XIPHION 165 



119. I. reticulata, M.B., Fl. Taur. Cauc. 34, t. i; 

 Sot. Mag., t. 5577 (not quite typical) ; Card. Chron., 

 April 19, 1879, ? 5 OI > ^S' ^9* This is deservedly 

 one of the most popular of bulbous Irises, and indeed 

 none surpass it in the richness of its purple and gold. 

 It has the delightful fragrance of violets. The bulb is 

 ovoid with netted coats hence the name. The leaves 

 are acutely four-angled with horny point, short at 

 flowering time, finally a foot or more long ; spathes one- 

 flowered, about 3 in. long ; green, tightly wrapped 

 around the slender tube, which is 2 to 3 in. long. The 

 limb is of deep rich violet, I J to 2 in. long ; falls narrow 

 with but slight distinction between claw and blade, the 

 latter J in. broad with splendid golden " signal " in 

 front of the stigmas, and low bright orange ridge, 

 which is continued down the claw by a yellow streak 

 marked with dots ; standards nearly as long, oblanceo- 

 late ; style branches an inch long ; crests quadrate. It 

 usually flowers in March. Is sparsely native of the 

 Caucasus and surrounding regions. 



Cultivation is quite easy, and any good border suits 

 it well. Is valuable for cutting. May be flowered in 

 pots, and if potted about the end of August and plunged 

 in ashes, can be removed later to greenhouse for flower- 

 ing, it is said, at Christmas. A form, said to be twice 

 the size of type, was distributed by Herr Max Leichtlin 

 some years ago, under the name major. Mr T. Smith 

 of Newry has a variety which is pure white, except for 

 the golden " signal." The late Mr Nelson raised a 

 light blue variety which he called caerulea. 



II9A. I. reticulata, var. Histrio, Foster in Bulbous 

 Irises, p. 57; /. Histrio, Reich, fil. in Bat. Zeit., 1871, 

 488 ; Garden, 1 888, June 16, t. 653, fig. I ; Xiphion 

 Histrio, Hook. fil. in Sot. Mag., t. 6033. I follow Sir 

 Michael Foster in placing this valuable plant under 

 /. reticulata, but from a garden point of view it is very 



