38 



fall has a median ridge or crest of a deeper, more orange, colour 

 than its surroundings ; but this in the former is somewhat low 

 and simple, whereas in the latter it is large, conspicuous, and 

 often cut up into a fringe of short hairs, simulating the beard of 

 a rhizomatous Iris. The bulb of orchioides is very large, some- 

 times as large as a goose's egg, and the fleshy roots, so generally 

 characteristic of a Juno Iris, and well seen in I. caucasica, 



are frequently ill-developed. Lastly, 

 while I. caucasica goes to seed 

 most freely, I. orchioides, so far 

 as my experience goes, yields seed 

 most scantily. 



Besides this yellow form of 

 orchioides, there is also found in 

 Turkestan and Bokhara a plant 

 agreeing with it in all the features 

 of form and habit, differing only in 

 the colour of the flower, which, 

 instead of being uniformly yellow, 

 is of a delicate lavender colour, 

 except some yellow markings over 

 the ridge of the fall and its neigh- 

 bourhood. This, to my eyes, pecu- 

 liarly graceful and pleasing Iris has 

 been called I. caucasica var. cceru- 

 lea ; but, in accordance with what I 

 have stated above, I should prefer 

 to call it I. orchioides var. ccerulea. 

 Another variety, the var. oculata, 

 in which the yellow fall is simply 

 dotted with blue, I have laot seen 

 alive ; nor have I yet seen still 

 another variety, var. linifolia, in 

 which the leaves are extremely 

 narrow, linear in fact, the flowers 



being yellow. Still other varieties probably occur in the 

 regions around Turkestan, for the species seems to be exceed- 

 ingly variable ; and though I have not yet come across wild 

 iorms distinctly intermediate between I. caucasica and J. or- 

 chioides (I have obtained them by artificial crossing), these may 



FIG. 23. IRIS PALESTINA. 



