Tab. 7914. 

 iris bucharica. 



Native of Bokhara. 



Nat. Ord. IridEjE. — Tribe Mor^eEjE. 

 Genus Iius, Linn. {Benth, et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 686.) 



Iris (Juno) bucharica; ex affinitate I. orchioidei (B. M. t. 7111) et forsan 

 hujus species mere varietas, bulbo subgloboso, caule erecto 1-2 ped. alto 

 internodiis distinctis, foliis 7-11 lanceolatis acute acuminatis usque ad 

 1 ped. longis sed saepe brevioribus arcuatis nitidis, spathis in axillis 

 foliorum solitariis 1-doris vix acutis haud inflatis, floribus breviter pedun- 

 culatis albido-luteis circiter 2| poll, diametro, perianthii tubo elongato, 

 limbi segmentis omnibus longe unguiculatis, exterioribus lamina oblonga 

 apice rotundata recurva cristata crista aurantiaca, interioribus parvis 

 arete deflexis trilobulatis lobis lateralibus obtusis intermedio acutissimo, 

 styli cristis oblique ovatis interdum in margine exteriore irregulariter 

 1-lobulatis. 



I. bucharica, Foster in Gard. Ghron. 1902, vol. i. pp. 385-387, tig. 135 ; 1903, 

 vol. i. p. 251. Journ. Sort. ser. 3, vol. xlv. p. 260-261. 



This pretty Iris is one of a series of four which Sir 

 Michael Poster, one of the first authorities on the genus, 

 says might well be regarded as varieties of one species, 

 namely, orchioides, Carr. in Rev. Sortie. 1880, p. 337, fig. 

 68 (B. M. t. 7111). But he argues that as they present 

 distinctive characters, which, from a gardener's stand- 

 point, constitute species, they may as well be accepted as 

 such. This may be a convenient course so long as there 

 are only the four to deal with ; but, judging from very 

 scanty material, there is considerable individual variation, 

 and I am not quite certain that our plant is exactly his 

 I. bucharica. He himself says that one of the four of this 

 series, the one known as 1. orchioides ccerulea, was referred 

 by Kegel to I. caucasica, Hoffm., and 1 find that Kegel 

 (Garten-flora, t. 800) figures a plant exceedingly like ours, 

 especially in the three-lobed deflexed inner petals or 

 standards, as I. caucasica. 



The plant here figured was purchased from Messrs. Van 



Tubergen, Dutch Nurserymen, and it flowered in the 



Alpine House at Kew in March of the present year. 



Sir Michael Foster obtained his from the same source, 



September 1st, 1903. 



