IRIS 



about 1 ft. long. Flowers from 

 January to March, very fragrant, 

 having narrow oblanceolate standards 

 of a sky-blue colour, and broader, 

 oblong, spoon-shaped more or less 

 erect "falls," white, blotched with 

 deep blue or violet, and edged with 

 deep violet. The flowers vary a good 

 deal in colour, and include a beautiful 

 white form. (Sot. Mag. t. 7084.) 



I. balkana. A tufted species about 

 1 ft. high, native of the Balkan 

 mountains, with sharp-pointed sword- 

 like leaves. Flowers dark purple- 

 lilac, the fall having a dense white 

 beard tipped with lilac. 



I. Barnumse. A Kegelia Iris from 

 the hills of Kurdistan, with slender 



THE BULB BOOK 



IRIS 



FIG. 195. Iris Barnumce. 



root-stock and stems only a few inches 

 high. It comes near /. iberica, but 

 has narrower and less sickle-shaped 

 leaves, and smaller and less attractive 

 dull wine-purple flowers, marked with 

 deeper coloured veins, and a brownish- 

 yellow style blotched and spotted with 



reddish - purple. Falls smaller and 

 narrower than the roundish standards, 

 and having a beard of yellow hairs 

 tipped with purple. There is a 

 charming yellow - flowered variety. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 7050.) 



I. Bartoni. A handsome Afghan 

 species, with pale green sword-like 

 leaves about 18 ins. long and li to 2 

 ins. broad, strongly ribbed. Flowers 

 in June, strongly scented, having 

 creamy - white falls veined with 

 greenish-yellow, violet-purple on the 

 claw, and a white and orange beard ; 

 standards creamy- white veined with 

 purple. (Bot. Mag. t. 6869.) 



I. benacensis. A native of the 

 Southern Tyrol, 12 to 15 ins. high, 

 with sword-like leaves. The flowers 

 have long obovate deep violet falls, 

 with still deeper veins, and end in a 

 whitish claw veined with coppery 

 violet, while the beard is white at 

 the base and yellow above. The 

 broad oblong standards are violet, as 

 are also the triangular crests of the 

 stigma. 



I. biflora (/. fragrans ; I. nudi- 

 cavlis ; 1. mUbifiora). A beautiful 

 S. European Iris 9 to 18 ins. high, 

 with a stout short creeping root-stock 

 and blue -green sword -like leaves. 

 Flowers in April, bright violet-purple ; 

 the obovate falls having a yellow 

 beard. (Bot. Mag. t. 5806.) 



I. Biliotti. A handsome Iris of the 

 germanica group, 2i to 3 ft. high, 

 native of Asia Minor. The flowers 

 are very fragrant. The wedge-shaded 

 falls are about 3i ins. long, reddish- 

 purple with dark, almost black, veins, 

 and a white beard tipped with yellow. 

 The standards are about 3| ins. long 

 and 2 ins. broad, bluish-purple with 

 fine delicate deep blue veins. 



I. Bismarckiana. A handsome 

 Cushion Iris from Mount Lebanon, 

 having creeping root-stocks and leaves 

 like /. Sitsiana, and flowers veined 



297 



