lEIS 



FLAG OBDEB 



IRIS 925 



Culture dc. as above for ' Oncocyclus 

 Irises,' p. 918. 



I. juncea {I. imberbis; I. mau/ri- 

 icmica). — A graceful bulbous Iris, native 

 of S. Italy and Spain, and N. Africa, with 

 roundish bulbs and slender rush-like 

 leaves about 1 ft. long, appearing late in 

 autumn. Flowers in June and July, very 

 fragrant, and of a rich golden-yellow ; the 

 falls are broadly fiddle-shaped, and much 

 larger than the oblanceolate notched 

 standards. The variety pallida is a soft 

 canary-yellow, and numidiea is lemon- 

 coloured. 



Culture dc. as above for ' Bulbous 

 Irises,' p. 917. This species and its varie 

 ties are best grown in rich light soU in 

 warm dry situations. The flowers are 

 excellent for cutting, and valuable on 

 account of their dehcious fragrance. 



I. kolpako'wskyana. — A pretty Iris 

 from Turkestan, with round netted bulbs 

 and linear channelled leaves thickened at 

 the edges. Flowers in March, fragrant, 

 the oblong lance-shaped falls presenting 

 a beautiful contrast of rich red-purple and 

 bright golden-yellow with broken purple 

 veins, the oblong standards being pale 

 lilac or purple. 



Culture dc. as above recommended for 

 'Bulbous Irises,' p. 917. This is a very 

 difficult Iris to grow, as the imported bulbs 

 mostly die after the first year. Perhaps if 

 treated like the Oncocyclus Irises (p. 918) 

 there would be a chance of success. 



I. Korolkowi. — A native of Turkestan 

 1-1^ ft. high, with linear glaucous leaves 

 and large whitish flowers tinged with 

 brown and copiously veined with a deeper 

 colour ; falls oblong, bearded ; standards 

 rather broader, erect. The variety con- 

 color has beautiful bright lilac-purple 

 flowers ; leichtUniana has handsome 

 creamy - white flowers marked with a 

 blackish-purple blotch at the base of the 

 falls ; venosa has greyish-lilac flowers dis- 

 tinctly veined with purple ; and violacea 

 violet or puce-coloured flowers with darker 

 veins. 



Culture dc. as above for ' Bulbous 

 Irises,' p. 917. Grows best in light warm 

 and dryish soil, and should be protected 

 from wet in winter. 



I. kumaonensis (J. hingiana ; I. longi- 

 foUcb ; I. tigrina). — A native of the 

 Western Himalayas, at an elevation of 

 about 11,500 ft. It has stout short creep- 



ing rootstooks and tufts of leaves 6-9 in. 

 long, and about J in. broad. Flowers in 

 May, 2-3 in. deep, with dark lUao falls, 

 mottled with paler lilac and having a 

 white and yellcw beard, standards paler 

 in colour. 



Culture dc. as above for ' Bearded 

 Irises,' p. 917. 



I. lacustris. — A beautiful and free- 

 growing N. American Iris with creeping 

 rootstooks and charming sky-blue flowers 

 produced in early spring, and often again 

 in autumn. 



Culture and Propagation. — It flour- 

 ishes in sandy soil in open sunny situa- 

 tions, and may be increased by division in 

 autumn or spring. 



I. laevigata (J. Kcempferi). — Japanese 

 Iris. — This remarkable species, native of 

 Siberia and Japan, has the largest flowers 

 in the genus, and is better known in 

 gardens under the name of I. Kcempferi. 

 It grows about 2 ft. high, with solid 

 glaucous flower stems, and pale green 

 weakish sword-shaped leaves. The blooms 

 which appear in June and July are very 

 variable in size and colour, sometimes 

 measuring 8-10 in. across. In the wild 

 type the large roundish falls are violet- 

 blue, vsdth a bright yellow blotch at the 

 base, and the much smaller oblong obovate 

 standards are usually of a much paler 

 blue. There are in cultivation, however, 

 a. great number of varieties with pure 

 white, lilac, magenta, purple, and other 

 shades of colour, all more or less constant 

 in the yellow blotch at the base of the 

 falls. There are varieties in which the 

 colour becomes streaked or blotched, but 

 they are not so ornamental as those with 

 a clear uniform colour. There are also 

 double-flowered forms not so desirable as 

 the others. 



Culture and Propagation. — I. Icevi- 

 gata and its varieties are not difficult 

 to grow. They rejoice in a moist peaty 

 loam, although in a wild state they are 

 found in boggy and even slightly sub- 

 merged soils. Warm, sunny, or not too 

 sjiady positions by the banks of streams, 

 lakes, ponds &c. suit the plants perhaps 

 better than any other, and when grown 

 in large masses they are very effective. 

 The plants may be increased by careful di- 

 vision of the rootstocks in autumn. Seeds 

 may also be saved and sown in early 

 spring in pots or pans in cold frames. 

 The young plants may be transplanted to 



