IRIS. 3§ 



in. broad. Style-branches 1^ in. long ; crests deltoid. Capsule 

 oblong-trigonous, 1-1^ in. long. 



Hab. South Europe and West Asia, ascending to 7000 ft. on the Altas 

 mountains. The type differs from germanica by its fragrant flowers, shorter 

 entirely scariose spathe-valves, and flowers a month later ; but there are many 

 varieties and intermediates, amongst which are I. cucnllata Schur, I. Junonia 

 Schott & Kotschy, I. asiatica Stapf, and I. australis, Mandraliscce, Tinai and 

 siciila Todaro. 



132. I. PLiCATA Lam. Encyc. iii. 294. I. nphi/lla, var plicata 

 Ker. — Kbizome, leaves, stem and spathe-valves exactly as in I, 

 pallida. Tube greenish, ^ in. long ; limb 2-2^ in. long ; falls obo- 

 vate-cuneate, 1^ in. broad, pure white in the centre, conspicuously 

 veined with lilac towards the margin and on the claw ; standards as 

 long and as broad, very plicate, white in the centre, flushed with 

 violet at the edge. 



Hab. Known in cultivation only. Flowers early in July. Derived no 

 doubt from I. pallida. 



133. I. SwERTii Lam. Encyc. iii. 294 (Swert Floril. tab. 41, 

 fig. 1) ; Red. Lil. t. 306 ; Sweet Brit. Flow. Gard. ser. 2, t. 254 ; 

 Reich. Ic. Crit. fig. 1239. I. apJujlla var. Swertii Ker. /. dcsertorum 

 Balbis. /. porturjalensis Besler. — Much dwarfer than /. pallida and 

 plicata. Stem 1-1^ ft. long, 3-4-headed. Spathe-valves oblong, 

 scariose, an inch long, flushed with violet. Perianth-tube ^ in. 

 long ; limb 2-2^ in. long ; falls obovate-cuneate, an inch broad, 

 white, faintly veined with lilac, flushed with purple towards the 

 edge ; standards as long and broad, much crisped, pure white 

 except the purple keel and margin. 



Hab. Known in cultivation only. Fragrant, flowering with us at the end 

 of May or early in June, long before pallida. 



Subgenus VIIL Xiphion (Miller). 



134. I. XiPHiuM Linn. Sp. Plant. 58, ex parte ; Bot. Mag. t. 

 656 ; Red. Lil. t. 337. 1. variabilis Jacq. Xiphion. vuhjare Miller. 

 X. angustifulium Tourn. — Bulb ovoid, |-1 in. diam. ; tunics mem- 

 branous, brown. Leaves several, superposed, subterete, glaucous, 

 the lower a foot long. Stem 1-headed, 1-2 ft. long. Spathes 1-2- 

 flowered, 2-4 in. long ; outer valves green, lanceolate ; pedicels 

 long. Perianth-tube obsolete ; limb 2-2^ in. long, violet-purple in 

 the typical form ; falls with an orbicular blade an inch broad, much 

 shorter than the panduriform haft ; standards as long, oblong- 

 unguiculate, ^-f in. broad. Style-branches above an inch long ; 

 crests large, quadrate. Capsule clavate. 



Hab. Spain, ascending to 6000 ft ; North Africa, Corsica and the South of 

 France. This is jthe long-cultivated and well-known Spanish Iris of the 

 gardens. With us it flowers in June. The principal varieties are I. lusitanica 

 Ker in Bot. Mag. t. 679, in which the flowers are yellow ; and Xijihion sordidttm 

 Salisb., I. spectabilis Spach., the Thunderbolt Iris, in which the habit is more 

 robust and the flowers are darker yellow flushed with brown. These two are 

 natives of Portugal. I cannot separate from I. Xiphium by any botanical 

 character, a plant from Tangiers cultivated by Mr. Elwes, which flowers in 

 England a month earlier and pushes its leaves in autumn instead of spring. 

 See Foster in Garden 1881, 422 tab. 308. 



