272 CLi. iRiDEj;. • (J. D. Hooker.) [Iris. 



The Himalayan species of Iris are very imperfectly known ; good specimens and 

 drawings are mach wanted, with descriptions from the living plants. The common 

 I. Xiphion of Europe and the East advances into Affghanistan, but has not been 

 collected in British India, and Prof. Foster informs me that he suspects that the 

 European and Eastern I. Sisgrinehimn, L., a species with the filaments united be- 

 low, occurs in the Punjab. It is a native of Affghauistan. The character of bearded 

 and crested sepals is artificial and inconstant in this genus. 



* Bootstock a coated bulb or corm (Xiphion). 



1. X. Aitchisoni, Boiss. Fl. Orient, v. 123; leaves slender subterete, 

 spatbes 1-fld., sepals sbortly clawed obovate, petals linear spreading, 

 stamens adherent to the style-arms. Xiphion Aitchisoni, Baker in Gard. 

 Ohron. 1876, i. 723 ; in, Trim. Journ. Bot. xiii. (1873) 108 ; in Journ: Linn. 

 8oc. xvi. 124. 



The Panjab; Salt range, alt. 3000 ft., Vicary, Aitchison.—XiiSTS.m. Aff- 

 ghanistan. 



Corm 2 in. long, ovoid ; coats brown, shining. Stem i-lj ft., slender, l-3<fld. 

 Leaves as long, i in. broad. Spathes 2-2J in. , lanceolate, green. Perianth lilac or 

 yellow ; tube 1-1^ in. ; blade \ in. ; petals much shorter, spreading, limb small 

 3-cuspidate. I. Stocksii, Boiss. Fl. Orient, v. 123, of Beluchistan, is closely allied 

 to I. Aitchisoni, but is a dwarf species with lanceolate plicate leaves. 



Tar. chrysantha. Baker, has the stem 2 ft., and much stouter and flowers 

 yellow. 



** Eootstock stout, prostrate and creeping. 



§ Sepals neither crested nor bearded. 



2. X. ensata, Thunh. in Trans. Linn. Sac. ii. 328 ; leaves linear rigid 

 grooved glaucous, sheaths shorter than the fusiform ovary, flowers lilac, 

 perianth-tube 0, blade of sepals rhomboidly ovate obtuse entire shorter than 

 the claw, petals oblanceolate erect, style-arms linear tip acutely 2-fid. 

 Boiss. Fl. Orient, v. 129 ; Baker in Journ. Linn. Soc. xvi. 139 ; in Oa/rd. 

 Cliron. 1876, ii. 323 ; Begel Oartenfl. t. 1011. I. biglumis, Vahl Fnum. ii. 

 149; Sweet Brit. Fl. Gard. Ser. ii. t. 187. I. triflora, -Ba/ftw Misc. Bot. 

 vii. t. 1 ; Bedoiite Lil. t. 481. I. Doniana, Spach. Sist. Veg. xiii. 34. 

 I. Pallasii, Fisch. ; Beichh. le. Fl. Germ, t- 469 ; Bot. Mag. t. 2331. I. fra- 

 grans, Lindl. in Bot. Beg. xxvi.t. 1. I. longispatha, Fisch. in Bot. Mag. t. 

 2528, I. Moorcroftiana, Wall. Cat. 5021 ; Don. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xviii. 

 315. I. pabulina, Nawd. in. Bev. Hortic. 1888, 338 (name). Xiphion Doni- 

 anum, Alefeld in Bot. Zeit. (1863) 297. loniris Doniana, ftagrans, tri- 

 flora & Pallasii, Klatt in Bot. Zeit. 1872, 602. 



Western Himalaya and Westbek Tibet, alt. 5-9000 ft., Boyle, &c.' — Disteib. 

 Temp. Asia. 



Stems tufted, short, or l|-2 ft., stout or slender, sheaths fibrous. Leaves H ft. 

 by :J— J in. Spathes 3-4 in., 1-3-fld. ; valves lanceolate, green. Flowers pedicelled ; 

 ovary 1 in., cylindric ; blade of sepals lJ-3 by ^— f in., elaw rather longer; petals 

 :} in. broad; style-arms 1 in., crests large, deltoid. Capsule li-3 in., by J-f in-, 

 6-ribbcd, beaked, ribs rounded. 



3. X. spuria, Linn. Sp. PL 58 ; leaves 1-3 ft. ensif orm coriaceous 

 strongly striate, spathes 2-3-fld., flowers hlac, perianth-tube long, blade 

 of sepals orbicular half as long as the claw, petals oblanceolate, style-arms 

 deflexed. Bot. Mag. t. 58, 1131, 1314-5 ; Jacq. Fl. Aiistr. t. 4 ; Beichb. f. 

 Fl. Germ. ix. t. 345. I. Notha, M. Bieb. Cent. PI. Boss. t. 77 ; Beichb. tc. 

 crit. X. t. 915. I. halophila, Bot. Mag. t. 875 {not of Pallas) ; Boiss. Fl. 

 Orient, v. 128. Xyridion Nothum and spurium, Klatt in Bot. Zeit. 1872, 

 499. 



