106 THE BOOK OF THE IRIS 



by reason of its perfume. No strictly botanical descrip- 

 tion has yet been published and I have not seen the 

 plant, but Mr Hoog tells us that it has the habit of 

 /. iberica with similar rhizomes and is of similar height. 

 The falls are much smaller than the standards, strongly 

 secured, and have an orange beard but no " signal " patch. 

 The standards are perhaps 2 in. high and nearly ij in. 

 diameter. The name urmiensis is given from Lake 

 Urmiah of North-West Persia, where, in that mountainous 

 district, the plant is native. Other Irises from the same 

 district have naturally died down in summer, and it is 

 hoped that this, consenting also to rest in our damp 

 climate, may do well. 



N.B. There is a yellow variety of /. Earnumae 

 which Sir Michael Foster has flowered, but it has a 

 linear beard. 



54. I. Mariae, Barbey ; /. Helenae, Barbey, Herbor. 

 Levant, 159. The rhizome is slender or moderately 

 stout. The leaves are linear, 3 to 4 in. long, narrower 

 than those of I. iberica and less distinctly falcate. The 

 stem is about 6 in. long, bearing two to four short 

 leaves, the spathes are 2 to 3 in. long ; valves membran- 

 ous, pale green ; pedicel very short. The perianth-tube 

 is cylindrical, greenish, I J in. long ; limb 2 to 2j in. 

 long, of uniform lilac colour, but marked with fine veins 

 of red-brown ; the falls are orbicular-cuneate, I in. 

 broad, with deep purple signal patch and hairs of deep 

 purple on the claw crowded along the median line as if 

 to form the ordinary Pogoniris beard. The standards 

 are round with short claw. The style branches are 

 I in. long with quadrate crests. Discovered by M. 

 Barbey on the confines of Egypt and Palestine and was 

 first called by him /. Helenae, a name previously appro- 

 priated. 



55- I. iberica, Hofftn. Comm., i. 41 ; Flore des Serres, 

 t. 1963 ; Bot. Mag., t. 5847 ; Garten/}., t. 386 and 713. 



