in the valley
of the Jordan, and elsewhere, is a dwarf little Iris, having all
the characters of the Juno group, bearing one, two, or three small,
greenish-yellow, but variously marked fragrant flowers. It is
not very handsome, and, from a garden point of view, not worth
the trouble which its cultivation demands. With me the foliage
appears in late autumn, and the flowers in mid-winter. No
wonder that it is not hardy in this country ; I can only keep it
alive by growing it in a cool greenhouse.

Still southward of Asia Minor, but to the east of Palestine,
in the North of Mesopotamia, and the adjoining Armenian
hills, is found /. sindjarensis (fig. 24), for the recent intro-
duction of which we have to thank Mr. Max Leichtlin. This
presents certain analogies with I. orchioides ; the bulbs are very
large, and the leaves are long, lax, channelled, with their bases
clasping the stem, which is a foot or more in height and bears
two or three flowers. The general colour of the flower, which
exhibits the ordinary Juno features, is blue of a somewhat slaty
hue, broken by the yellow of the ridge of the fall and by

40

greenish-blue veins and dots. It does not possess very striking
beauty, and yet is graceful ; it has the merit of being distinctly
fragrant, the odour reminding one of vanilla.

Like I. caucasica, it does not usually " spear " until the winter
frosts are over, flowering in March or April. So far as my
brief experience goes, it may be considered hardy, and appears
to need much the same treatment as I. caucasica.

Very closely allied to the above, differing chiefly in that it
bears several (eight or ten) flowers, and that these are of a

smoky yellowish colour, is the
I. fumosa growing in North
Syria, in the neighbourhood of
Aleppo and elsewhere. I can
say little about this, since I have
not yet flowered it, but imagine
that it is of no great value from
a gardening point of view.

As in the west /. caucasica
and I.persica give way in Pales-
tine to I. Pales tina, so in the
east, in South Persia, Beloochi-
stan, and Afghanistan, they are
replaced by other Juno Irises,
more especially by I. Stocksii,
which in several respects seems
analogous to I. Pales tina, but on
which, since it is both difficult
of cultivation and not strikingly
handsome, I need not dwell. Nor
need I detain you with the details of I. drepanophylla, growing in
Afghanistan, or of I. Aitchisoni, growing in the Punjauft, though
the yellow form (var. chrysantha) of the latter, should it prove
amenable to cultivation in this country, since it appears to be a
handsome plant, would be a useful addition to our gardens. It
has a botanical interest in being the last straggler of the Juno
group of Irises to the south-east. Probably, however, between
this on the east and I. sindjarensis on the west, in the zone
of South Persia and Beloochistan, there are other, as yet unknown,
Juno Irises besides the I. Stocksii which we know ; and, indeed,
it is possible that /. Stocksii itself, which has hitherto been

FIG. 24. — IRIS SINDJARENSIS
(reduced one half).

41

studied from dried specimens only, really represents more than
one species.

Let me now turn from these Juno Irises of little to one of
great garden value. Though I. caucasica or I. orchioides spreads
from Turkestan into Bokhara, there is found also in the latter
country a very beautiful Iris, I. Bosenbachiana (fig. 25), which is
a Juno Iris, but lacks some of the characters which I have stated
to be distinctive of the group. The fall never possesses the lateral
expansions or flanges on the claw which, as we have seen, are
so striking in nearly all other Juno Irises ; it is, in fact, almost
strap- shaped ; and the standard, though small and spreading
horizontally, or even deflexed, is relatively larger than in most
other Juno Irises. The bulb, too, has characters by which it may
be readily recognised ; the fleshy roots are numerous but very
short, frequently ovoid in form, not long and finger-like as in other
Juno Irises, so that at a little distance the bulb looks as if it
bore at its base a number of smaller whitish bulbs turned the
wrong way, pointing downwards instead of upwards. The plant
sends up its bloom while the leaves are exceedingly short, almost,
indeed, before they have appeared, so that the chief growth of
the foliage takes place after blooming is over ; and though the
one, two, or even three flowers which the bulb throws up are
really borne on a stem, this is so short that the flowers appear
wholly sessile.

These, however, are botanical features ; but the garden value
of the plant is due to the colour of the flower, which, in at least
a large number of cases, is of striking beauty. I make this
qualified statement because the species, though varying little in
form and not greatly in size, is exceedingly variable in colour.
If I were to adopt the practice common among " florists," and
give a separate name to each plant which differed in any way in
colour from its fellows, I could, I think, easily make a list of
something like a hundred named varieties. In fact, hardly any
two plants are ["exactly alike, and while some are extremely
handsome, others are poor, or even ugly. The dominant colour
is a combination of purple, yellow, and white ; in some the purple
is a red-purple passing into a rich crimson, in others the purple
is a blue-purple passing into a dull or dingy lavender ; and the
late Dr. von Regel made two varieties — a red and a blue variety.
But the differences, as I have just said, are almost innumerable ;

42

FIG. 25. — IRIS ROSENBACHIANA (Caparn).

43

one form, for instance, is nearly a pure yellow, with a few purple or
violet markings. In what is, perhaps, the handsomest form, the
blade of the claw is a rich deep crimson, except, on the one
hand, at the tip and margin, where it is of a pure solid white,
and, on the other hand, in the middle, where a large toothed
ridge of a rich golden yellow rises up ; the standards and the
upper surfaces of the styles are of a paler reddish-purple ; but
the under surfaces of the styles, and the claws of the falls which
they overhang, are of a golden hue, broken in the latter case by
crimson or purple veins. The combination of deep crimson with
bright gold, softened down by white and by several hues of purple
and of yellow, is remarkably effective ; and the only unfavourable
criticism which suggests itself is that the extremely rich colour-
ing of the flower, seen without foliage, or with very scanty foliage,
on the bare brown ground on a bleak day in spring, almost passes
over from beauty to untimely gaudiness. The same "motiv"
in colour may be recognised in the other forms, variations being
produced by the relative redness or blueness of the purple, and
by the predominance, or otherwise, of the yellow and white.
One, to my mind, very beautiful form is of a pure white, except
for a large patch of deep violet on the blade of the fall, and some
few veins.

The plant flowers in this country in early March, or even in
February, according to situation and climate, keeping company
with many of the reticulatas. It is quite hardy as regards winter
frost, the bulbs beneath the ground receiving no injury from the
severest English cold, but the ample foliage, the leaves being
broad and lax, is apt to be damaged by the later frosts and snow,
and by March winds ; hence the situation chosen for it should be
one which, while fully exposed to the sun, is well sheltered from
the wind. In general, the culture needed appears to be about
the same as that for I. caucasica, save that the plant is not so
robust and vigorous as is that species, more imperiously demands
to be kept fairly dry in summer, and I am inclined to think
prefers a rather lighter, but not too light soil. I feel, however,
that I have not as yet learnt all its requirements, for individuals
suddenly go wrong and disappear to a much greater extent than
is the case with I. caucasica. Still I have no reason to doubt that
with ordinary care, without special precautions, it can be success-
fully grown in most places in this country, and I feel sure that,

44

when the best forms of it become known, it will be exceedingly
popular.

I. Bosenbachiana, as I have just said, shows some signs of
breaking away from the Juno group. Still more divergent is an
Iris found in Afghanistan, which was discovered by Dr. Aitchison
not far from Pendjeh of sinister notoriety, and which he has done
me the honour to name after me — I. Fosteriana (fig. 26). This

we may include in the
Juno group, and yet
it shows many affini-
ties with the Xiphium
group. The leaves are
scanty and narrow, al-
most linear in fact. A
stem, a foot or even
more high, with clasp-
ing leaves, bears one, or
sometimes two, flowers.
The standards of the
flower are, as in Junos,
not erect, but spread out
horizontally, or rather
turned downwards ; but,
unlike other Junos, so
far from being minute,
or even small, they are
relatively as large as in
the Xiphium group. In
the fall the claw has no
lateral wings, but is
narrow, suddenly ex-
panding into a broad
blade ; and the crests
of the styles are of
moderate size only. In

all these points I. Fosteriana approaches the Xiphium group.
And in correspondence with these features the bulb (fig. 27) is
peculiar ; it is thin and slender, covered with several membra-
nous olive-green wrappings, and the fleshy roots so characteristic
of the Juno group are very feebly developed ; they do exist, but

FIG. 26. — IKIS FOSTERIANA.

45

they are thin, and are hardly more than somewhat thickened,
more persistent, ordinary annual roots. Thus the plant by its
several characteristics is intermediate between the Xiphium and
the Juno groups, being, on the whole, nearer to the latter ; if
we suppose that it has descended from some ancestor more or
less allied to /. Sisyrinchium, we may
imagine that it has wavered between
two lines of development, doubting
whether to become a Xiphium or a
Juno.

The flower is not very large, about
the size of a small I. xiphium, and
its chief merit lies in the colouring,
though the form is not without grace.
While the falls and the styles are
yellow, a rich yellow in some speci-
mens, a more or less greenish yellow
in others, the turned-down standards
are of a full rich purple, and the con-
trast between these two hues produces
an effect which, though the plant bears
my name, I think I may say is very
pleasing. I have not as yet perceived
any fragrance.

It does not take kindly to our Eng-
lish climate. The leaves often begin
to spear in late autumn, and suffer
from the buffetings of winter ; it
flowers in March, when its slender
stem is laid low by fierce winds, and, II
judged from the climate of its native"

home, it needs, what it cannot get ,.,

FIG. 27.— BULB OF IRIS FOSTERIANA.
with us, the rest of a thorough

drought in summer. Not possessing the thick fleshy roots of
the other Ju?tos, it is less amenable to annual "lifting" than
are they; indeed my experience leads me to think that it
resents being moved at all. In fact, I find it a very difficult
plant to grow, and I doubt if it will ever become common in our
gardens. At home, in Gulran, it grows at an altitude of about
4,000 feet, in dry places, in what Dr. Aitchison calls " sandy

46

clay, "and my own experience indicates a moderately stiff, rather
than a very light soil, as proper for it. In any case, it should
have a spot as dry as possible in winter, and as hot as may be in
summer ; it must be sheltered from winds, and should be kept
free from the encroaching roots of other plants, and especially
of shrubs and trees, for if it is to live at all in this country, its
struggle for existence must be made as light as possible.

All the Junos of which I have so far spoken come, like the
wise men, from the East. The centre of their geographical dis-
tribution lies in Persia ; they disappear further to the east in
Afghanistan and in the Punjaub, and to the west they are lost in
Asia Minor and in Palestine ; the most western representatives
are, so far as we know at present, those varieties of I. persica
which are found in Armenia and Cappadocia. There is, how-
ever, a distinctly western member of the group, one only, which
flourishes in the extreme west, in Spain, Morocco, and Algiers,
and, stretching eastward, is lost in Greece ; so far as I know, it has
never crossed the Bosphorus eastward, just as no eastern member
of the group has crossed the same strait westward. This solitary
western Juno is the Iris, known long ago to the old gardeners,
spoken of by Parkinson as " Clusius his first great bulbous flower-
de-luce," and called nowadays I. alata (fig. 28), I. scorpioides,
and by various other names. It is fairly abundant in Southern
Spain and Portugal, in Algiers and Morocco. It is found in Sicily
and Sardinia, and though apparently absent from Southern Italy,
reappears, as I have said, in Greece.

It has all the characters of a Juno Iris ; indeed, the group
was founded upon it. The bulb has the distinctive fleshy roots,
and the claw of the fall has the characteristic wings ; the
standards are minute and turned down ; the crests of the style
are large and prominent, and the leaves are numerouife, broad,
and lax. The prevailing colour is lilac or blue, the conspicuous,
generally fringed or laciniate, ridge on the fall being yellow ; but
the flower varies very much in tint, and in the prominence of
veins of a deeper blue, and of spots or blotches of yellow ; and a
white albino variety is in cultivation. The flower also varies
greatly in size, some flowers, notably the variety " magna " and
one recently distributed by Mr. Max Leichtlin, being of great size
and very beautiful ; it is in every way a desirable plant, even the
smaller and less highly coloured ones being welcome. It has a

47

FIG. 28.— IBIS ALATA (Caparn.)

48

very distinct, indeed powerful odour, which, however, to some
persons is not agreeable.

It is distinctly a winter-flowering plant ; in this country it
sends up its bloom (which is often single, though sometimes two
or even more flowers appear) soon after the leaves begin to push
in October, or later, according to climate and situation. It
makes most of its growth in winter, the foliage beginning to die
off in April or May. Hence, in all the northern parts of England
at least, it cannot be considered hardy in the absence of pro-
tection ; the frosts, snow, and winds of winter play havoc with
its broad lax leaves, and, left to itself, the plant soon disappears.
In the milder southern counties it will thrive, and is there justly
appreciated. In my own bleak Eastern Counties garden I find
it difficult to grow, even with the protection of a frame, in the
absence of artificial heat. But it is a plant which repays some
little trouble.

Well-grown and well-ripened bulbs of I. alata, potted in
summer, plunged in cocoa-nut fibre or ashes until they begin to
grow, and brought into a cool greenhouse as soon as the nights
threaten to become frosty, will flower freely ; but, as a rule, for
the first year only. Even when great care is taken to keep
them suitably supplied with moisture during and after flowering,
and to ripen the bulbs properly by the gradual withholding of
water and by full exposure to the sun as soon as their growth
is completed, the bloom is uncertain at the second year, and the
bulbs soon dwindle. This, at least, is my experience, and I
believe that of others ; and the result is the same whether
the bulbs be left in the pots or be potted afresh year by year.
And the same may, I believe, be said of all the Juno group ;
bulbs taken from the open will flower in pots the. first year,
but rarely beyond that. To keep up a supply in pelts for the
greenhouse recourse must be had yearly to a stock grown in
the open.

When it is desired to increase the stock of a Juno Iris, the
small bulbs which appear round the base of the larger bulbs
may be separated and planted separately, or a mass of bulbs
which has arisen from an original bulb may be divided into
its several constituents. In doing this care should be taken
to preserve as much as possible the fleshy roots ; but their
preservation, though desirable, is not necessary ; bulbs which

49

have lost all their roots will grow, though they are, of course,
handicapped by the loss.

Most of the Juno Irises go
to seed very freely, especially
I. caucasica, I. Rosenbachiana,
and, in an adequately genial
climate, I. alata ; and the seed
germinates readily. The seed
of the two former, since it does
not sprout until spring, may
be sown in the open, in pre-
pared beds, and left there for
three or four years, at which
time the seedlings should be
moved when the
foliage has gone
down, since many
of them will by
that time have
become flowering
bulbs. It is, per-
haps, hardly neces-
sary to say that
when seed is thus sown in the
open, it should be covered more
deeply, with fine sifted soil,
than when it is sown in pots ;
otherwise much of the seed
will come to the surface and be
lost. The seed of I. alata will,
of course, need to be sown
under protection, and that of
I. persica will benefit by a
similar treatment.

Iris nepalensis.

With I. alata my tale of
bulbous Irises comes to an end ; •Fl°- 29.— IRIS NEPALENSIS (reduced one-fourth)
and yet I should like to say a word or two about a very peculiar

D2

50

Iris, not a bulbous Iris properly so called, but one, nevertheless,
which presents certain striking affinities to the Juno group.
As I said, the Juno group, so far as we know at present, stops
eastward at Afghanistan and the Punjaub. Still further east,
in the kingdom of Nepaul, is found an
Iris, unlike any other Iris, the I. nepa-
lensis of Don (figs. 29 and 30), the
I. decora of Wallich (the
I. nepalensis of Wallich is
quite a different plant, being
merely a variety of /. ger-
manicd). In its resting
condition this Iris consists
of a small bud, wholly
hidden and covered up by
the fibrous remains of the old leaves (fig. 31),
and from the base of the bud hang down
a number of fleshy roots, very much like
those of a Juno Iris, only more numerous,
narrower, more thonglike, and more uni-
form in size. The whole root, which in a
way recalls that of a Hemerocallis, may be
compared to that of a Juno Iris, the bases of
the old leaves of which, instead of forming
the carefully inwrapped membranous coats
and fleshy tunics which make up the bulb
surrounding the central bud, have been
broken up into an apparently irregular nest
of fibres and bristles. This analogy in
regard to the resting root between the Iris
of which I am speaking and a Juno Iris is,
moreover, carried into the flower. In J.
nepalensis, as in a Juno Iris, the standards,
though they are not diminished in size,
FIG. 30.— IRIS NEPALENSIS. tend to spread horizontally ; the fall bears
a very conspicuous median ridge, toothed or
even cut up into a beard, and the crests of the style are largely
developed. Moreover, as in most Juno Irises, the flower appears
while the leaves are as yet young and short. So that, not only
in its root but in its flower, I. nepalensis comes nearer to a Juno

51

Iris than to any other Iris, and I venture to think that we may
probably regard it as an Iris which has descended from the same
ancestors as the Juno Irises, though it has taken another line of
development ; its greatest divergence is shown in the stem some-
times being branched.

The flowers of I. nepalensis, borne on a stem a foot or so in
height, are very pleasing, owing partly to their graceful form
and partly to their delicate colour, which is a pale lavender, due
to delicate violet veins on a creamy white ground. Unfortu-
nately, the bloom is very fugitive ; opening in the morning, it closes
and is over before evening ; moreover, the plant, in my hands at
least, is not very floriferous, and, in addition, needs very special
treatment. It has to be supplied with abun-
dant moisture all the summer, and yet to be
kept very dry all the winter. The latter end
may be gained by lifting the roots in late
autumn and storing them until spring in dry
sand, treating them in fact like bulbs ; but I
find that plants so treated are not so vigorous
as those which are left in the
ground and dried by being
covered with lights. To the
ordinary gardener the result
will not seem worth the
trouble, and I do not think
that I. nepalensis will ever
become a favourite. More is
to be hoped from a variety of
the species found by Lieut. -
Col. Stone on the Chin Hills
in Upper Burmah, and sent
by him to Mr. P. Barr ; this I
have ventured to call I. nepalensis var. Letha. It hardly differs
at all from the type, except that the flowers are quite sessile ;
but it is much more floriferous, and, so far as my short experience
goes, much less impatient of the vagaries of our English climate.
A plant, of which I simply helped the ripening by covering it
with a light in late autumn, stood exposed and unprotected, save
for a loose mulching, all last winter (1891-92), and flowered
freely at the end of June. The delicate lavender flowers, nestling

FIG. 31. — BESTING BUD OF IBIS NEPALENSIS.

52

at the base of a tuft of short green leaves, present a very pleasing
sight, and I can well imagine that a mass of the plant would be
extremely charming. The flower, moreover, has the merit of
being deliciously fragrant. When an adequate stock of the
plants has been obtained, it will, I venture to think, become a
great favourite.

And now my tale is quite ended. Some of the flowers of
which I have spoken are of extreme beauty ; to my mind at least,
/. reticulata and I. Bosenbachiana, in their best forms, present-
ing two different types of beauty, are surpassed by few other
flowers, and many of the others, especially I. alata, are very
charming. But it is obvious from what I have said that in
ordinary gardens these bulbous Irises, with the exception perhaps
of /. xiphium, I. xiphioides, and I. orchioides, cannot be grown
successfully without special care. They cannot be left alone to
take care of themselves ; in the struggle for existence they make,
as a rule, but a poor fight. They cannot combat with vigorous
perennials, or withstand the inroads of the pushing roots of
trees and shrubs. If they are to be grown well, they must have
a place for themselves, and in most cases their special wants
must be carefully supplied.

53

LIST OF SPECIES.

In the following pages I give a more formal account of the
several species and varieties of bulbous Irises spoken of in the
lecture ; but the account in each case is intended for gardening
rather than for botanical purposes. I give various synonyms,
with the respective authorities, since these are often needed by
gardeners ; but I have not attempted to make the list absolutely
complete. I give references to figures, since these are often
sought for by gardeners. The descriptions under the heading
"Characters" are not intended to be botanical descriptions ; I
have contented myself with such salient features as will be of
help to the gardener. Under the heading " Time " is given the
approximate date at which the plant flowers in England. And
I have thought that some statement as to the geographical dis-
tribution of each kind would be useful and profitable to the
gardener.

At the suggestion of the Secretary, I have added a " key "
to the several species and varieties. I do this with great diffi-
dence, since it is almost impossible to arrange species in a key
under short headings, without bringing into close proximity
species which are naturally widely separate ; the arrangement
selected is almost sure to be artificial, and so far misleading.
Moreover, I feel great hesitation in giving a definite position to
any plant which I have not had under cultivation ; and this, to
make the key complete, I have been obliged to do. However,
such a key as follows may be useful, and I give it for what it is
worth.

KEY.

I.— BULBS WITHOUT SUMMER STORE ROOTS

A.— FLOWERS SESSILE.

1. Leaves linear : PAGE

Outer tunics of bulb membranous . (7) I. W'mkleri . . .64

Outer tunics of bulb netted . . (6) I. Kolpakomskyana . 63

2. Leaves cylindrical, eight-ribbed . . (3) 7. Bakeriana . . 60

3. Leaves four-sided :

o. Standards minute . . . (5) I. Danfordice . . 61
/3. Standards not minute :

aa. Claw of fall much narrower

than blade . . . (4) I. Vartani ... 61

bb. Claw of fall nearly as broad

as blade ....
Leaves of some height when

the flower expands :
Flowers deep violet
Flowers red-purple, with
conspicuous veins on
the sides of the claw
of the fall .
Flowers bluish, spotted .
Flowers dwarf, red-purple
Flowers dwarf, bright blue
Leaves very short when the

flower expands :
Segments long and narrow
Segments broad :
Colour bluish, often

spotted
Colour red-purple

(2) 1. retimtlata

I. ret. type

1. ret. v. Krelagei
I. ret. v. Histrio .
I. ret. v. humilis .
I. ret. v. cyanea .

I'AGE

56

56

57
57
59

I, ret. v. sophenensis . 58

I. ret. v. histrioides
1. ret. v. purpurea

59

60

B. — FLOWERS BORNE ON A STEM.

(1)7. Sisyrinchium . .55
/. Sysyr. type . .55
I. Sisyr. v. monopJiylla 56

I. Sysyr. v. maricoides . 56

(57

1. Leaves not more than two. Bulb

globose, with shaggy coats .
Anthers adherent below, leaves two

leaf one
Anthers not or rarely adherent.

Flowers much spotted .

2. Leaves more than two :

a. Perianth tube absent :

o. Segments lax and broad . (10) I. xipliioides
j8. Segments stiff and narrow :
aa. Fall fiddle-shaped :

Flowers bluish or white,
with segments spread
horizontally
Flowers yellow, seg-
ments forming a fun-
nel .
bb. Fall not fiddle-shaped :

Claw of fall nearly as

broad as blade
Claw very narrow

b. Perianth tube variable. Fall

fiddle-shaped

(8) 2. xipUiwn

I. xipli. v. lusitanica . 65

I. xipJi. v. Battandieri
(9) I. serotina . A

. (11) I.filifolia .
c. Perianth tube distinct and con-
spicuous :
a. Perianth tube not longer

than ovary :

aa. (?) Fall fiddle-shaped . (13) I. Fontanesii
bb. Fall with narrow claw

and ovate blade . (12) I. tingitana
ft. Perianth tube much longer

than ovary :
aa. Flower purple, with a

slight beard on the fall (15) I. Boissieri .
bb. Flower yellow . . (14) I. juncea

65

71
70

72
71

55

(17) 7. persica type

I. persica v. purpurea

I. persica v. Isaacsoni. 76

IL— BULBS PROVIDED WITH SUMMER STORE ROOTS.
A. — FALL WITH LATERAL WINGS TO THE CLAW.

1 . Flowers sessile, that is to say, stem not obvious :

a. Flowers appearing soon after the leaves begin to shoot :

Flower with conspicuous patch on the blade of the fall :

Flower, except for patch,
nearly white

Flower purple
Flower without conspicuous

patch .....

b. Flowers not appearing until the

leaves have acquired some

length :

o. Flowers greenish yellow,

small ....

/8. Flowers blue or purple, large

2. Flowers borne on a stem more or less

obvious : •

a. Leaves with conspicuous horny

margin :

o. Flowers purple .
/3. Flowers yellow :

Stem hardly visible .
Stem obvious :

Wings to claw conspicu-
ous . . . /. caucasica v. major (turkestanica)
Wings to claw not con-
spicuous

b. Leaves without conspicuous

horny margin :
a. Leaves broad :

aa. Flowers bluish .

bb. Flowers smoky yellow

cc. Flowers wholly yellow

dd. Flowers yellow and blue

te. Flowers yellow, spotted

with blue
£. Leaves very narrow

(20) 1. Palestina.
(28) 7. alata

(23) 7. Stocteii .
(18) I. caucasica type.

(21 ) I. sindjarensis

(22) l.fumosa .
(19) 1. orchioides

J. orchioides v. ccerulea .

I. orchundes v. ocidata
(?) 7. orchioides v. linifolia

B. — FALL WITHOUT LATERAL WINGS TO THE CLAW.

1. Leaves broad. Flowers sessile .

2. Leaves narrow. Stem obvious :

a. Leaves much arched .

b. Leaves erect :

a. Standards large .
/3. Standards small .
III.— RHIZOME A TUBER .
IV.— RHIZOME A BUD covered with
bristles, and bearing summer
store roots :

Flowers borne on an obvious stem
Flowers sessile

(26) 7. ftosenbachiana
(25) 7. drepanopliylla .

(27) I. Fosteriana
(24) I. Aitchisoni
(16) I. tuber osa .

74
75

79

82

80

77

77

I. caucasica v. Kharput 78

80
80
78
78

79
79

81

81

82
81
73

(29) 7. nepalemis . . 83
I. nepalensi* v. LetJia . 84

(From

1. IRIS SISYRINCHIUM.— Linmjeus, Sp. Plant. 59.
the Greek word sisyra, shaggy coat.)

Synonyms.—/, fugax (Tenore, Fl. Nap. i. p. 15, t. 4). 7.
segyptia (Delile, Ann. Sc. Nat. 1843, ii. p. 237). J. maricoide* (Regel,

56

St

Descr. ix. p. 36). J. monophylla (Boissier and Heldreich, Heb.
Norm. 51). I. Samaritana (Heldreich). Morsea Sisyrinchium (Ker,
Bot. Mag. t. 1407). M. Tenoreana (Sweet, Brit. Flow. Gard. t. 110).
M. sicula (Todaro, Hort. Bot. Panorm. t. 34). J. juncifolia, and
others. The " Spanish nut " and the " Barbary nut " of Parkinson.

Figures. — Sibthorp and Smith, Flor. Grxca, t. 42 ; Redoute', Lil.
t. 29 and 458 ; Bot. Mag. t. 6096, and as above ; Tenore and Sweet,
as above.

Characters. — Bulb globose, with shaggy coats. Leaves two, linear,
pointed, arched. Stem from a few inches to a foot or more in length,
bearing a terminal, and one, two, or more lateral sessile buds, each
containing one, two, three, or more flowers. Spathe-valves long,
lanceolate, more or less scariose. Upper limit of ovary not sharply
defined by any constriction or other outward mark from the perianth
tube above. Flower small, lasting when open for a few hours only.
Colour varying from light blue to a reddish purple, with variable spots
and veins on the blade of the fall, which
bears a broad patch (signal) of white, with
a median yellow streak, often spotted.
Filaments of anthers adherent to the
styles and to each other to a variable ex-
tent in their lower part. Capsule covered
by scarious spathe-valves, rounded-trigo-
nal, long, and narrow, with numerous small
oval seeds. Flowers often very fragrant.
Habitat. — Spain, Portugal, Morocco,
and thence eastward along both shores of
the Mediterranean, Algiers, Italy, Corsica,
Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, Tunis, Egypt,
Greece and Grecian Islands, Palestine,
Fm. 32.— IBIS SISYBINCHIUM.* Syria to Asia Minor, Persia, Beloochi-

stan, Afghanistan, Bokhara, Punjaub.
Time. — Flowers in this country in June.

Varieties. — An albino white variety is sometimes found. The
variety monophylla (I. monophylla of Boissier) from Greece »nd Egypt
has one leaf only, a stem 2 to 4 inches long, often with a terminal
bud only, and small dull-coloured flowers. The variety maricoides
(I. maricoides of Regel) from Bokhara has much-spotted flowers, with
the anthers for the most part free.

2. I. RETICULATA.— Marschal v. Bieberstein, Fl. Taur.
Cauc. i. p. 34. (From the netted, reticulate coats of the bulb.)

Fig.— M. v. Bieb. Cent. t. 11 ; Regel, Gartenflora, t. 677 ; Bot.
Mag. 5577 (not quite typical) ; Garden, vol. xx. (1881), p. 112.

Char act. —Bulb ovoid, with netted coats. Leaf four-sided,

* In this and succeeding figures are given outlines of /. fall, s. standard,
st. style, each spread out flat, and of natural size.

57

FIG. 33.— IBIS RETICULATA.

armed with a horny point. Leaves and flowers with separate vaginal
sheaths. Flower single, sessile, with long tube. Leaves of some length
when the flower opens. Spathe-
valves green. Fall long, narrow,
strap-shaped, with hardly any dis-
tinction between claw and blade, of
a rich deep violet colour, except that
the hind part of the blade bears a
low, rounded, bright orange median
ridge in the middle of a white patch
streaked with violet ; the ridge is
replaced along the claw by a yellow
streak, marked with dots. The
median region of the claw on each
side of the streak is marked by in-
distinct veins which are lost at the
margin in the uniform violet ground-
colour. Ripe capsule long, narrow,
pointed at each end, borne up above
the ground by a peduncle. Very
fragrant, odour of violets.

Time. — March, but variable.

Hab. — Occurs sparsely in the Caucasus and surrounding regions.

I. RETICULATA var. KRELAGEI.— Regel, Gartenflora,
1873, p. 354. (After Krelage, the Dutch horticulturist.)

Fig.— Loddiges Bot. Cab. 1. 1829; Sweet, Brit. Flow. Gard. 2ndser.
ii. t. 189 ; Regel, Gartenflora, 1873, t. 779, fig. 2.

Charact. — Flower shorter and broader in all its parts, and tube
shorter than in the type. Blade of fall generally marked off from claw
by a slight constriction. Veins on claw of fall very distinct, separate
up to the margin. Prevailing colour a red-purple, varying from dingy
plum-colour to deep (almost black) purple. Ripe capsule short, broad,
and blunt, half buried in soil. Different plants vary much in size, in
the length of the tube, in the relative breadth of the fall, the exact
shape of the blade of the fall, which in some is narrower, longer, more
pointed than in others, and in the shape and character of edge, whether
serrated or not, of the crests of the styles. Sometimes, but rarely,
fragrant.

Time. — February or March ; variable, but generally somewhat
earlier than the type.

Hab. — Common in the Caucasus, and spreading into Persia and
Asia Minor.

I. RETICULATA var. HISTRIO.— I. Histrio, Reichenbach
fil. Bot. Zeit. 1872, p. 388. (From histrio, a stage-player, as if
painted for the stage.)

58

Pig.— Bot. Mag. 6033 ; Garden, vol. xxxiii. (1888), p. 558.

Charact. — Leaves of considerable length, a foot, or even more,

when the flower opens. Tube rather short, and segments somewhat

short and broad, as in var. Krdagei. Spathe-valves narrow, pointed,

•f ~ • nearly colourless and transparent.

Style more triangular than in
/u /\ type ; crests of style larger, more
I M / \ triangular and pointed. Differs
] \ / \from the type entirely in colour ;

/ V jthe margin of the blade of the

I .^jK. / ^a^ *s a r*°k Bright colour, which
\f^ » ^'N' is almost a blue, but has a slight
1 / admixture of red ; within this

\ I is a region of a creamy white

\ I ground with many bright blue

\ I blotches and broken veins of a

\ I similar colour ; in the median line

\ I is a low narrow yellow ridge,
I I which is continued on along the

claw as a yellow streak, dotted

FIG. 31-lRis BETICULATA var. HISTBIO. with low black tubercles. The

lateral regions of the claw bear

veins which at the base of the claw break up into dots. Standards
and styles of a lighter blue, the crests of the styles being marked
with deeper veins.

Time. — December to March, according to situation and season ;
the earliest reticulata.

Hab. — Palestine, Mount Lebanon, Mount Gerizim.

I. BETICULATA var. SOPHENENSIS.— Foster, Gard.
Chron. 1885, i. 470. (From Sophene,
the ancient name of the district round
Kharput.)

Charact. — The flower, with the spathe-
valves, appears while the leaves have
hardly pierced the ground. Tubevvariable
in length, but always longer than the
spathe-valves. Whole flower more spread-
ing, less funnel-shaped than in type. The
long, narrow claw of the fall expands into
a blade which is only about half as long as,
but nearly as broad again as itself. The
orange ridge on the blade is continued as
a yellow uneven ridge along the whole
length of the claw. The colour, which has
a peculiar metallic sheen, varies from a
dark red-purple to a blue-purple, or to a lilac or lavender. The flower

FIG. 35. — IRIS RETICULATA
var. SOPHENENSIS.

59

is not marked with veins except on the claw, and occasionally on the
blade of the fall.

Time. — February ; succeeds Histrio, and precedes var. Krelagei.

Hab. — Asia Minor, nearKharput, and near Mardin.

I. RETICULATA var. HUMILIS (lowly).

Charact. — Flower appearing while the leaves are a few inches
in height. Tube rarely longer than the green spathe-valves, the flower
being about two inches high, and more compact than in the other
forms. The narrow claw passes, with a
slight constriction, into the much broader,
ovate-lanceolate blade. The blade of the
fall bears a bright orange low ridge, con-
tinued along the claw as an orange or yellow
streak. Around the ridge on the blade and
the streak on the claw is a zone of opaque
ereamy- white broken up by dots, and by
broken veins of dark purple. The rest of
the blade is of a full, rich, red-purple colour,
on which the veins are hardly visible, con-
trasting strongly with the creamy-white zone ;
at the margin of the claw the veins fuse into
a like rich red-purple ground colour. The
flower in some respects resembles that of
I. Bakeriana.

The variety cultivated under the name I. reticulata var. cyanea
agrees with the above, save that the colour is a rich cyanic blue and
the dots give place to veins ; of this again a pale blue form exists.

Time. — March, between var. sophenensis and var. Krelagei.

Hab. — Asia Minor, near Van.

I. RETICULATA var. HISTRIOIDES.— (Like Histrio.)

Fig.— Garden, vol. xlii. (1892), p. 364.

Charact. — The flower appears before the leaves, which are even-
tually stouter and longer than in any other form of reticulata. Flower
larger, four or even five inches across, with a tube variable in length, but
always longer than the spathe-valves, which are short,' broad, blunt, and
colourless, or nearly so, being marked by a few green veins. Claw
of fall not strap-shaped, but triangular, gradually expanding, a
slight constriction, however, marking the transition, into a broad ovate
blade as long as or even longer than itself. The falls spread hori-
zontally, so that the whole flower is less funnel-shaped than is the
type. Style triangular, short, with large, more or less quadrangular
crests. The narrow orange median ridge on the blade is continued
along the claw as a ridge, with an uneven tuberculate surface. The
prevailing colour is a bright blue, assuming in some specimens a light

FIG. 36. — IRIS BETICULATA
var. HUMILIS.

60

FIG. 37. — IBIS BETICULATA var. HISTBIOIDES

violet hue. In some specimens the whole blade and claw outside the
ridge is of a uniform blue, broken only by veins of a deeper tint ; in
g . others the margin only of the

fall is so coloured, and the
region between the margin
and the median ridge is, as
in Histrio, of a creamy white
broken by irregular dots and
blotches of blue and by im-
perfect veins ; and interme-
diate forms occur. The rela-
tively large standards and
styles are of a nearly uni-
form blue. The ripe capsule,
short and blunted, is half, or
in some specimens wholly,
buried in the soil. In a warm
atmosphere the flower is dis-
tinctly fragrant.

Time. — March ; but vari-
able, sometimes as early as sophenensis, sometimes as late as or later
than Krelagei.

Hab. — Armenia, district of Amasia.

I. BETICULATA var. PUBPUBEA, Max Leichtlin.

Charact. — Leaves two or three inches high, or less, at flowering.
Tube short, hardly longer than the spathe-valves. The median ridge of
the fall, unlike the case of var. Krelagei^ continued all along the claw.
Colour a fine deep red-purple, especially dark on the blade of the fall.
The sides of the claw of a uniform colour, and not broken up into veins
as in var. Krelagei. The flower is intermediate between Krelagei and
sophenensis. Not distinctly fragrant.

Time. — March, at about the same time as var. Krelagei.

Hab. — Asia Minor, neighbourhood of Egin.

I. BETICULATA.— Varieties arising in cultivation. ,

The late Rev. Mr. Nelson raised a form which resembles" the type
in every way, except that the flower is larger. This is sometimes
spoken of as I. reticulata var. major. He also raised some seedlings of
the form of the type, but in which the deep violet is replaced by a
slight, somewhat slaty blue ; this is sometimes spoken of as I. reticulata
var. cserulea. Mr. Max Leichtlin has since raised seedlings similar
in form, of different shades of light blue, one of which is of a very
large size.

3. I. BAKEBIANA.— Foster, Bot. Mag. vol. xlv. No. 539
(Nov. 1889), t. 7084. (After Mr. Baker.)

Pig.— As above. Garden, vol. xxxvii. (1890), p. 462.

Gl

FIG. 38.— IRIS BAKERIANA.

Charact. — Bulb ovoid, with netted coats. Leaves nearly a foot
long at flowering. Leaf armed with horny point, as in J. reticulata,
but cylindrical, with eight ribs, not four-
sided. Flower two to three inches
across. Median ridge of fall flattened
down, and reduced, so as to be hardly
more than a yellow streak. Marginal
regions of blade of fall deep violet ;
central portions creamy white or yellow-
ish, with numerous deep violet spots or
blotches. Claw with conspicuous violet
veins on the sides, but in the median
part more or less yellow, with violet
spots. Standards and crests of style
bluish lilac. Ripe capsule pointed,
thrown up above the soil by the pe-
duncle. Very fragrant.

Time.— February and March ; vari-
able, sometimes very early.

Hab. — Armenia, near Mardin. A variety with the parts of the
flower more slender, and with an obvious ridge on the fall, occurs near
Urmiah, in West Persia.

4. I. VARTANI.— Foster, Gard. Chron. 1885, i. 438. (After
Dr. Vartan, of Nazareth.)

Pig.— Bot. Mag. t. 6942.

Charact. — Bulbs with netted coats.
Leaf four-sided, armed with horny point,
four inches or moie high at flower-
ing time. Flower three or four inches
across. Claw of fall very narrow, sud-
denly expanding into an ovate-lan-
ceolate blade, longer and much broader
than itself. Median ridge of fall con-
spicuous, smooth, and yellow or white
on the blade, tuberculate and yellow
with black dots on the claw. Crests of
style very long, triangular, narrow,
pointed. General colour a dull laven-
der, produced by numerous lavender or
violet veins, more or less confluent, on
a creamy-white ground. Not fragrant.

Time. — October to December.

Hab. — Palestine, near Nazareth.

5. I. DANFORDLS!.— Baker, Journ. of Botany, 1876, p. 265.
(After Mrs. Danford.)

\J

FIG. 39.— IBIS VARTANI.

62

Syn.— 1. Bornmiilleri (Haussknecht, Flora, 1889, p. 140).

Fig.— Bot. Mag. t. 7140 ; Garden, xxxvii. (1890), p. 462 ; Garten-
flora, 39 (1890), t. 1327.

Charact. — Bulb with netted coat. Leaf four-sided, armed with
horny point. The flower, one to two inches across, appears with or even
f S St before the leaves. Claw of fall narrow, sud-

denly expanding into an ovate blade. On the
blade is a conspicuous median orange ridge,
continued on along the claw. Standard re-
duced to a mere bristle, invisible at a little
distance. Style short, triangular, with large
quadrangular crests. Whole flower funnel-
shaped, the blade of the fall spreading hori-
zontally, not deflexed. Colour of all the
parts a rich yellow, with variable dark brown

dots on the blade of the fall near the ridge
FIG. 40,-lKis DANFOHDI*. and ftlong ^ ^^

Time. — February ; sometimes even earlier.

Hab. — Asia Minor : Cilician Taurus, near Mount Amascha ;
Amasia, Egin.

NOTE. — Mr. Baker, in his original description (loc. ind.) of I. Dan-
fordise gathered in the Cilician Taurus, states that the coats of the
bulb are membranous. Haussknecht, in his description (loc. ind.} of
1. Bornmiilleri, states that the coats are reticulate (fibroso-reticulatis),
and by this differentiates it from I. Danfordise. In his " Handbook of
Iridese," Mr. Baker, while making I. Bornmiilleri a synonym of Dan-
fordise, describes the coats as " membranous." Not only, however, does
Haussknecht insist on the reticulate coats of his /. BorwmuUeri, but
bulbs gathered by Bornmiiller, which Mr. Max Leichtlin kindly sent
.me, so closely resembled bulbs of reticulata, that of the same lot of
bulbs labelled by so careful a man as Max Leichtlin as "Born-
miilleri," while most proved to be so by the flower and mode of
growth, one or two were real reticulatas (I forget the exact variety).
Stronger proof of the distinctly reticulated coats of I. Bornmiilleri could
hardly be wanted. On the other hand, I possess, through t the great
kindness of Mrs. Danford, a dried specimen of the flower of the Iris
which she gathered at Amascha ; and I have no doubt as to its identity
with the flower of Bornmiiller's Iris gathered in Amasia or in Egin
(according to Max Leichtlin the Amasia plants differ somewhat from
the Egin plants). It is most extremely unlikely that there should be
two Irises with the flowers indistinguishable, but one having mem-
branous coats and the other netted coats to the bulb. I am driven to
suppose that I. Danfordise from Amascha and I. Bornmiilleri from
Amasia are really the same plant, and that Mrs. Danford's bulbs had
lost their outer netted coats before they came into Mr. Baker's hands ;
the inner coats of all the reticulata group are much less distinctly

68

netted than are the outer ones. Mr. Baker's description was confessedly
founded on imperfect material ; he was thus led to speak of the leaves
as terete or subterete, instead of tetragonal. Mr. Baker, who in de-
scribing this Iris in the Journal of Botany (loc. cit.) made for it a special
group, now (Iridex, p. 44) places it in the Juno group, being led to
do so by the minute size of the standards. Mere difference in the
size of any part of the flower must, judging the matter from a theo-
retical point of view, be of subordinate importance, of little real
weight when opposed to other characters. In all respects save the
minute standards, in the bulb, in the leaves, in the flower, and in
general habit, I. Danfordix agrees with the reticulata group ; in no
other respect than the minute standards does it agree with the Juno
group. I have, therefore, taken it in connection with the reticulata
group.

6. I. KOLPAKOWSKIANA.— Regel, Act. Hort. Petrop. v.
263. (After General Kolpakowsky.)

Pig.— Regel, Gartenflora, 1878, t. 939 ; Bot. Mag. t. 6489 ; Garden,
xxxiii. (1888), p. 558.

Charact. — Bulb globose, with netted coats, coarser and looser
than those of I. reticulata. The flower, single, sessile, two inches or
so across, appears while the leaves are a few inches high. The flower
and its tuft of leaves are invested in one common vaginal sheaf ; in
J. reticulata. the flower and each leaf
has its own separate sheath. Leaf linear,
with each edge thickened into a ridge,
thus making the leaf a narrow flattened
channel. Claw of fall narrow, long, ellip-
tical, separated by a narrow constric-
tion from the broader, longer, lanceolate
blade. The blade bears a low orange
median ridge, which becomes a me*re
streak on the claw. Standards nearly
as long and nearly as broad as the fall,
with a short claw ; the blade a very
elongated ellipse. Crests of style tri-
angular, long, narrow and pointed. The
styles unite into a column above the
tube. Colour of blade of fall a rich
red-purple, with deeper veins, the area
round the ridge being a creamy white, with broken veins. Claw of
fall yellowish, tending to green, with broken purple veins. Standards
and styles light purple or lilac. Stigma simple, or at least not dis-
tinctly bifid, as it is in all the reticulata group. Flowers fragrant.

Time. — March.

Hab.— Turkestan, Karatau Mountains.

^ KoLpiKOW8KIANi

64

7. I. WINKLERI.— Regel, Descr. PL Nov. ix. (1884), p. 37.
(After Mr. Winkler, of the St. Petersburg Botanic Garden.)

Charact. — Bulb ovate, with membranous, not netted, coats.
Flower single, sessile, with a vaginal sheath common to it and its tuft
of leaves. Leaves four to a tuft, linear. Claw of fall triangular, ex-
panding into an elliptical blade. Standards erect and narrow.

Time. — Not in cultivation.

Hab. — West Turkestan, near the river Narju.

8. I. XIPHIUM.— Linnseus, Sp. PL 58. (From
sword.)

Syn. — Xiphion vulgare (Miller, Diet. ed. 6). The " Iris bulbosa
angustifolia " of Parkinson.

Pig.— Bot. Mag. t. 656 ; Redouts', Lil. t. 337 ; Garden, 1881.

cp

FIG. 42.— IRIS XIPHIUM (ov. ovary, cp. capsule).

Charact. — Bulb ovoid, with smooth membranous brown coats.
Leaves, frequently shooting in late autumn, awl-like at first, linear
when fully grown. Stem two feet or less in height, partly covered by
clasping leaves, bearing two flowers. Spathe-valves long, narrow,
not much inflated. The flower, four inches or so across, devoid of
distinct perianth tube, is borne above the spathe-valves by a long
pedicel, the ovary being in consequence often much exserted. Fall

65

fiddle- shaped, having an orbicular blade, separated by marked con-
striction from the long claw, which either spreads horizontally or
forms, with its fellows, a funnel. Standards narrow, erect. Crests
of style large, quadrate. Capsule long, narrow ; seed numerous,
small, cubical or angular. Colour either a variable hue of purple
(with a narrow orange signal on the blade of the fall) or pure yellow,
or yellow blotched with purple.

Time. — June.

Hab.— South of France, Spain, Portugal, Algiers, Corsica (?),
Sardinia, Riviera.

I. XIPHIUM var. LUSITANICA.— (After Lusitania,
Portugal. )

Syn.— I. lusitanica (Gawler), Ker, Bot. Mag. t. 679.

Char act. — A form in which the flowers are pure yellow, with an
orange signal on the fall, and the perianth more or less distinctly
funnel-shaped ; the claw of the fall is generally broad, overlapping the
style at the sides, and covering in the base of the standard ; the ovary
is less exserted than in the type, and the spathe-valves have some
tendency to be inflated. The Xiphion sordidum of Salisbury (Trans.
Hort. Soc. i. 303) resembles this, save that the flowers are not wholly
yellow, but blotched with purple.

NOTE. — The garden form, known as " The Thunderbolt," is a robust
form, with a tall stem, two feet or more in height, and large flowers of
a peculiar bronzy or smoky hue, due to an admixture of purple and
yellow with brown. Besides its robustness and peculiar colour, one of
its most marked features is the breadth of the yellow " signal " on the
blade of the fall. This (which, however, is seen, though to a less
extent, in some other garden forms) and the fact that it rarely, if ever,
in my experience, goes to seed, are perhaps the only indications that
it is a hybrid ; if it is, the breadth of the signal would indicate
J. filifolia as one of the parents ; and further, if so, I. xiphium var.
lusitanica is probably the seed-bearer, since it is very different from
seedlings which I have raised from I. Jilifolia as seed-bearer crossed
with I. xiphium. Though "The Thunderbolt" shows some of the
characters of the hisitanica variety, it is wholly different from the plant
described by Salisbury (loc. cit.) as Xiphion sordidum. It may be the
I. spectabuis of Spach (Hist. Phan. xiii. p. 20), which that author
suggests to be a hybrid of J. xiphium and xiphioides ; but, if so, Spach's
suggestion is invalid.

I. XIPHIUM var. BATTANDIERI.— (After M. Battan
dier, of Algiers.)

Syn.— I. xiphium (Ba,Hamdier, Bull. Soc. Bot. de France, 1884, p. 366).

Char act. — Bulb, foliage, and general habit same as in type, save
that leaves are very glaucous. Perianth very turbinate. Claw of fall
not elliptical and separated by marked constriction from rounded

66

blade, but gradually expanding into ovate blade, there being hardly
any constriction between the two. Blade somewhat obovate-emar-
ginate, with very revolute edges. Standards tall, broad, very much
twisted. All parts of the flower a pure dead white, except the bright
orange ridge on the fall.

Hab. — Algiers, Marais de la Rassanta.

FIG. 43.— IBIS XIPHIUM var. BATTANDIERI.

NOTE. — M. Battandier loc. cit.) regards this as being truly
I. xiphium, the above being the only habitat in Algiers ; he considers
the common xiphium-l&e bulbous Iris of Algiers to be I. Fo\tanesii.

A variety of I. xiphium gathered by Mr. Maw in the Sierra Nevada
of Spain, besides being very slender in foliage, differs from the type
in ' the blade of the fall being relatively large, and having a distinctly
crenate edge ; the signal, of a bright orange, is also more sharply defined
than in the type. The plant, however, hardly deserves a distinct name.

9. I. SEROTINA.— Willkomm, Prodr. M. Hisp. i. p. 141.
(From serotinus, late.)

Fig. — None.

Charact. — Resembles J. xiphium, but appears to differ not only in
its very late flowering, but in being less vigorous, with the upper
leaves very thin and awl-like, in having reddish spathe-valves, in the
flowers being very much protruded from the spathe-valves, and

67

especially in the fall having an oblong-lanceolate blade and a narrow
linear claw. Were the plants found in good condition ?

Time. — August or September.

Hab. — Spain, on calcareous mountains near Jaen.

f

St

FIG. 44. — IBIS XIPHIOEDES.

10. I. XIPHIOIDES.— Ehrhart, Bei^rag. vii. p. 140. (Like
xiphium.)

68

Syn. — Xiphion latifolium (Miller, Diet. ed. 6). J. pyrenaica
(Bubani, Sched. Grit. p. 3). The " Iris bulbosa major sive Anglica "
of Parkinson.

Pig. — Bot. Mag. t. 687 ; Redoute, Lil. t. 212 ; Garden, xxxi.
1887), p. 212.

Char act. — Bulbs with brown coats, which," when old, tend to
become shaggy by splitting up into fibres at the top. Leaves stouter
and broader than in I. xiphium, not appearing until the spring. The
stem bears two, sometimes three flowers. Spathe-valves ventricose.
Pedicels short, so that the ovary is not, as frequently in I. xiphium,
exserted. Blade of fall rounded, with wavy edge, suddenly narrowed
to claw, which itself gradually narrows to its attachment. Capsule
large, a long pointed oval, with three flattened sides. The seeds,
rounded or pyriform, with wrinkled coats, though large, do not fill the
cavities of the chambers. Wild specimens are usually of a rich deep
blue, with a conspicuous golden signal on the fall. The cultivated
varieties range from blue, through various hues of purple, to almost
red, and many are variously mottled or blotched. There is also a
pure white variety.

Time. — July, succeeding J. xiphium.

Hab. — French and Spanish Pyrenees, stretching in the West of
Spain as far as Burbia.

11. I. FILIFOLIA.— Boissier, Voy. Esp.p. 602, t. 170. (From
thread-like, filiform leaves.)

Syn. — Xiphion filifolium (Klatt. Linnsea, xxiv. p. 571). "Iris
bulbosa Africana serpentrise caule." l< The purple or murrey-coloured
bulbous Barbary Flower-de-luce," Parkinson.

Fig.— Bot. Mag. t. 5928, and also t. 5981 ; Boissier, as above.

Charact. — Bulb like that of J. xiphium, except that the outer
tunics are more slender, and veined rather than ribbed. Stem from a
foot to a foot and a half in height, with foliage like that of I. xiphium,
but, as a rule, narrower, and in the typical form quite filiform.
Flower like that of a turbinate I. xiphium, save that sometimes at
least a distinct perianth tube of nearly an inch in length is present,
that the blade of the fall is more ovate, less rounded, the^standard
broader, more obovate, with a notched apex, and the whole flower is
either of a dark violet or of a rich red-purple, especially full and
dark on the blade of the fall, and that the " signal" patch of orange
on the blade of the fall is large, and ends broadly and abruptly, not
narrowed to a point ; in the median line of the patch is a slight
raised ridge. The capsule, like that of J. xiphium, is long, narrow,
rounded, trigonal, with deeply grooved sides, often clavate, and the
seeds are small, numerous, and wedge-shaped or angular. The
sheaths of the first leaves which pierce the ground are spotted or
blotched with purple.

Time. — End of June.

69

Hab. — Spain, Sierras de Mijas and Bermeja, Gibraltar, Morocco,
Algiers.

NOTE. — Boissier, in founding this species on plants gathered by him
in the Sierra de Mijas and Sierra Bermeja, insisted on the extremely
filiform leaves, a quarter as broad as those of I. xiphium, on the
possession of a perianth tube half an inch or an inch long, and on the
colour (a deep blue-purple) of the flower. In his figure not only does
the inch-long perianth tube protrude beyond the spathe-valves, but a
considerable part of the ovary is also exserted ; and the colour of the
flower is a distinctly bluish purple. In the plants gathered at

FIG. 45— IBIS FILIFOLIA.

Gibraltar which I have cultivated, the leaves, though narrower than
those of I. xiphium, are much more than a quarter as broad, the
ovary is wholly covered by the spathe-valves, the perianth tube is very
short (\ inch), and the colour is a rich reddish-purple. These plants,
which correspond very closely to that figured in Bot. Mag. t. 5928,
approach much nearer to I. xiphium than does Boissier's original
plant. The plants gathered at Laraisch, about ten miles S. W. of Tangiers,
figured in Bot. Mag. t. 5981, though there named J. tingitana, possess
a flower which di fliers markedly from /. tingitana, and is practically
identical with that of t. 5928 ; yet the foliage, so far from being
filiform, is exceedingly luxuriant, exceeding in breadth even that of

70

I. xiphium ; so much so that the plant almost deserves the contra-
dictory name I. filifolia var. latifolia !

We may, perhaps, take up the following position. I. xiphium, much
as it varies in form, and especially in colour, never possesses a con-
spicuous perianth tube ; though it varies in the exact tint of its blue,
never has that blue so much mixed with red as to become a
typical purple ; has narrow standards, bears a narrow orange " signal "
on the fall, and does not vary largely in the breadth of its foliage.
I. filifolia, on the other hand, varies much as to the breadth of
the foliage and as to the length of the perianth tube, has a broad
signal on the fall, has broader standards, and is distinctly purple in
colour, the exact hue of the purple being sometimes bluish, some-
times reddish.

12. I. TINGITANA.— Boissier
(From Tingitana, Morocco.)

f

and Reuter, Pugill p. 113.

St

FIG. 46.— IKIS TINGITANA.

Syn. — Xiphion tingitanum (Baker, Seeman's Journ. 1871, p. 13).
Pig.— Bot. Mag. t. 6775 ; Garden, vol. xxxvi, p. 294 (1889).
Charact. — Bulb large, ovoid, pointed ; outer tunics thin, reddish

71

brown, with conspicuous veins. First (vaginal) leaf often red, some-
times spotted. Stem, which bears two flowers, each five or six inches
across, about two feet high, completely hidden by the deeply channelled
leaves, which are broad, like those of I. xiphioides, but very glaucous
and striated on the outside. Spathe-valves long, reaching up to
flower, somewhat swollen, keeled, pointed, green at flowering ; a
distinct perianth tube, an inch or more long. Fall, with long claw
spreading nearly horizontally, separated by slight constriction from
the sharply deflexed, elliptical blade, which has a wavy edge, and is
notched at the apex. Standard erect, linear-lanceolate, with wavy
edge. Style cuneate, with large, rhomboidal, plaited, and veined
crests. Anthers long and large, with orange pollen. Colour of fall
light or deep blue, or bluish purple, with deeper veins ; the claw
bears a very low median yellow ridge, which on the hind part of the
blade spreads out into a broad yellow signal. Standards and styles
usually deeper in colour than fall, sometimes markedly so.

Time.— March or April.

Hab.— Tangiers.

13. I. FONTANESII.— Grenier et Godron, Fl. de France, iii.
245. (After Desfontaines, French botanist.)

Charact. — This name was given by Grenier and Godron to the
Algerian Iris described by Desfontaines as J. xiphium. They describe
it as being much larger than J. xiphium, and with a more oval blade to
the fall. They do not mention — nor, indeed, does Desfontaines — the
existence of an obvious perianth tube above the ovary, which is a
conspicuous feature of the specimens labelled Iris Fontanesii in the
Kew Herbarium, and which led Mr. Baker (Journ. ofBot. 1871, p. 13)
to regard it as identical with I. tingitana. Grenier and Godron, more-
over, say thafc I. Fontanesii occurs also in Spain ; and we may, perhaps,
infer that these authors really referred to a large form of I. xiphium,
as does also, possibly, Battandier (Bull. Soc. Bot. de Fr. 1886) when
he says that I. Fontanesii is very common in Algiers ; in fact, Bat-
tandier regards what I have just described as xiphium var. Battandieri
as the only true I. xiphium growing in Algiers ! Whether the
specimens from Algiers, having a distinct tube above the ovary, are
merely varieties of I. tingitana, or whether they represent a distinct
species, I should not like to say until I have studied living specimens.
I may remark that the existence of a perianth tube above the ovary
seems a valid specific character. Though seedlings of J. xiphium and
J. xiphioides have been raised generation after generation, none of
them, as far as I have hitherto seen, possess such a tube.

Hab. — Algiers.

14. I. JTJNCE A.— Desfontaines, Fl. Atlant. i. 39, t. 4. (From
juncus, rush-like leaves.)

72

Syn. — I. imberbis (Poiret, Voyag. ii. p. 86). I. mauritanica of
Clusius, and also of Crawler (Ker), Bot. Mag. sub tab. 986.

Fig. — Bot. Mag. t. 5890 ; Desfontaines, as above ; Garden.

Charact. — Bulb globose, with thick, woody, rigid, reddish-brown,
ribbed outer coats, a number of which surround an old bulb and split
up into stiff fibres. Leaves very slender, rush-like ; they shoot in late
autumn. Stem bears one or, when in good condition, two flowers.
Spathe-valves long, lanceolate. Perianth tube one or two inches
long, slender. Blade of fall round, or nearly so, much broader than
the short, nearly triangular claw, which is curved sideway into a

o,v

FIG. 47. — IKIS JUNCEA.

canal. Standard oblanceolate, shorter than fall. Style triangular,
with large quadrate crests raised above the claw of the fall » Colour
a rich yellow, a very low ridge on the blade of fall being of a deeper,
more orange yellow. Capsule very long, narrow, rounded, trigonal,
with deeply grooved sides. Seeds numerous, small, wedge-shaped or
cubical.

Time. — June or July, later than I. xiphium.

Hah. — Algiers, Tunis, Morocco, Sicily, Italy (Riviera).

15.1. BOISSIERE. — Henriquez, Bolet. da Soc. Brot. iii. p. 183,
with fig. (After Boissier, Swiss botanist.)

Fig.— Willkomm, HI. PL Hisp. t. 118; Bot. Mag. t. 7097 ; Hen-
riquez, as above.

73

Charact. — Bulb small, with stiff membranous coats. Leaf linear,
very channelled, ribbed on outside. Stem about a foot high, almost
entirely hidden, except at the top, by three or four clasping leaves,
which, filiform and pointed above, are dilated at the base, where they
clasp the stem. Flower single, from two to three inches across.
Tube nearly two inches long, but almost wholly hidden by the
persistently green, somewhat keeled spathe-valves. Fall spreading
horizontally or gently arched downwards, so that the perianth does
not form a funnel at all. Claw of
fall narrow, strap-shaped, sud-
denly expanding, after a slight
constriction, into a rounded oval
blade much broader than itself.
Standard erect, obovate, relatively
broad. Style narrow, lying close
down on the claw of the fall, with
crests which seem to vary, being
sometimes triangular, sometimes
very large and quadrate. The
blade of the fall a rich red-purple,
except in the centre, where is
a narrow oval patch of bright
orange, continued backwards
some way along the claw. On
this * ' signal " patch are a num-
ber of thin yellow hairs forming
almost a beard, which reaches
nearly to the front end of the
patch. Standards purple above,
reddish below. Styles of a red-
purple, the crests being darker
and veined. Capsule rounded,
trigonal, with deeply grooved
sides, an inch or more in length.

Time. — June.

Hab. — Spain, Gerez Mountains.

FIG. 48. — IRIS BOISSIERI.

16. I. TUBEROSA.— Linn. Sp. PL 58 ; Thunberg, Diss. No. 43.
(From tuber-like root.)

f Syn. — Hermodactylus tuberosus (Salisbury, Trans. Hort. Soc
i. 304). The velvet Flower-de-luce of Parkinson.

Fig. — Bot. Mag. 531 ; Redout^, Lit. t. 48 ; Sibthorp and Smith,
Flor. Gruec. t. 41 ; Sweet, Brit. Fl. Gard. 2nd ser. t. 146 ; Reichen-
bach, Ic. Fl. Germ. t. 348, fig. 476 ; Fl. des Serres, t. 1083.

Charact. — Rootstock a tuber, which when full-grown is
branched. Leaf often very long, four-sided, with a horny point not

74

OV

so well developed as in J. reticulata. Flower about two inches across,
funnel-shaped, single, on a stem a foot long. Spathe-valves (some-
times one only is present, sometimes the inner one is entirely hidden
within the outer one) long, pointed, swollen, persistent after flowering.
Flower with long peduncle and short (|-inch to £-inch) tube. Fall
with an ovate blade, half as long as and generally narrower than the
oblong-cuneate claw. Standard minute, narrow, elliptical or lanceo-
lated, folded up sideways, with the apex prolonged into a cusp or
awn. Crests of style long, pointed, triangular. The styles are often
united at some distance above the tube. The partitions of the ovary

do not meet in the middle
line, hence the chamber of
the ovary is single. Cap-
sule obovate, swollen. The
blade of the fall is a deep
velvety black, the rest of
the flower a yellowish
green, with usually a bright
green median streak on the
claw and beginning of the
blade of the fall. The pe-
rianth segments are united
at their bases, above the
perianth tube, into a con-
spicuous cup.

Specimens from different
localities vary a good deal
in the length of leaves, as
to the presence of a second
spathe-valve, as to the
exact form of the fall and
of the standard, and to some extent in colouring ; some specimen
have a reddish tinge on the claw of the fall.
Time.— March or April.

Hab.— South of France, Corsica, Riviera, Sicily, Italy^ Algiers
and North Africa, Dalmafcia, Istria, Greece, Ionian and other Grecian
Islands.

Sweet (Brit. FL Gard. 2nd ser. t. 146) makes three distinct
species : H. lotigifolius, the form with very long leaves figured by him,
coming from Naples ; H. repens, with short leaves and a single
spathe-valve, figured in Redoute, and Sibthorp and Smith ; H. U-
spathaceus, the form with the two spathe-valves, figured in Bot, Mag.

17. I. PEBSICA.— Linn. Syst. p. 79. (From Persia, habitat.)
Syn.— Xiphium persicum (Miller, Diet. 6th ed.). Iris bulbosa
persica (Parkinson, Parad. p. 172).

FIG. 49. — IKIS TUBEEOSA.

75

St

Fig. — Bot. Mag. t. 1 ; Redoute, Ltt. t. 189 ; Gard&i, vol. xxxiii.
(1888), p. 558.

Charact. — Bulb ovoid, sometimes as large as a hen's egg, with
fleshy radish-like roots. Leaves four to five to a tuft, linear or
linear-lanceolate, variable in breadth in fact, but always narrowing to
a point, more or less arched, and bent laterally. Flower sessile, two
or three inches across, generally single, appearing soon after the leaves
begin to shoot. Tube two to three inches in length, but variable.
Claw of fall, which bears a
median, generally orange, ridge,
is abruptly expanded laterally
into triangular wings or flanges,
which, curving upwards, em-
brace the style ; blade narrower
than the winged claw, more
or less ovate, always deeply
coloured, with a median orange
ridge. Standard minute, half
an inch long, lanceolate, with
toothed or crenate edge, spread-
ing horizontally. Crests of
style large, conspicuous, quad-
rate, with crenate or toothed
edge.

Varies very much in colour,
and also to some extent in form.
Colour of type pale blueish green, almost white, with a deep violet,
almost black patch on the blade of the fall, and numerous dark spots
on and around the orange ridge.

The var. purpurea (Max
Leichtlin) is almost wholly
dark red-purple, with an
orange ridge on the fall, and
a deeper tint on the blade of
the fall. Other varieties are
light purple, almost lavender,
yellowish grey, sea-green, &c.,
but all have a conspicuous
patch of deep purple, violet,
or even black on the blade of
the fall, and an orange or
yellow ridge.

Time, — March, but very

variable, according to particu- V */

lar situation and season. FIG. 51.— IBIS PBESICA var. PUBPUBEA.

Hab. — Persia, and throughout the more southern parts of
Eastern and Middle Asia Minor.

FIG. 50. — IBIS PERSICA.

76

I. PERSICA var. ISAACSONI.— Var. nov. (After Mr.
Isaacson.)

Charact. — Bulb having the ordinary characters of a Juno Iris,
somewhat elongate, with brown outer tunics. Leaves four to a tuft,
each with a colourless sheath, about five inches long and a quarter inch
broad at flowering time, but subsequently becoming longer ; very
pointed ; extremely falcate, forming almost a semicircle ; extremely
channelled and marked, not only with a conspicuous horny margin,
but on the outer surface with horny ridges over the parallel veins,
giving it a very ribbed and, at the same time, glaucous appearance.
Flowers one, two, or possibly more, sessile, among the leaves, each
about two inches across ; very fragrant. Spathe- valves an inch or
more long, very pointed, not ventricose, not keeled, colourless and
transparent, except for a few green veins. Tube rather shorter than
the spathe-valves, cylindrical, marked with violet longitudinal stripes.
Fall having a rhomboidal claw, with conspicuous wings, which, opaque
at first, become membranous later ; and an ovate-lanceolate-emar-
ginate blade, which is sharply reflexed on the claw. The blade
bears at its hinder part a very low, inconspicuous yellow median ridge,
hardly deserving the name, continued on the claw as a yellow streak
marked with violet dots. The rest of the fall is a creamy white tinged
with green, and broken by thick violet veins, which, running parallel
to the median streak on the claw, form a conspicuous violet zone
around the ridge on the blade. Standard minute, horizontal or turning
downwards, lanceolate, with conspicuous teeth, creamy white with
greenish tinge. Style creamy white, with a greenish tinge in the
median region ; much narrower than the fall, somewhat expanded
below, with large, quadrate, toothed crests, and a somewhat serrate,
horizontal stigma. The three styles are united into a column at some
distance above the tube, conspicuous in a side view. Stamen with
filament longer than anther, and coarse yellow pollen. Ovary and
capsule not seen.

Time. — In its native home in February or March. Cultivated
specimens flowered in a greenhouse in October or November.

Hab. — South Persia, Tung-i-Turkan, Kotal Kamarij,^ Seenah
Safid, on dry open spots in debris of gypsum ; very local, not found
above Shiraz.

NOTE. — This Iris is obviously closely allied to I. persica, but differs
from the type and varieties in the following points : In the extremely
falcate character of the leaves and the ribbed feature due to the horny
ridges ; in the spathe-valves being colourless, transparent, neither
ventricose nor keeled ; in the lack of development of the median ridge
on the fall ; and in the absence of any deep patch of colour towards
the apex of the blade, which is so marked in the type, and is seen in
every variety of 1. persica so far known to me.

I am indebted for bulbs of this plant to John Isaacson, Esq. , of the

77

Telegraph Department, Bushire. Unhappily, all my plants died before
I could fully trace out the history ; those planted in the open started
in October, and were killed by the frost in winter, and those grown in
pots, after flowering, dwindled away. I have hitherto hesitated to
describe it, hoping that fresh plants and further knowledge would
enable me to decide whether it should be considered a new species or
only a variety of I. persica, a point on which I feel in doubt. I have
ventured, as the safer plan in the absence of adequate knowledge, to
consider it provisionally as a variety of J. persica.

18. I. CATJCASICA.— Hoffinann, Comm. Soc. Phys. Mosc. i.
p. 40 ; Marschal v. Bieberstein, Fl. Taur. Cans. i. p. 33. (From
Caucasus, habitat.)

Lit. — Baker, Gard. Chron. 1876, i. p. 692 ; Maximo wicz, Act.
Hort. Petrap. vi. p. 417 ; Melanges Biologiques (Bull. Acad. Imp. d.
Sci. d. St. Petersb.\ x. (1880) p. 688.

Pig.— Sweet, Brit. Fl. Gard. t. 255 ; Gartenflora, t. 800 ; Loddiges,
Cabinet, t. 1506, sub. n. I. taurica.

Char act.— Bulb ovoid, with fleshy, radish-like roots. Leaves
four to six in distichous tuft, falcate, so as to be nearly horizontal,
lanceolate, pointed, ribbed, glaucous, with a conspicuous horny margin.
Flowers two to three on a stem, so short that they appear sessile
among the young leaves. Flower two to three inches across. Tube
short, but rather longer than the inflated green spathe-valves. The
claw of the fall, which bears a toothed median ridge, high and con-
spicuous at the hind part of the blade, lower on the claw, is expanded
laterally into wings which are
transparent, and which embrace
the style. Standards minute,
spoon -shaped, spreading horizon-
tally. Crests of style large, qua-
drate. All parts of the flower a dull
greenish yellow, except the me-
dian ridge of the fall and its
neighbourhood, which is a brighter
yellow, marked more or less with
violet spots.

Var. MAJOR (TTJRKES-
TANIC A).— Larger in all its
parts, in foliage and flower.
Flowers four or five on a distinct
stem, which is, however, wholly
hidden by the clasping bases of the
leaves. Blade of claw yellow, with

little or no tinge of green ; median ridge full yellow or orange,
toothed, or even fringed, with hair-like processes ; wings of claw very
Dale and transparent, almost colourless. In other features same as type.

FIG. 62. — IBIS CAUCASICA MAJOR.

78

VI

Var. KHARPUT. — Stem a foot or more high, but wholly hidden
by the clasping bases of the eight or more distichously arranged leaves,
which, six inches or more in length, narrow more gradually towards the
point than in the type, and have a less conspicuous horny margin.
Flowers five or so, sessile, in the axils of the upper leaves, three inches
or so across, of a greenish yellow, except the median orange ridge of the
fall. The claw of the fall has hardly any lateral wings, and the blade
is large and oval. The standards are larger than in the type, bent
vertically downwards, with the edges sharply curled in so as to form a
channel. Crests of style large and quadrate. The whole aspect of
the plant is^very different from both the type and the var. major.

Time. — March.

Hab. — The Caucasus, Kurdistan, Armenia, Turkestan. The var.
major (turkestanica) is found in Turkestan ; the var. Kharput in
Armenia, near Kharput.

19. I. ORCHIOIDES.— Carriers, Rev. Hort. 1880, p. 337,
fig. 68. (After Orchis, " the Orchid-like Iris.")

Lit.— Baker, Bot. Mag. xlvi. (April 1890), t. 7111 ; Foster, Gard.
Chron. 1889, i. 588.

Syn. — I. caucasica var. major (Maximo wicz, Act. Hort. Petrop.

p. 417 ; Bull. Acad. St. Petersb. x. (1880) p. 688).

Fig. — Baker ; Carriere, as above.

Charact. — Bulb very large, sometimes as large as a goose's egg ;
fleshy roots, much less developed than in
T. caucasica. Stem a foot and a half or
two feet, bare in the internodes between
the clasping leaves, which are longer,
narrower, more gradually pointed towards
the apex than in I. caucasica, of a more
glossy green, especially on the upper sur-
face, with the horny margin much less
marked. Flowers from two to three
inches across, of a rich, full yellow,
generally free from greenish tinge, with a
bright orange ridge, and variable dark
violet spots, blotches, or lines on the fall.
Wings of claw, so conspicuous in I. cau-
casica, almost absent. Spathe-valves
green, narrow, clasping the tube, not in-
flated as in I. caucasica.

Time. — March or April, rather later than J". caucasica.

Var. — I. caucasica var. cserulea (Regel, Descr. PI. Nov. ix. (1884)
p. 37) differs from above only in colour, which is a pale blue or
lavender, except that the ridge of the fall and its surroundings are
yellow, with lavender blotches ; sometimes the whole blade is a
creamy yellow.

St.

FIG. 53- IBIS OBCHIOIDES.

79

J. caucasica var. oculata of Maximowicz (op. tit.) and Regel
(op. tit.), with yellow flowers, the fall being marked with blue blotches,
is probably a variety of this.

I. caucasica var. linifolia, Regel (op. tit), with yellow flowers and
linear leaves only 3 mm. broad, is also probably a variety of this.

Hab. — Both the type and the above varieties are found in
Western Turkestan and in Bokhara.

NOTE. — Having cultivated plants kindly sent to me by the late Dr.
v. Regel as J. caucasica c&rulea, I can speak with certainty as to these
having the characters of /. orchioides ; but not having grown the var.
oculata or linifolia, I cannot be sure whether these hold a like position
or no. Maximowicz seems (op. tit.) to state that even the type may
vary in colour and have a var. cxndea (this I have never seen) ; he
also insists that all the characters attributed to the several forms are
so mingled in different plants that all must be regarded as belonging
to one species.

20. I. PALESTINA.— Baker, Journ, of Bot. 1871, p. 108, as
Xiphion Palsestinum. (From Palestine, habitat.)

Lit. — Boiss. Fl. Orient, v. p. 122.

Charact. — Bulb small. Leaves four, six, or eight, in a distichous
tuft, smaller and narrower than in J.
caucasica, striated on the outside, with a
finely toothed, horny margin, less con-
spicuous than in J. caucasica. Flowers
one to three, apparently sessile— that is
to say, borne on a short stem, wholly
hidden among the leaves. Flower 1£ to
2 inches across, like that of I. caucasica,
but with a much longer tube, narrow
(not swollen) spathe-valves, and a nar-
rower blade to the fall ; the minute
standards are toothed, and the rectangu-
lar crests of the style very large and con-
spicuous. Colour usually greenish yellow,
the blade of the fall being marked with
green, or with blue or violet veins, the
amount of blue being variable and some-
times prominent, as in the form named
var. cxrulea by Post. The median ridge of the fall, which is orange
in front, bears behind on the claw a number of black or deep violet
tubercles, each carrying a tuft of short black or dark purple hairs ;
a few longer dark hairs are scattered over the claw ; the wings of the
claw are not transparent. The flower is fragrant.

Time. — December and January.

Hab.— Palestine : Mount Hebron, Mount Carmel, Valley of the
Jordan, Sinai Peninsula.

FIG. 54.- I. PALESTINA.

80

21. I. SINDJARENSIS.— Boissier, Flor. Orient, v. p. 122.
(From Mount Sindjar, habitat.)

Pig.— Bot. Mag. t. 7145.

Charact. — Bulb very large, elongate, with fleshy roots. Stem
variable in height, sometimes a foot high. Leaves eight or ten, long,
and narrowing very gradually to a sharp point, bent into a double
channel, very striated on the outside, glossy green on the inside,
clasping by their bases the stem so as completely to hide it. Spathe-
valves narrow, pointed; as long as the tube. Flowers three or four,
two to four inches across. Fall with wings to the claw, a median
ridge, and somewhat narrow blade. Standards small, horizontal,
or turned down, spoon-shaped, with crenate edge. Crests of style
quadrangular, not very large. Blade of fall bluish white, with blue
veins. Median ridge and its surroundings yellow, with blue spots, and
beginnings of blue veins, which, more abundant on claw, give the latter
a blue colour. Standards and styles light blue. The whole flower is
blue in the centre, becoming paler at the periphery. Very distinctly
fragrant, odour resembling vanilla.

Time. — March.

Hab. — Mesopotamia, near the mountains Sindjar and Gebel
Taktak, and adjoining mountains.

22. I. FUMOSA.— Boissier and Haussk. Sched. 1865 ; Boissier,
Flor. Orient, v. p. 123. (From famosus, smoky.)

Syn. — Iris (Xiphion) Aucheri (Baker, Journ. of Bot. 1873,
p. 1010).

Charact. — Differs from I. sindjarensis in having shorter and rela-
tively broader leaves, in the stem bearing a larger number, often eight
to ten flowers, and in the colour of the flowers, which are greenish
yellow, with more or less of a smoky tint ; in many respects resembles
I. orchioides or I. caucasica.

Time. — April.

Hab. — Syria, in neighbourhood of Aleppo.

23. I. STOCKSII.— Baker, Gard. Chron. 1876, p. 723. (After
Dr. Stocks, Indian botanist.)

Lit.— Boissier, Fl. Orient, v. p. 123.

Charact. — Only known from dried plants. Leaves six or eight,
narrow, pointed, arched, with white margin. Stem short, bearing one
to three flowers, not unlike I. caucasica, but lilac or light purple,
though apparently varying in colour.

Hab. — Afghanistan, near Quettah ; Beloochistan.

Time. — Not flowered in this country ; probably winter-flowering.

NOTE. — I cannot but think that if the various plants described from
dried specimens were brought into cultivation, it would be found that
they really represent more than one species.

81

24. I. AITCHIS ONI. —Baker, Journ. ofBot. xiii. (1875) p. 108,
as Xiphion Aitchisoni. (After Dr. Aitchison, Indian botanist.)

Lit.— Boissier, Fl< Orient, v. 123.

Charact. — Thin linear leaves, a foot or a foot and a half long.
Stem a foot or more high, bearing one to three flowers, and two or
three bracts. The claw of the fall does not bear wings. Flower
purple in the type, but in var. chrysantha bright yellow. By its
leaves, tall stem, and the absence of wings to the claw of the fall it
draws near to the xiphium group, but the fleshy roots, and the small
spreading standards, mark it as a Juno.

Time. — Not cultivated. Flowers in its native home in March.

Hab. — The Punjaub, near Otipore ; Afghanistan.

25. I. DREP AN OPHYLL A.— Aitchison and Baker, Trans.
Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. iii. 115. (From drepane (Grk.), sickle ; phyllon
(Grk.), leaf.)

Charact. — Four to six narrow, arched leaves. A short stem,
bearing two, three, or more flowers, about two inches across. The fall
bright yellow, with the claw devoid of wings.

Time. — Not in cultivation. Flowers in its native home in April.

Hab. — Afghanistan, near Gulran.

26. I. ROSENBACHIANA.— Regel, Descr. PI. Nov. pt. ix.
p. 35, tab. viii. (After General Rosenbach.)

Lit.— Gartenflora, xxv. (1886) pp. 409, 617, t. 1227 ; Foster, Gard.
Chron. 1887, i. p. 90, and 1889, .p

i. p. 530 ; Baker, Bot. Mag. xlvi.
(Sept. 1890), tab. 7135.

Fig. — Regel and Baker, as
above ; Garden, 1888, tab. 653,
tig. 2.

Charact.— The bulb has
numerous fleshy roots, which
are, however, short and ovoid.
Leaves lanceolate, not very
pointed, eight inches or so long
and two broad, five or six to a
tuft. Flower sessile, appearing
soon after the leaves begin to
shoot ; one, two, or three to a
tuft. Tube of perianth from
two to six or more inches long.
Flower variable in size, but
often four or even more inches
across ; variable also in colour,

St

Fm- 5^.— IRIS ROSENBACHIANA.

which is often very vivid, the prevailing hues being red- or blue-
purple, and yellow. Fall almost strap-shaped, the blade being not

F 2

82

St

broader, but even narrower, than the claw, with a very conspicuous
median toothed ridge, which is generally a bright orange ; blade of fall
generally vividly coloured. Standard horizontal or drooping, narrow,
spoon-shaped, small, but relatively larger than in other Junos. Capsule
oval, with numerous reddish-brown, wrinkled, more or less cubical
seeds, each of which bears a conspicuous white strophiole.

Time. — Flowers in March or April, sometimes in February.

Hab.— Eastern Bokhara.

27. I. FOSTERIANA.— Aitchison and Baker, Trans. Linn.

Soc. 2nd ser. Bot. iii. 114 ; Bot. Mag.
1892, t. 7215. (After Dr. Foster.)

Fig.— Bot. Mag. t. 7215.

Charact. — Slender, elongate
bulbs, with olive-green tunics ; fleshy
roots, thin and inconspicuous. Leaves
linear, not unlike those of I. xiphium,
but very striated on the outside.
A single flower, on a stem about a
foot high ; sometimes a second lateral
flower. Flower about two inches
across, with yellow falls and styles, but
red-purple standards. Claw of fall
narrow, not winged, suddenly expand-
ing into ovate blade. Standard hori-
zontal or deflexed, but relatively large.

Time.— Flowers in March.
-Afghanistan, near Gulran.

28. I. ALATA. — Poiret, Voyage en Barbaric, ii. 86. (From
alata, winged — the winged claws of fall.)

Syn. — I. scorpioides (Desfontaines, Fl. Atlant. i. p. 40, t. 6).
I. transtagana (Brotero, Fl. Lusit. i. p. 52). I. trialata (Brotero.
Phyt. Lusit. t. 95). I. microptera (Vahl, Enum. ii. 142). Xiphion
alatum (Baker, Jowrn. of Bot. ix. 1871, p. 108). Zhelysia arandifl-ora
(Salisbury, Trans. Hort. Soc. i. 303). Thelysia alata fparlatore,
Fl. Ital. iii. p. 317). Costia scorpioides (Wilkomm, Prodr. Fl. Hisp.
i. p. 144). Iris bulbosa latifolia of Clusius.

Fig.— Bot. Register, t. 1876; Redout^, IM. t. 211; Gartenflora,
40 (1891), t. 1351 ; Bot. Mag. t. 6352 ; Brotero and Desfontaines,
as above.

Charact. — Bulb ovoid, large, with several brown membranous
coats, and fleshy, finger-like roots. Leaves in distichous arrangement,
clasping and hiding the short stem, and bent into a channel, large
(up to a foot), lax, pointed, arched, pale green. Flower large, sessile,
generally jne, sometimes two. Spathe-valves lanceolate, somewhat

83

swollen, pointed, more or less withered at flowering. Blade of fall
lanceolate, but claw expanded on each side in rounded, triangular
wings, which embrace the style. Standards very small, lanceolate,
spathulate, spreading horizontally. Crests of styles very large,
deltoid or quadrate, with toothed edge. Capsule ! oblong, buried
among the leaves. Seeds oval.

Hab. — South of Spain, especially near Antiquera and Cordova ;

FIG. 57. — IRIS ALATA.

South of Portugal, Monchique Mountains, Algiers, Morocco, Sardinia,
Sicily, Greece.

Var.— C. Sprenger (B. Ort. Firenz. xiv. 1889, p. 13) describes
several varieties, differing chiefly at least in colour and size : var.
speciosa and lilacina from the Atlas Mountains ; nigrescens, cinerea,
and magna from Sicily, the last from Palermo. A white variety,
var. alba, is found in Spain and the Atlas Mountains. There is also
a var. cupreata, the origin of which is unknown.

29. I. NEPALENSIS.— Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal, p. 54. (From
Nepaul, habitat.)

Syn.— 1. decora (Wallich, PI. Asiat. Ear. i. p. 77, t. 8G). See
also D. Don, Trans. Linn. Soc. xviii. p. 313.

84

Pig. — In Wallich as above, as I. decora ; Sweet, as I. nepalensis, in
Brit. Flow. Gard. 2nd ser. t. 11.

Charact. — Rhizome small, covered and hidden by a nest of fibres,
into which the bases of the old leaves split up, bearing in the resting
stage a number of white, fleshy, thong-like roots. Leaves linear, ensi-
form, acuminate, striated, attaining their full growth after flowering.
Stem a foot or more, bearing a terminal bud of two to three flowers,
and sometimes a lateral bud, or even more than one. Spathe-valves
long, pointed, somewhat swollen, persistent. Tube of flower long,

rising above the spathe-valves,
and expanding in a funnel-
shaped perianth. Blade of
lanceolate-spathulate fall spread-
ing horizontally, bearing a
median ridge which extends
along the claw, and is fringed,
or even cut up into irregular
hairs. Blade of lanceolate-
spathulate standard spreading
horizontally, or even drooping,
so soon as the flower expands.
Crests of style large, deltoid or
quadrate, with serrated edge.
Stigmatic lip narrow, deeply
bilobed. Anther equal in length
to filament. Pollen coarse-
Fra. 58.— IBIS NEPALENSIS. grained, white. Ovary, with

short peduncle, sharply trigonal.

Ripe capsule trigonal, with deeply grooved sides, dehiscing at apex.
Seeds oval, sharply pointed at one end, brown at narrow end, but
over the greater part of the surface covered by white strophiole.
Colour of fall at margin of blade light violet or lavender, in the more
median region marked with violet veins on a creamy- white ground, but
the median ridge is yellow or orange, with brown dots or blotches ;
standard lavender, with fine more deeply coloured veins \ styles.
lavender.

Hab. — Mountains of Nepaul.

I. NEPALENSIS var. LETHA.— Foster, Gard. Ghron. Oct.
1892, 458. (From Letha Mountains, habitat.)

Charact. — Differs from above in being sessile. Fall with slight
constriction between claw and blade. Standard more distinctly
lanceolate. Ovary more rounded. Capsule shorter, broader. Seeds
more rounded. Foliage shorter, broader.

Hab. — Upper Burmah. Letha Range of Chin Hills.

NOTE . — Iris nepalensis is usually — by Mr. Baker, for instance, and

85

others — included in the Evansia section or subgenus, by reason of the
conspicuous median ridge (crest) on the fall. As I have elsewhere
(Gard. Chron. 1887, i. p. 611) urged, though the group Evansia seems
to me a natural group, I cannot attach any importance to the ridge on
the fall. Indeed, in general I may say that the prominence, or want
of prominence, of a median ridge on the fall, and whether it is a mere
even ridge, or toothed, laciniated, or cut up into a beard, is about the
least trustworthy character that can be appealed to in determining the
affinities, and so the classification, of Irises. If the presence of a beard
is important as a token, J. Boissieri ought to go with I. pumila or
germanica in the Pogoniris group. If the distinction between a ridge
(crest) simply toothed and one made up of hairs (forming a beard) is
important, what are we to say to I. Hookeriana, in which the median
line is occupied behind by a dense beard, and in front by a toothed
crest 1 Indeed, something of the kind is seen often in Irises belonging
to the so-called Pogoniris section. I cannot place I. nepalensis in the
Evansia group simply on account of the character of the median
ridge of the fall, seeing, on the one hand, that this is almost the only
character by which it agrees with the other members of the group ;
and, on the other hand, the same character is almost as prominent
in some Juno Irises, such as J. caucasica turkestanica and J. alata.
I. /« palensis stands almost alone. (I doubt whether it has any real
affinity to I. stolonifera of Regel, which bears similar fleshy roots, but
can say nothing definite, since I have not had this in cultivation.) As
I have urged in the text, J. nepalensis, by its almost bulbous nature,
by its fleshy roots, and by many features of the flower, comes nearer
to the Juno group than to any other, though it is markedly separated
from that group by the stem being sometimes branched, a character
which is absent from all Juno Irises.

INDEX.

Synonyms are printed in Italics.

Costia scorpioides, 82
Hermodactylus bispathaceus, 74
longifolius, 74
repens, 74
tuberosus, 73
IBIS—

cegyptia, 55
Aitchisoni, 40, 81

„ chrysantha, 40, 81

alata, 46, 48, 49, 52, 82 (Figs. 28, 57)
alba, 83
cinerea, 83
cupreata, 83
lilacina, 83
magna, 83
nigrescens, 83
speciosa, 83
Aucheri, 80

Bakeriana, 11, 60 (Figs. 9, 10, 38)
Battandieri, 23, 65
Boissieri, 24, 72 (Figs. 16, 17, 48)
Bornmulleri, 12, 62
bulbosa latifolia, 82
persica, 74
caucasica, 35, 49, 77

carulea, 38, 78
Kharput, 78
linifolia, 79
major, 36, 77 (Fig. 52)
major, 78
oculata, 79
turkestanica, 36, 77
DanfordiaB, 12, 61 (Figs. 11, 40)
decora, 50, 83
drepanophylla, 40, 81
filifolia, 22, 24, 27, 68 (Fig. 45)
Fontanesi, 23, 71

Fosteriana, 44, 82 (Figs. 26, 27, 56)
fugax, 55
fumosa, 40, 80
germanica, 50
Histrio, 7, 14, 57 (Fig. 6)
humilis, 59
imberbis, 72
juncea, 24, 71 (Figs. 18, 47)

numidica, 25
juncifolia, 56
Juno group, 31
Kolpakowskyana, 16, 63 (Figs. 12,

41)

Krelagei, 5, 6, 57
lusitanica, 20, 65
maricoides, 2, 55
mauritanica, 72
microptera, 82
monophylla, 2, 56
nepalensis, 49, 83 (Figs. 29, 30, 31, 58)

Letha, 51, 84

orchioides, 36, 78 (Figs. 22, 53)
caerulea, 38

IRIS —

orchioides oculata, 38

linifolia, 38

Palestina, 37, 79 (Figs. 23, 54)
persica, 32, 49, 74 (Figs. 20, 21, 50)
Isaacsoni, 76
purpurea, 75 (Fig. 51)
pyrenaica, 68

reticulata, 4, 52, 56 (Figs. 3, 4, 5, 33)
cserulea, 60
cyanea, 6

group, cultivation of, 14
Histrio, 7, 14, 57 (Fig. 34)
histrioides, 9, 59 (Figs.

7, 37)

humilis, 59 (Fig. 36)
Krelagei, 5, 6, 57
major, 60
purpurea, 7, 60
sophenensis, 7, 58 (Fig.35)
Eosenbachiana, 41, 44, 49, 52, 81

(Figs. 25, 55)
samaritana, 56
scorpioides, 46, 82
serotina, 66

sindjarensis, 39, 80 (Fig. 24)
Sisyrinchium, 1, 55 (Figs. 1, 2, 32)
sophenensis, 7, 58
sordida, 20
spectabilis, 22, 65
Stocksii, 40, 80
tingitana, 23, 27, 70 (Fig. 46)
transtagana, 82
trialata, 82
tuberosa, 6, 28 (Figs. 19, 49)

cultivation of, 30
turkestanica, 36, 77
Vartani, 11, 14, 61 (Figs. 8, 39)
Winkleri, 17, 64

xiphioides, 18, 28, 67 (Figs. 14, 44)
Xiphium, 17, 20, 28 (Figs. 13, 42)

Battandieri, 23, 65. (Fig.43)
lusitanica, 20, 65-
"The Thunderbolt," 22

(Fig. 22)

group, cultivation of, 25
Mor&a Sicula, 56

Sisyrinchium, 56
Tenoreana, 56
Thelysia alata, 82

grandiflora, 82
Xiphion alatum, 82
Aucheri, 80
filifolium, 68
latifolium, 68
Palestimim, 79
persicum, 74
sordidum, 65
tingitanum, 70
vulgare, 64

ADVERTISEMENTS.

, R, PEARSON & SONS,

BULBS! BULBS! BULBS!

The cheapest off er of First Class Bulbs ever
submitted to the Public.

DURING the past 10 years we have laboured to make the cultivation of Spring -
flowering Bulbs more general and more popular, and we are glad to say that our
efforts have not been without success. By offering to the Public the finest quality
of Bulbs obtainable, at the lowest profitable prices (for we do not wish to pose as
philanthropists doing business only for the pleasure resulting therefrom), we have
enormously increased our sales of these most charming plants. There are, however,
we find, still some prejudices to overcome in the mind of the Garden-loving Public
before we can carry this business to the limits which it ought to reach.

Firstly, many people write saying that our Bulbs are too cheap to be good, and
it takes time and experiment to convince them to the contrary. Again, we find that
many people send their orders to Dutch firms, under the impression that, by so
doing, they are dealing direct with the producer and obtaining the best value for
their money. To a certain extent this is true, but to how small an extent few are
aware; the fact is, one gets into the habit of talking and writing about early-
flowering Bulbs under the title of " Dutch Bulbs," without ever considering the
question of whether there is any justice in such a title, but a very little inquiry will
show how extremely small is the percentage grown in Holland. All the earliest
forcing Bulbs, as Roman Hyacinths, Paper White and Roman Narcissus, Freesias
and Lilium candidum, are grown in the South of France and Italy, and Lilium
Harrisii in the Bermudas. To order these from a Dutch firm is to pay carriage
from their place of growth into Holland and thence in small consignments to this
country. Then, again, take the Daffodils and Garden Narcissi, so deservedly
popular : we can produce far better and more healthy bulbs in this country than
elsewhere ; and who, with any knowledge of this subject, would order Snowdrops
from Holland whilst our home-grown roots were obtainable? We might pile
example upon example, but space fails. Suffice it to say that, without doubt,
Holland is the home, and ever will be, of the Hyacinth (the best growers do not,
however, export retail). Tulips also are grown very largely in Holland, and at
present command the market, but English Tulips are rapidly coming to the front.
Setting aside Tulips and Hyacinths, we could supply all other Bulbs usually
employed for early flowering if Holland closed her ports for ever. Under these
circumstances, we fail to see why general orders for Bulbs should be sent to
Holland instead of encouraging home industry.

OTHER SPECIALITIES.

Fruit Trees, Vines, Zonal Pelargoniums,
Hoses and Chrysantlieniunis.

IFI&IEIE TJIPOItT

ESTABLISHED 1782.

J. R. PEARSON & SONS,

Chilwell Nurseries, Notts.

ADVERTISEMENTS.

ANT. ROOZEN & SON'S

BULBS,

oeou s Plants,

— AND —

IE IE ID S.

Our Descriptive CATALOGUES of the above, with full cultural
directions, are published in June and January, and will be sent, FREE,
on application to our Offices at OVERVEEN, near HAARLEM, HOLLAND,
or to our General Agents,

MESSRS. MERTENS & Co.,

3 Cross Lane, St. Mary-at-Hill, LONDON, E.G.

ESTABLISHED 1832.

No Connection with any other Firm of the same Name.

THE GUILDFOBD HARDY PLANT NURSERY,

Established in 1888 for the culture especially of

ALPINE PLANTS AND HERBACEOUS OR OTHER
HARDY PERENNIALS.

Collections (or Selections) of Hardy Plants for any given soil, price, or purpose.
Special quotations for large quantities ; and dozens commonly at half the rates
charged for single plants. General Catalogue for 4 stamps (allowed to purchasers)
on application to the Manager,

GUILDFORD HARDY PLANT NURSERY,
MILLMEAD, GUILDFORD. l

GARDEN NETS AS FRUIT PROTECTOR^

ABOUT OOO SQUARE YARDS AT 14s. EACH.

OTHER SIZES ACCORDING TO PRICE AND QUALITY.

Cut to order, id. and |d. per Square Yard.

IF O IR, IE ZHZ IF O IR, T T IR, .A. D IE S T7 IF IFL I E 3D.

DAVID PRATT, Net Merchant,

38 Rodger Street,

ADVERTISEMENTS.

BARR & SON, KING ST., COVENT GARDEN, LONDON.

NURSERIES, LONG DITTON (SURBITON STATION).

Ready JANUARY. Sent free on application.

BARK'S Descriptive Catalogue of VEGETABLE SEEDS of the best

kinds only.
BARK'S Descriptive Catalogue of FLOWER SEEDS, including all

recent Novelties.

" Messrs. BARR & SON'S Seed Catalogue is a model of simplicity and clear arrangement. Those
interested in the production of the more uncommon sorts of Vegetables should certainly procure one of
these Catalogues. Messrs. BARR'S List of Vegetable Seeds is one of the most comprehensive in
circulation. Their List of Novelties in Flower Seeds is an interesting one, and many seeds which are
otherwise difficult to procure will be found in their general Flower Seed List."

THE QUKHX, January 22, 1802.

BEAUTIFUL HARDY

DAFFODILS

L/rll I UUILU

QOLD /V\EDAL /r
THE MOST LOVELY OF ALL SPRING

BARR'S HARDY DAFFODIL CATALOGUE contains full descriptions of
the Newest and Rarest Varieties.

SPRING EDITION ready in MARCH.

AUTUMN EDITION ready in AUGUST.

All Amateurs should possess a copy. Visitors are invited to inspect the grand display of upwards
of 2,000,000 Daffodils at BARB <fe Sox's New Nurseries, Long Ditton (Surbiton Station).

Ready SEPTEMBER. Sent free on application.

BARR'S Descriptive BULB CATALOGUE of Hyacinths, Tulips, Crocuses,
Bulbous Irises, Ranunculus, Anemones, Ixias, Amaryllis, &c.

" Messrs. BARR & SON submit to us their general Bnlb Catalogue, and their select list of Daffodils,
&c. These lists are illustrated only to a very limited extent, bnt they are practical as regards arrange-
ment and details. The little notes which accompany many of the articles betray the practised hand of
the writer, and the same appry to other features. The catalogues by no means make a beauty show on
paper, and rather suggest the sure way to secure a display of floral loveliness as the reward of the
intelligent cultivator."— THE QUKEX, September 22, 1891.

Ready in SPRING. Sent free on application.
BARR'S Descriptive PLANT CATALOGUE of what is most effective
amongst HARDY HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS for Decoration in
Flower-Beds, Borders, Woodlands, and Wild Gardens, and of
what is most valuable for Rockeries and Rock-Gardens.

ADVERTISEMENTS.

ESTABLISHED 1810.

SEEDSMAN,
C O RK, I RELA N D ,

Besides Seed Trading to all parts of the world, WILLIAM BAYLOK HAKTLAND

has

10 ACRES of DAFFODIL GROUNDS at ARD-CAIRN, CORK.

The soil is a rich hazel loam, resting on limestone, and the bloom from the open this

year has been, from February 1, in the greatest possible profusion. All the Bulbs

go to rest end of April, and the lifting process begins in May with such early sorts

as Ard-Kigh, Golden Plover, &c.

"YEAR-BOOK" OF SEEDS FOR 1893,

IFOST IF:R,:E:E.

The CONFERENCE LIST of CULTIVATED DAFFODILS, an ALBUM,

or work of art not equalled in the world. Post free, 2s. Qd.

LITTLE BOOK: OF

in July. Post free.

WM. BAYLOR HARTLAND, F.R.H.S.,

SEEDSMAN AND BULB GKOWER,

Telegrams: "Princepz, Cork." OA DATDIPIf CTRCCT PORK

Telephone direct with Grounds. 24 rAlKIUli OlilEEl, UUnlV.

KRELAGE'S BULBOUS IRISES,

j± G-:R,:E:.A_T SDPZECI.A-IIIIT'X"-
TRUE TO NAME and OF THE BEST QUALITY ONLY.

For full particulars relating to BULBOUS IRISES (English and Spanish varieties,
and Asiatic species) and ONCOCYCLUS IRISES, please consult our Autumn Bulb
Catalogue.

For HERBACEOUS IRISES (germanica, pumila, Kcempferi, sibirica, &c.), see our

Spring Catalogue and special descriptive lists.

COLOURED PLATES of all species and varieties of Iris hitherto
introduced at 8d. and Is. each.

All our Catalogues may be had gratis and post-free on application to
E. BE. IKFgELAGE &, SO 1ST, «a,a.yle»» (Moir^Md).

M ERRYWEATH E R'S

NEW GARDEN CATALOGUE
OF ENGINES

AND

WATERING APPARATUS

Contains many novelties which have
never yet been brought before the
Public.

63 LONG ACRE, LONDON, W.C.; & GREENWICH ROAD, S.E.

ADVERTISEMENTS.

Estabd.] T. BXJUTO** &>

Horticultural Builders and Hot Water Engineers,

F.R.H.S., [25 Years.
BEXLEY HEATH, KENT.

All kinds of Horticultural Buildings erected on the most approved modern principles ; of

best material and workmanship. Personal Superintendence during erection.

Experienced Men sent to all parts. Heating and Ventilating guaranteed.

T. Burton, Sen., will consult icith Gentlemen in any part of the Country; Travelling Expenses 3rd Class only

charged. Estimates, Plans, and Catalogues Free.

Twelve Houses in Working Order, including Fruit Houses, Orchid Houses, Plant Houses, &c., at our Works.

Inspection invited to see improvements in construction. Charges strictly moderate. Testimonials from

Noblemen and Gentlemen from all parts of the Country. Architects' Designs carried out.

S. SHEPPERSON,

FLORIST AND SEEDSMAN,
PROSPECT HOUSE, BELPER, DERBYSHIRE.

SPECIALITIES— Chrysanthemums, Carnations, Pinks, Pansies, Phlox,

Pentstemons, Pyrethrums, Fuchsias, Geraniums, Hardy Border

and Rockery Plants, &c., &c.

All warranted true to name, and the latest novelties up to date selected from the
best and most noted raisers. New List issued in January, gratis and post free.

All who have a Garden, Greenhouse, or Window should see my list before

elsewhere. Prices very moderate.

SEEDSMAN,

STIE^IEIET, HFSWIOHI,

Invites the attention of Amateurs to the 38th Edition of his

CATALOGUE OF FLOWTER SEEOS

Recently published. It includes many interesting novelties and rarities to be found in no other
Catalogue, in addition to all established favourites. No English Catalogue offers so large a collection of

HARDY BORDER AND ALPINE PLANTS.

As evidence of the reputation that his Seeds have obtained, he bags to state (that [he has been
honoured with extensive and unsolicited commands for the World's Fair at Chicago.

Sent post free on application.

6 ADVERTISEMENTS.

Everyone interested in Horticulture should possess a
Complete Set of the

JOURNAL

OP THE

Dorticultural Society

which has been regularly published SINCE THE YEAR 1805, and therefore
contains not only a unique and unbroken record of the Plants, Flowers,
Fruits, and Vegetables which have been cultivated during a period of
almost 90 years, but also valuable Papers from the pens of the best
scientific and practical authorities on Horticulture.

Fellows of the Society and others desirous of completing their sets
may still obtain the following back numbers from the R.H.S. Office,
117 Victoria Street, S.W., only :—

Vol. VI., 1880, pp. 168. Proceedings of the Society. To Fellows,
Is. ; non-Fellows, Is. 6d.

Vol. VII., part 1, 1886, pp. 155. Eeport of the Orchid Conference,
1885, with Papers by the late Professor Reichenbach, H. J.
Veitch, F.L.S., James O'Brien, H. N. Ridley, &c. To Fellows,
3s. 6d. ; non-Fellows, 6s.

Vol. VII., part 2, 1886, pp. 154. Primula Conference and Orchid
Conference at Liverpool. To Fellows, 3s. 6d. ; non-Fellows, 5s.

Vol. VIII, 1887, pp. 394. On the Effects of Frost on Vegetation,
by the Rev. Professor Henslow,M.A.,F.L.S.,F.G.S. To Fellows,
2s. ; non-Fellows, 3s. 6d.

Vol. IX., 1887, pp. 230. The National Pear Conference : Descrip-
tive Catalogue of varieties, &c. To Fellows, Is. 6d. ; non-
Fellows, 2s. Qd.

Vol. XI., parts 1 and 2, 1889, pp. 162. Hungarian Grapes,
Burmese Potatoes, Tomatoes, Hyacinths, Daffodils, Orchids, &c.
To Fellows, 2s. ; non-Fellows, 3s.

Vol. XI., part 3, 1889, pp. 278. Roses, Irises, Strawberries, Car-
nations, Peaches, Nectarines, Conifers, &c. To Fellows, 2s. Qd.\
non-Fellows, 5s.

Vol. XII., part 1, 1890, pp. 289. Report of the Vegetable Con-
ference : Papers on Asparagus, Winter Salads, Peas, Potatoes,
&c. ; Report of the Chrysanthemum Conference, with Papers
read thereat. To Fellows, 2s. Qd. ; non-Fellows, 5s.

ADVERTISEMENTS.

BACK NUMBERS OF JOURNAL-^o^mwed.

Vol. XII., part 2, 1890, pp. 232. Winter Gardening, Salads, Spring
Flowers, Report of the Daffodil Conference, &c., &c. To
Fellows, 2s. 6d. ; non-Fellows, 5s.

Vol. XIL, part 3, 1890, pp. 244. Flowering Trees and Shrubs,
Herbaceous Pseonies, Hardy Plants for Mixed Borders, Fruit
Evaporating, the Hollyhock, &c. ; Reports of the Carnation
Conference and of the Fern Conference. To Fellows, 2s. 6d. ;
non-Fellows, 5s.

Vol. XIII., part 2, 1891, pp. 232. Cyclamen, Snowdrops, Hybrid
Rhododendrons, Cape Bulbs, Lachenalias, &c., &c. To Fellows,
2s. 6d. ; non-Fellows, 5s.

Vol. XIII., part 3, 1891, pp. 280. Alpine Plants, Tea-scented
Roses, Hardy Summer-flowering Perennials, &c., &c. To
Fellows, 2s. 6d. ; non-Fellows, 5s.

Vol. XIV., 1892, pp. 588. Contains a full Report of and Proceed,
ings at the Conifer Conference, held at Chiswick, October 7 and
8, 1891, and all the Papers read thereat ; Synopsis of the order
Conifer®, by Dr. Maxwell T. Masters ; Pinetum Danicum, by
Prof. Carl Hansen ; Statistics of Conifers in the British Islands,
by Mr. Malcolm Dunn; Diseases of Conifers; Value of Conifers
for Planting, &c., &c. To Fellows, 7s. 9d. ; non-Fellows, 15s. Qd.

Vol. XV., part 1, 1892, pp. 120. Contains a Report of the Con-
ference on Michaelmas Daisies and Perennial Sunflowers, &c.
To Fellows, 2s. 6d. ; non-Fellows, 5s.

Vol. XV., parts 2 and 3, pp. 400. Contains a Report of the Begonia
Conference, and all the Papers read thereat ; also the Conference
on Apricots and Plums, besides Papers on Winter Vegetables,
Cultivation of Melons, the Florist's Tulip, the History and
Culture of the Fuchsia, Root-pruning Fruit Trees, &c. To
Fellows, 3s. 9d. ; non-Fellows, 7s. 6d.

A List of the whole of the Plants, Flowers, Orchids,
Ferns, Fruits, and Vegetables certificated by the Society
from the year 1859 to December 1892. Price 2s. 6d.

ADVERTISEMENTS.

ft;R.lb. tbe prince of Males.

PORTABLE
SUMMER

PRICE

Can be flxed by handy

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£800

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G. W. KLLEY,

81 DULWICH ROAD, HERNE HILL, S.E.

The Largest Manufacturer of Rustic Summer Souse
and Rustic Work in England.

A Large Selection of Summer Houses always in stock at price

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RUSTIC SEATS, CHAIES, VASES, TABLES, ABCHES, &c., ALWAYS IN STOCK.

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Send for New Catalogue, 72 pp. (3 Stamps).

^f^0^^ ROAD, HERNE HILL

outside Herne Hill Station (L C. & D. Railway), where Goods can always be
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