The Apogon Section 
40 
Diagnosis. 
I. tenax imberbis ; rhizoma gracile, breviter repens ; folia lineari-ensiformia, tenacissima, cauli 
subaequilonga, glaucescentia ; caulis pedalis vel paullo longior, foliosus, monocephalus ; spathae i — 2 florae, 
valvis lanceolatis, herbaceis, inter se plerumque remotis ; pedicellus pollicaris ; tubus brevis ; segmenta 
exteriora obovato-cuneata, venosa, interiora erecta, lanceolato-unguiculata. 
Description. 
Rootstock , a slender rhizome, producing crowded tufts. 
Leaves , linear rather than ensiform, tapering to a fine point, somewhat lax. 
Stent, about a foot long, slender, bearing one or two reduced leaves. 
Spathc valves , 2 — 3 in. long, quite green, acuminate, usually 2-flowered. 
Pedicel, £ — 2 in., the second flower being carried above the first by the longer pedicel. 
Ovary, obscurely trigonal and marked with six grooves, which are more obvious in the upper 
part, which is slightly wider than the lower end. 
Tube, ^ in. or less, usually tinged with purple. 
Falls, lanceolate unguiculate ; the centre of the haft and the lower part of the blade is white 
veined with any shade from pearly grey through mauve to a deep claret colour. The upper part 
of the blade is of the same colour as the veins and the central ridge is yellow. 
Standards , lanceolate, unguiculate, of the same colour as the blade of the falls. 
Styles, narrow, acutely keeled. 
Crests, large, quadrate, reflexed. 
Stigma, a triangular, projecting tongue. 
Filaments, short, covered with minute hairs. 
Anthers, long, reaching almost up to the stigma. 
Pollen, yellow. 
Capsule, oblong, 1 — 1£ in. long, rounded, with six ribs. 
Seeds, light or dark brown, thick D-shaped, no conspicuous rhaphe or aril. 
Observations. 
This Iris deserves to be far better known and much more widely cultivated than appears to be 
the case. It is not perhaps the easiest Iris to transplant but, if the operation is performed not long 
after the flowers have faded or when growth is beginning in March or April there should be a fair 
chance of success. 
Fortunately, to counterbalance the difficulties of transplantation, this Iris is very easily raised 
from seeds and the seedlings quickly grow to flowering size. If the seedlings are large enough — 
that is to say when they have produced about 3 or 4 leaves of as many inches in height — they should 
be planted out into their permanent quarters by midsummer and should then in many cases be large 
enough to flower in the following year. 
Much variety in colour will be found among the seedlings, from the palest pearly grey to a rich 
red claret. The flowers are comparatively large in view of the slenderness of the leaves and rootstock. 
There is no difficulty in the cultivation of this Iris, provided that it can be given a light soil, 
fairly rich in humus and not strongly impregnated with lime. 
For the relationship of this Iris with I. Hartwcgii, see the Observations on the latter. 
ti/. Hartwegii 
(Plate X) 
Baker in Gard. Chron. 1876, II. p. 323 and in Journ. Linn. Soc. XVI. p. 138 (1877). 
Baker, Hdk. Irid. p. 6 (1892). 
[N.B. It is extremely doubtful whether this plant is really worthy of specific rank. I can find no 
botanical characters on which to separate it from 1 tenax and yet the two plants, when growing 
side by side, are somewhat dissimilar, quite apart from the usual difference in colour. It seems 
best to leave the question open until more material enables a satisfactory answer to be given to it.] 
Distribution. This Iris is said to be confined to an area which extends for some four or five hundred miles 
along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California, from Plumas County in the north to the San Bernardino 
Mountains in the south at elevations varying from 1500 to 7000 feet. Possibly, however, it is only a colour 
form of I. tenax. See Observations. 
Plumas Co., 1876, Austin (K). 
Sacramento Co., 1848, Hartweg (K) (BM) (V). 
Amador Co., Irishtown, 1895, Hansen (K) (BM). 
Panther Creek, 1895, Hansen (K) (BM) (E) (B) (P). 
Elsie’s Creek, 1896, Hansen (B) (P). 
Agricultural Station, 1894, Hansen (B). 
Calaveras Co., Big Tree Grove, 1884, Ball (K) (B). 
Fresno Co., Pine Ridge, 1900, Hall and Chandler (K) (B) (E). 
