THE BULB BOOK 



IRIS 



of the East Indies, with potato-like 

 tubers, heart-shaped angular leaves, 

 and flowers white within, purple out- 

 side. A plant of great economic 

 value in the Tropics. 



I. bignonioides. A native of 

 Cayenne, with deep purple . flowers 

 and trilobed leaves (Bot. Mag, t. 

 2645). 



I. bonarlensis (/. ficifolia). A fine 

 species from Buenos Ayres, with 

 heart-shaped leaves cut into three to 

 five lobes, and more or less tubular 

 lilac-purple flowers (Bot. Mag. t. 

 3665; Bot. Reg. 1841, t. 13). 



I. Jalapa (Convolvulus Jalapa), 

 FALSE JALAP. A native of S. United 

 States, with large tuberous roots, 

 membranous, heart-shaped, pointed 

 leaves, and inflated tubular flowers of 

 red, white, or clear bright pink 

 colour (Bot. Mag. t. 1572). 



I. pandurata (Convolvulus pandur- 

 atus ; C. candicans).ThQ large fleshy 

 roots of this United States species 

 often weigh from 2 to 16 Ibs. The 

 heart-shaped pointed leaves are some- 

 what downy beneath, and the white 

 flowers are tinted with purple in the 

 throat. (Bot. Mag. tt. 1603, 1939.) 



I. panlculata. An East Indian 

 species, having leaves palmately 

 divided into five to seven ovate lance- 

 shaped or elliptic lobes, and large 

 purple flowers in June. 



I. Purga (Exogonium Purga). 

 This species from Xalapa, Mexico, 

 yields the true purgative jalap of 

 commerce. It has blackish tuberous 

 roots about the size of an orange, and 

 the climbing stems, 10 to 20 ft. long, 

 are furnished with heart-shaped 

 pointed leaves lobed at the base. 

 The long-tubed, rose-purple, funnel- 

 shaped flowers appear in late summer 

 or autumn, and are only of short 

 duration ; others appear in quick suc- 

 cession. (Bot. Reg. 33, t. 49.) 



The Jalap plant may be grown in a 



cool greenhouse with ease. If the 

 roots are protected with a heap of 

 ashes in winter, it will flourish in the 

 open air. 



I. Woodi. A tuberous - rooted 

 species from Zululand, having woody 

 stems, heart-shaped, purple - tinted 

 leaves, and short-stalked clusters of 

 large bell-shaped, rosy-purple flowers. 



IRIS (from iris, the eye ; referring 

 to the variety and beauty of the 

 flowers). Nat. Ord. Iridese. A genus 

 containing nearly 200 species of 

 ornamental herbaceous plants with 

 woody or fleshy root - stocks or 

 spindle-shaped bulbs, and sword-like, 

 linear, or angular leaves. The flowers 

 emerge from sheathing scales, some- 

 times singly, but often scattered on 

 an erect scape. Perianth-tube short, 

 with the three outer segments (or 

 " falls ") reflexed and often " bearded " 

 at the base ; the three inner segments 

 (or " standards ") erect, often smaller 

 than the falls. Stamens three, 

 inserted at the base of the falls, and 

 sheltered beneath the three winged 

 and overarching petal-like stigmas. 



The species belonging to the genus 

 being so varied in character and 

 appearance, were at one time placed 

 in several distinct genera by various 

 authors. The introduction of new 

 species and a closer examination of 

 the plants, however, show that the 

 various sections are all built on much 

 the same lines. 



For garden purposes it may be 

 convenient to divide Irises roughly 

 into four main groups, as follows : 

 1. "Bearded" Irises; 2. "Beard- 

 less " Irises ; 3. " Oncocyclus," or 

 " Cushion " Irises, with which may be 

 associated those known as " Regelia " 

 Irises; and 4. "Bulbous" or "Xi- 

 phion " and " Juno " Irises. 



Of these groups, the first three 

 agree in the main in having rhizo- 



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