IRIS 



THE BULB BOOK 



IRIS 



or deep blue falls veined with purple- 

 red on a whitish ground, and bearded 

 with bright yellow, the standards 

 being pale lilac. There are many fine 

 garden forms having various shades 

 of lavender, violet, blue, and white. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 2435.) 



I. nepalensis (/. decora). A dis- 

 tinct Iris, 6 to 12 ins. high, native 

 of Nepaul. Rhizomes small, covered 

 by a net of fibres, and having white 

 fleshy, thong-like roots, and linear 

 sword - shaped, tapering, striped 

 leaves. Flowers of a delicate pale 

 lavender, the lanceolate spoon-shaped 

 falls having a median ridge of yellow 

 hairs towards the base. The flowers 

 are very fleeting, opening in the 

 morning and fading before evening. 



The variety Letha, from the Chin 

 Hills in Upper Burmah, is a better 

 garden plant. It has deliciously 

 fragrant flowers of a delicate lavender 

 colour. It is now known as /. Colletti, 

 and is figured in the Bot. Mag. t. 

 7889. (Bot. Reg. t. MS.) It is better 

 to treat this Iris as recommended for 

 the Oncocyclus group (see p. 292). 



I. obtusifolia. A Persian species, 

 with short oblong, bluntish leaves, 

 and yellow flowers with striped falls 

 and a bearded crest (Bot. Mag. t. 

 7701). 



I. ochro-aurea. This seems to be a 

 hybrid between /. ochroleuca and /. 

 aurea. The rich yellow beardless 

 falls are edged with creamy-white, 

 and the standards are erect and 

 bilobed. (Gard. Chron. 1900, xxviii. 

 32.) 



I. orchioides (Orchid Iris). A dis- 

 tinct bulbous Iris found wild in 

 Western Turkestan and Bokhara, 

 remarkable for having bulbs some- 

 times as large as a goose's egg. The 

 flowers, 2 to 3 ins. across, are borne 

 in March and April all along the 

 stems, l to 2 ft. high. They are 

 of a rich yellow, with or without a 



greenish tint or spot, the oblong 

 reflexed falls being variously spotted, 

 blotched, and veined with violet. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 7111.) 



The variety ccerulea has pale blue 

 or lavender flowers, the ridge of the 

 fall being yellow with lavender 

 blotches, the whole blade being some- 

 times creamy-yellow. In oculata the 

 yellow flowers have blue blotches on 

 the fall, and lini/olia has yellow 

 flowers and extremely narrow leaves. 



I. orientalis (/. ochroleuca : I. gig- 

 antea). A splendid beardless Iris of 

 unknown origin. It has slender sword - 



308 



FIG. 208. Iris orientali 



like leaves about 4 ft. long, and flower- 

 stems often 6 ft. high, bearing clusters 

 of large ivory-white flowers in June, 

 the roundish-obovate falls having a 

 large yellow blotch at the base. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 61 ; Red. Lil. t. 350.) 



There are several forms, some with 

 larger flowers than others. 



I. palaestina. A pretty bulbous 



