mis 



THE BULB BOOK 



IKIS 



I. vaga. — A Eegelia Iris, native of 

 Turkestan, -vntla stolon-bearing root- 

 stocks, erect curving leaves, and 

 yellowish, purple, and brown - red 

 flowers {Gartenjl. 1244, f. 7). 



Fio. 21S. — Irli unguicularU. (J.) 



I. variegata. — A verj- handsome 

 Austrian Iris of the '.lermanica group, 

 with tufts of sword-like leaves 12 to 

 18 ins. long, purple at the base. 

 Flowers in May and June ; falls ob- 

 long, narrowed at the base, deep 

 claret-brown, with a bright yellow 

 beard and brown veins on a yellow 

 ground; standards erect, oblong, 

 bright lemon-yellow. {£ot. Mag. t. 

 16 : Red. Lil. t. 292.) 



There are many beautiful forms 

 having various shades of yellow, 

 bronze, and purple predominating ; 

 although alba, with white flowers, is 

 an exception. 



I. Vartani. — A curious little bulb- 

 ous Iris from the neighbourhood of 

 Nazareth, i^ith ovoid netted bulbs, 



and four-sided horny-tipped leaves 

 4 to 6 ins long at the time of flower- 

 ing. Flowers 3 to 4 ins. across, 

 appearing about October. The pre- 

 dominating colour is slaty blue or 

 duU lavender ; the falls having a 

 yellow or white blade with black dots 

 on the claw. {Bot. Mag. t. 6942.) 



I. vema. — A beardless Iris from 

 the S. United States, about U ft. 

 high, with narrow finely-veined 

 leaves and deep violet flowers, having 

 an orange keel to the falls. The 

 leaves persist during the winter. 



I. versicolor. —A beautiful beard- 

 less Iris from X. America, with 

 rather glaucous sword-shaped leaves 

 and clusters of large claret-purple 

 flowers, borne in May and June, on 

 stems 1 to 2 ft, high. The standards 

 are paler in colour than the much 

 larger falls, which are beautifully 

 veined with deep purple. {Hot. 

 Mag. t. 21.) There is a good deal 

 of variation in the colour, and several 

 forms exist, that known as Jcermesina 

 having LQac standards and reddish- 

 lilac falls net-veined with white. 



Iris rh-gt)u'ca is considered to be 

 a form of this, having bright lilac 

 flowers (Bot. Mag. t. 703). 



I. Warleyensis. — A native of E. 

 Bokhara, related to /. o)rhioides 

 c>:erulea, from which it difi'ers chiefly 

 in the colour of the flowers, in which 

 shades of violet predominate. The 

 falls are deep violet with a bright 

 orange crest (fiard. Chron. 1902, 

 xxxi. 3S6, f. 134; Flora and Sylva, 

 December 1905.) 



I. Willmottiana. — A native of E. 

 Turkestan closely related to /. 

 caiicasica, but with lavender (not 

 yellow) or pale purple flowers blotched 

 with white (Gard. Chron. 1901, xxix. 

 261, f. 100). 



I. xiphioides (/. anglica ; I. pi/ren- 

 aica ; Xiphion latifoUum), English 

 Iris. — A beautifid PjTenean Iris hav- 



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