1 82 THE BOOK OF THE IRIS 



An old introduction, but, in its typical form especially, 

 one of the most charming. It is sweetly scented. The 

 bulb is ovoid, from J in. diam. to nearly as large as a 

 hen's egg, with large fleshy roots, the coats brown and 

 membranous. The leaves are four to five to a tuft, linear 

 to much broader, always pointed, more or less arched and 

 bent laterally. The stem is very short, one-headed, the 

 spathe one-flowered, 2 in. long ; valves green, lanceolate. 

 The flowers are sessile, 2 to 3 in. across, appearing soon 

 after the leaves begin to shoot ; tube 2 to 3 in. long, but 

 variable ; falls with a short round blade | in. broad, 

 narrower than the claw, which is abruptly expanded into 

 triangular wings or auricles ; standards 4- in. long, 

 lanceolate, with toothed or crenate edge, spreading 

 horizontally ; crests large, conspicuous, quadrate, with 

 crenate or toothed edge. The colour is variable, usually 

 pale bluish green, a sort of sea-green, with a very deep 

 violet patch on the blade of fall and numerous dark spots 

 on and around the ridge. It flowers in February and 

 March, and is native of Asia Minor and Persia. 



Var. purpurea. This was distributed by Herr Max 

 Leichtlin. It is almost wholly of dark red-purple with 

 an orange ridge on the fall and a deeper tint on its 

 blade. 



Var. azurea. Under this name Messrs Ware ex- 

 hibited a plant at the Drill Hall in 1899 which was 

 described in The Garden as bold and distinct and quite 

 unique in colour and exquisite marking. I do not find 

 it in recent catalogues, and am unable to refer to good 

 description. 



Var. mardinensis. This is offered by dealers, and 

 is described as having flowers of silver grey with purple 

 spots, three weeks earlier than /. persica. The falls of a 

 specimen I have show deep purple tips with pale margin 

 but no spots in addition. A native of Mesopotamia. 



131. I. Tauri, Siehe ; G. B. Mallet in Gard. Chron., 



