58 



Pig. Bot. Mag. 6033 ; Garden, vol. xxxiii. (1888), p. 558. 



Charact. Leaves of considerable length, a foot, or even more, 



when the flower opens. Tube rather short, and segments somewhat 



short and broad, as in var. Krdagei. Spathe-valves narrow, pointed, 



f ~ nearly colourless and transparent. 



Style more triangular than in 

 /u /\ type ; crests of style larger, more 

 I M / \ triangular and pointed. Differs 

 ] \ / \from the type entirely in colour ; 



/ V jthe margin of the blade of the 



I .^jK. / ^ a ^ * s a r *k Bright colour, which 

 \f^ ^'N' is almost a blue, but has a slight 

 1 / admixture of red ; within this 



\ I is a region of a creamy white 



\ I ground with many bright blue 



\ I blotches and broken veins of a 



\ I similar colour ; in the median line 



\ I is a low narrow yellow ridge, 

 I I which is continued on along the 



claw as a yellow streak, dotted 



FIG. 31-lRis BETICULATA var. HISTBIO. with low black tubercles. The 



lateral regions of the claw bear 



veins which at the base of the claw break up into dots. Standards 

 and styles of a lighter blue, the crests of the styles being marked 

 with deeper veins. 



Time. December to March, according to situation and season ; 

 the earliest reticulata. 



Hab. Palestine, Mount Lebanon, Mount Gerizim. 



I. BETICULATA var. SOPHENENSIS. Foster, Gard. 

 Chron. 1885, i. 470. (From Sophene, 

 the ancient name of the district round 

 Kharput.) 



Charact. The flower, with the spathe- 

 valves, appears while the leaves have 

 hardly pierced the ground. Tube v variable 

 in length, but always longer than the 

 spathe-valves. Whole flower more spread- 

 ing, less funnel-shaped than in type. The 

 long, narrow claw of the fall expands into 

 a blade which is only about half as long as, 

 but nearly as broad again as itself. The 

 orange ridge on the blade is continued as 

 a yellow uneven ridge along the whole 

 length of the claw. The colour, which has 

 a peculiar metallic sheen, varies from a 

 dark red-purple to a blue-purple, or to a lilac or lavender. The flower 



FIG. 35. IRIS RETICULATA 

 var. SOPHENENSIS. 



