1 64 THE BOOK OF THE IRIS 



long, united below into a column reaching above the 

 tube ; crests large, lanceolate, deltoid. The blade of 

 fall is rich red purple, with deeper veins, the area around 

 the ridge being creamy white, with broken veins ; its 

 claw yellowish, tending to green, with broken purple 

 Veins. The standards and styles are light purple or 

 lilac. The stigma is simple, not distinctly bifid, as in all 

 the reticulata group. The flowers have a violet-like 

 fragrance. It flowers with reticulata in March ; is native 

 in the mountains of Turkestan ; is difficult of cultivation. 

 Il8. I. Vartani, Foster in Card. Chron., 1885, i. 

 438; Bulbous Irises, figs. 8 and 39 j Bat. Mag., t. 6942. 

 Flowering from October to December, this pretty Iris is 

 possessed of a certain merit, though for the reason of 

 winter growth it is difficult to cultivate. It has been 

 described as a lovely Iris on account of its pale blue 

 colour, but also by good authority as one that is only of 

 botanical interest. The bulbs are narrowly ovoid, tufted, 

 \ in. diameter, the outer coats netted -, leaves four-sided, 

 with acute angles, and armed with a horny point ; they 

 are four inches or more long at flowering time, finally a 

 foot long. The spathes are one-flowered, l| to 2 in. 

 long ; valves lanceolate, greenish. The perianth-tube is 

 2j in. long, the limb 3 to 4 in. across, but sometimes 

 less ; falls with a very narrow claw, suddenly expanding 

 into an ovate-lanceolate blade, \ in. wide ; the median 

 ridge conspicuous, smooth, and yellow or white on the 

 blade, tuberculate and yellow, with black dots on the 

 claw ; standards nearly as long as the falls, oblanceolate, 

 \ in. broad ; style-arms f in. long ; the crests very long, 

 lanceolate. The flowers are dull lavender or pale slaty 

 blue, not fragrant ; native of Palestine, near Nazareth. 

 Cultivation should be tried under glass, removing the 

 bulbs from the soil on going to rest. Mr Ewbank 

 appears to have planted about mid-September, obtaining 

 flowers at Christmas. 



