lEIS 



FLAG ORDER 



IRIS 929 



also warm sunny situations sheltered 

 from bleak winds. In wet districts the 

 bulbs are probably best Hfted every year 

 when thoroughly ripened, and if seeds are 

 saved they should be sown at onee in pots 

 under glass. 



I. plicata. — A plant of unknown origin 

 2-3 ft. high, with slightly glaucous sword- 

 like leaves 12-18 in. long, and clusters of 

 large fragrant flowers produced in Jime 

 and July ; falls obovate, pure white in the 

 centre, veined with bright lilac at the 

 edges, and having a yellow-tipped beard ; 

 standards obovate-oblong, plaited, pure 

 white edged with lUac. 



Culture £c. as above for 'Bearded 

 Irises,' p. 917. Ordinary garden soil. 

 May be grown like germanica, hybrida, 

 and neghcta. 



I. Pseudacorus [Yellow Flag oi Water 

 Flag). — A well-known British species 

 found near river banks, ditches &c., having 

 a stout creeping rootstock, and glaucous 

 sword-shaped leaves 2-4 ft. long. Flowers 

 from May to August, large, almost scent- 

 less, 3-4 in. across, bright yellow with a 

 deeper spot at the base of the falls which 

 are veined with brovim or purple. The 

 variety acoroides from N. America has 

 smaller sulphur-yeUow flowers than the 

 type. There is a beautiful variety in 

 which the leaves are striped with ivory- 

 white, as in a form of 1. fcetidissima, and 

 another with golden-yeUow stripes, but 

 these are much clearer and finer looking 

 in spring than in summer and autumn, 

 by which time they have usually dis- 

 appeared. 



Culture and Propagation. — Any 

 moist shady place will suit the Yellow 

 Flags, which are easily increased by divi- 

 ding the roots in autumn or spring. 



I. pumila. — A charming little Iris 4-5 

 in. high, from S. Europe and Asia Minor, 

 with tufts of slightly glaucous sword- 

 shaped leaves. Flowers in April and fre- 

 quently a second time in autumn, borne 

 singly on the stems, and of a bright lilac- 

 purple or deep violet colour, the reflexed 

 falls having a dense white beard at the 

 base, the standards being usually paler in 

 colour. There are several forms of this 

 Iris, among which may be mentioned 

 alhida — the Crimean Iris — greyish- 

 white ; atro-ocerulea, deep p^lrple ; attica, 

 yellow veined with brownish-lUac ; ccerulea, 

 bright blue with yellow beards ; ccelestis, 



sky-blue ; gracilis, pure white with bronze 

 falls ; and luiescens, bright yeUow. 



Culture and Propagation. — I. pumila 

 and its varieties make excellent edgings 

 for borders on account of their bright 

 colours in spring, used mixed or in sepa 

 rate colours, but the best effects are from 

 alternate colours. For banks, slopes, and 

 parts of the rockery they are also valuable, 

 and flourish in light free soil. They may 

 be increased by division. 



I. reticulata (Netted Iris). — A charm 

 ing Caucasian Iris having ovoid bulbs 

 with netted coats and 4-sided horny- 

 pointed narrow leaves about 1 ft. long 

 when fully developed. Flowers in Febru- 

 ary and March, sometimes even in 

 January when the snow is on the ground, 

 and the leaves are only a few inches high, 

 deep violet and sweetly scented, the long 

 narrow falls having a bright golden or 

 orange patch at the base and forming a 

 striking contrast to the deep violet. 



There are many beautiful forms of the 

 Netted Iris, the most distinct being the 

 following : — 



(1) Cyanea, a beautiful dwarf-growing 

 variety with flower stems scarcely raised 

 above the surface of the soil. It has at- 

 tractive bright blue flowers which should 

 be protected with a handlight or a sheet 

 of glass, as they are easily injured by the 

 cold rains. 



(2) Histrio, a oharnaing variety, in 

 which the leaves are 1 ft. or more long, 

 when the flowers open from December to 

 March ; they are bright blue blotched with 

 golden-yellow and having deep purple 

 blotches on the blade of the falls. 



(8) Histrioides opens its flowers before 

 the leaves appear, and these are eventually 

 stouter and longer than in any other form 

 of I. reticulata. The flowers are 4-5 in. 

 across, usually of a bright blue, sometimes 

 assuming a light violet tint ; the ridge of 

 the fall is golden-yellow vidth a white or 

 creamy zone outside veined and blotched 

 with violet. In warm situations the 

 flowers possess a distinct fragrance. 



(4) HumiUs. — The flowers which in 

 some respects resemble those of I. haher- 

 iana appear when the leaves are a few 

 inches high and are of a rich red-purple 

 colour, the fall having a bright orange or 

 yellow ridge surrounded by a zone of 

 dense creamy - white broken up by dots 

 and veins of deep purple. 



(5) Krelagei. — This flowers rather 



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