lEIS 



FLAG OBDEB 



IRIS 931 



brownish-blaok beard. Wheu the flowers 

 first open they have the general dark 

 ■silver-grey appearance of I. susiana, but 

 the purple hue becomes more pronounced 

 ■with age. The variety naaarene from 

 Palestine has the faDs heavily veined vi'ith 

 rovifs of brownish-purple spots on a pale or 

 straw-yellow ground, and a large maroon 

 blotch in the centre, while the standards 

 -are creamy-white beautifully veined with 

 blue. 



Culture Sc. as above for ' Oncooyolus 

 Irises,' p. 918. 



I. serotina. — A native of the cal- 

 careous mountains near Jaen in Spain. 

 According to Sir M. Foster it resembles 

 the Spanish Iris (I. Xiphitim) but appears 

 to differ not only in its very late flowering 

 in August or September, but in being less 

 vigorous, with the upper leaves very thin 

 and awl-like, in having reddish spathe- 

 valves, in the flowers being very much 

 protruded from the spathe-valves, and 

 especially in the faU having an oblong- 

 lanceolate blade and a narrow hnear 

 •claw. 



Culture dc. as above for ' Bulbous 

 Irises,' p. 917. 



I. setosa. — A handsome Iris, native of 

 Eastern Siberia to Japan, and somewhat 

 resembling I. sihirica. The thin leaves 

 are about 1 ft. long and ^ in. broad, and 

 the clusters of large bright lilac flowers are 

 produced in May and June, on stoutish 

 branched stems 2-3 ft. high. 



Culture dc. as for /. sihirica. This 

 rather rare species may be increased by 

 division and grown in moist rich soil. 

 The variety atro-ccsrulea has darker blue 

 flowers than the type. 



I. sibirica. — A beautiful and fairly 

 •common beardless Iris, native of Central 

 ^and South Europe to Siberia, with tufts of 

 linear ribbed leaves 1-2 ft. long. Flowers 

 in May and June, borne 2-3 together on 

 simple or forked rounded hollow stems, 

 1-2J ft. high ; they are bright lilac-blue, 

 1;he falls being veined with deep violet on 

 .a paler ground. There are many beautiful 

 .garden forms of this species, including 

 double-flowered ones which are not par- 

 -ticularly attractive, the white one, alba, 

 being one of the most distinct, having 

 white flowers mottled with purple. 

 Orientalis differs from the type by the 

 Tedness of its young leaves, shorter flower- 

 stems, and deeper coloured but less last- 

 ing flowers. 



Culture and Propagation. — /. sibirica 

 and its forms are easily grown in moist 

 soil near the edges of lakes, streams &c., 

 and may be increased by division. 



I. sindjarensis. — An interesting bulb- 

 ous Iris native of Mesopotamia, having 

 very large- elongated bulbs and fleshy 

 roots. Leaves 8-10, long and narrowing 

 very gradually to a sharp point, bent 

 into a double channel, much striped on 

 the outside, glossy green on the inside. 

 The flowers 2-4 in. across appear in 

 March and April, and are of a somewhat 

 slaty-blue, broken by the yellow ridge .of 

 the fall and by greenish-blue veins and 

 dots. They are distinctly fragrant, with 

 an odour resembling Vanilla. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 species requires similar treatment to 

 I. rosenbachiana. 



I. Sisyrinchium (J. fugax ; I. cegyptia ; 

 I. samaritana ; I. jumcifolia dc. Sc). — 

 This distinct little bulbous Iris about 6 in. 

 high, with shaggy-coated roundish bulbs 

 and arched linear pointed leaves, is the 

 ' Spanish ' or ' Barbary Nut ' of Parkinson. 

 It is widely distributed on both sides of the 

 Mediterranean shores, chiefly the northern, 

 and is also found from Asia Minor to 

 Afghanistan and the Punjaub. Its flowers 

 appear in May and June, but unfortu- 

 nately last only a few hours when fully 

 expanded. They are often very fragrant 

 and vary in colour from light blue to 

 reddish - purple with variable spots and 

 veins on the blade of the fall, which bears 

 a broad white patch and a median 

 yellow streak often spotted. Among the 

 various forms is a white one sometimes 

 met with. The variety monophylla has 

 one leaf only, and small dull-coloured 

 flowers ; and maricoides has much- 

 spotted flowers. 



Culture dc. as above for ' Bulbous 

 Irises,' p. 917. This plant and its varieties 

 require a warm sunny and sheltered 

 position in light dry soil, and are more 

 suitable for botanical collections. 



I. Sofarana. — This is a new species 

 from Lebanon and comes nearest I. Sari. 

 It has a large compact rootstock and 

 relatively broad leaves, 10 inches long and 

 about an inch broad. The solitary flowers 

 about 4 in. deep are borne on scapes 

 about 10 in. high. The elliptic falls have 

 a creamy- white ground, but this is almost 

 obscured, and they appear to be blackish- 

 purple owing to thick-set blotched and. 



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