Tas. 7511. 
IRIS ALBopurPurEA. 
_- 
Native of Japan. 
Nat. Ord. Inmpea.—Tribe Monae. 
Genus Iris, Linn.; (Benth. et Hook. f, Gen. Plant. vol. 11. p. 686.) 
Iris (Apogon) albopurpurea; rhizomate breviter repente, foliis ensiformibus 
viridibus recurvatis, pedunculo tereti monocephalo foliis xquilongo, 
spathe valvis ovatis acutis viridibus, perianthii tubo brevi segmentis 
exterioribus recurvatis obovatis albis purpureo maculatis, segmentis 
interioribus erectis oblanceolatis albis immaculatis exterioribus paulo 
brevioribus, styli cristis magnis margine exteriori rotundatis integris. 
A few plants of this fine new Iris were imported from 
Japan, mixed with a quantity of I. levigata (I. Kempferi, 
Siebold.) ‘Tull they flowered the two species looked very 
like one another, but when the flowers came out this 
caught the eye at a glance by the outer segments being 
much deflexed, and the inner ones erect, whilst in lezvigata 
all the six spread horizontally at one level, a character 
very unusual in the genus Jris. Its nearest ally is J. hewa- 
gona, Walt. (Bot. Mag. tab. 6787), a native of the Southern 
United States. Both albopurpurea and levigata were in 
flower together in damp ground by the side of the lake in 
front of the Palm House in the Royal Gardens, Kew, from 
the middle to the end of June, by which time nearly all 
the other Irises had faded. 
Descr.— Rhizome shortly creeping. Leaves ensiform, 
green, not very firm in texture, two feet long, nearly an 
inch broad. Peduncle terete, moderately stout, one-headed, 
not overtopping the leaves. Flowers usually three in a. 
cluster, opening successively ; outer spathe-valves ovate, 
bright green at the flowering time, two inches long ; pedi- 
cels short. Perianth-tube short, cylindrical; outer seg- 
ments of the limb obovate, deflexed, three inches long by 
half as broad, white, spotted with purple; inner segments 
erect, pure white, lanceolate, rather shorter than the 
DrEcemBER Ist, 1896, 
