According to Mr. S. Watson, the veining of the falls, so 
marked a feature in the plants grown in England, is not 
a constant character, while Mr. Dykes in his monograph 
of the genus /ris points out that under cultivation in 
this country, various colour varieties or hybrids have 
appeared in which the yellow of the flowers in the wild 
plant has been replaced by red, almost crimson ; in this 
case, however, the veining has persisted. Owing to the 
Jaxly branched rhizome J. bracteata is of somewhat scanty 
growth, the leaf-tufts and flowering stems coming up in 
a scattered fashion. The lowermost leaves just above 
the scales are reduced to the sheathing portion and only 
one, or occasionally perhaps two of the leaves belonging 
to a tuft are of the normal Jris type. Mr. 8S. Watson 
has pointed out that the stomata of the leaves are in 
this species confined to the pale side of the leaf. 
Derscription.—Herb, with a slender branching obliquely 
descending rootstock which is closely covered by the 
hardened remains of the firm bud-scales; leafy tufts clothed 
at the base by fresh firm brown imbricate scales. Leaves 
about four to each tuft, usually only one fully developed ; 
the two outermost very much reduced and sheathing 
almost throughout, the third about twice as long as the 
basal, sheathing for two-thirds of its length, the upper- 
most fully developed leaf sheathing at the base only and 
reaching 15-1} ft. in length ; all linear, acute, the larger 
about 4 in. wide, all green on one side, paler green or 
somewhat glaucous on the other, main-nerves about 
8-10, slender but distinct. Stems with flowers 4-6 in. 
high to the bases of the spathes, clothed below with 
scales like those of the leafy tufts, the uppermost scales 
passing into leaves, usually 3 in number, which are — 
reduced to sheaths 13-3 in. long. Spathes lanceolate, 
acuminate, 2-21 in, long, green, with thin membranous 
margins, slightly keeled along the centre behind. Flowers 
2; pedicels 13—-2in. long. Perianth with a funnel-shaped 
tube 2-21 in, long; outer segments with an oblong- 
ovate, spreading limb about 13} in. long and 3 in. wide 
gradually narrowed to a wide claw about 2 in. long, 
yellow with 4 brownish-purple, longitudinal veins of 
which the outer pair give off numerous lateral branches 
