98 THE BOOK OF THE IRIS 



The rhizome is stout, short, creeping. The leaves are 

 ensiform, slightly glaucescent, l| to 2 ft. long, over an inch 

 in breadth. The stem is five or six headed, overtopping 

 the leaves ; spathes two or three flowered ; valves ovate, 

 ventricose, the outer scariose at flowering time except in 

 the centre towards the base ; pedicels very short. The 

 flowers are bright lilac, perianth-tube under an inch long, 

 narrowly funnel-shaped, greenish ; falls obovate-cuneate, 

 reflexing, two inches long, under an inch broad, faintly 

 crested, and densely bearded with white filaments tipped 

 with yellow, lined on each side of the beard with dull 

 brown on a white ground ; standards as long as the falls, 

 broader, orbicular ; crests of stigma short, not reaching to 

 the top of beard. A native of the mountains of Turkestan, 

 flowering in England towards the end of May. This 

 plant may be accorded a treatment similar to that of 

 Oncocyclus, keeping it dry after flowering, and allowing 

 it moisture when showing desire to make new growth. 

 Alberti x balkana is a hybrid with soft red-orange standards 

 and rich purple falls with yellow beard. 



