lEIS 



FLAG OBDEB 



mis 933 



usually bright lilac ; the blunt crisped falls 

 are veined with dark lilac, the claw 

 having a deeply laciniated white and lilac 

 crest. 



Culture and Propagation.— This Iris 

 grows well in light soUs in warm parts 

 of the garden and may be increased by 

 division. 



I. tenax. — A handsome N. American 

 species 6-12 in. high, with 2 linear leaves 

 and- bright lilac-purple flowers 2-3 in. 

 ■deep borne on slender stems in May and 

 June. 



Culture and Propagation. — This 

 species flourishes in ordinary good garden 

 soil and may be increased by division. 

 •Should there be any difficulty in growing 

 it, the plants are then better grown m 

 pots plunged in ashes in a cold frame 

 until they become established. In trans- 

 ferring to the open border it is better to 

 break the pot than run the risk of breaking 

 the roots, and thus probably check the 

 plants again. 



I. tingitana. — A beautiful bulbous Iris 

 native of Tangiers, with large ovoid 

 pointed bulbs and the first sheathing leaf 

 often red, sometimes spotted. Flowers in 

 March and April, 5-6 in. across, 2 on a 

 stem about 2 ft. high, completely hidden 

 by the deeply channelled leaves, which are 

 broad like those of I. xiphioidea, but very 

 glaucous and striated outside. Falls light 

 or deep blue, or bluish-purple, with deeper 

 veins, and a yellow keel spreading into 

 a broad patch behind. Standards and 

 styles usually deeper in colour than the 

 falls. 



Culture and Propagation. — The 

 cultivation of I. tingitana, says Sir M. 

 Foster, is peculiarly difficult in this 

 country, at least in most districts. The 

 plants start growth early, and their re- 

 latively broad ample foliage is terribly 

 punished by winter storms. Moreover, 

 they need genial moisture and more 

 decided warmth in early spring, just as 

 they are preparing to flower, than they 

 obtain in most parts of the country. The 

 plants are hardy enough in the sense that 

 they can, unprotected, stand without 

 injury even our severest frosts ; not 

 winter but cold cutting spring is their 

 enemy; they Hve but refuse to bloom. 

 The most suitable place for I. tingitana 

 is at the base of a south wall. It has far 

 better chances of developing its magnifi- 



cent flowers in the warm sunny south 

 than in the bleak cold north. 



I. trojana. — A native of Troy about 

 3 ft. high, with glaucous-green sword- 

 shaped leaves and sweet-scented flowers 

 borne on branching stems. The broadly 

 wedge-shaped falls are of a bright purplish- 

 violet, the base being white with yellow 

 margins veined with coppery purple. 

 The broadly elliptic standards are violet, 

 and the styles are bluish- violet with broad 

 toothed crests. 



Culture dc. as above for ' Bearded 

 Irises,' p. 917. 



I. tuberosa (Hermodactylus tuber- 

 osus). — SnaJte's Head Iris. — A distinct 

 and interesting species, native of both sides 

 of the Mediterranean Sea. It is not a 

 bulbous Iris in the strict sense of the word, 

 although usually classed as such, as it has 

 a tuberous branched rootstock like a small 

 hard deformed Potato. The leaves are 

 often very long, 4-sided, with a horny 

 point. The flowers, about 2 in. across, 

 appear in March and April on slender 

 hollow stems about 1 ft. long, and are of 

 a peculiar olive-green colour, with dark 

 almost black velvety purple falls, occasion- 

 ally streaked with yellow or bright green. 

 There is a good deal of variation in plants 

 from different localities. 



Culture andPropagation. — I. tuberosa 

 should be grown in the warmest, driest, 

 and sunniest part of the garden, and suc- 

 ceeds best in a moderately light loam. 

 Although perfectly hardy it is often spoiled 

 by the cold winds which prevail at its 

 period of flowering. In suitable positions 

 it flowers freely, and is best left undis- 

 turbed for 3 or 4 years or even more 

 when in a flourishing condition. Increased 

 by division. 



I. unguicularis (J. stylosa). — A lovely 

 beardless Algerian Iris with a rhizome as 

 thick as a man's finger, and tufts of 

 distichous linear bright green leaves 

 equalling or over-topping the large fragrant 

 bright lilac or sky-blue flowers which are 

 produced in January and February, the 

 bleakest period of the year. There are 

 several forms of this species, including 

 alba with large white flowers and speciosa 

 with deep rich blue flowers veined with 

 white. There are also forms known as 

 angustifolia, JSlisabethce, gra/ndiflora, 

 lilacina, marginata, pavonia, and pur- 

 purea. 



