53 
The Apogon Section 
Chili; Pekin, 1888, Conolly (K) (E). 
1889, Bodinier (L) 
Jehol (Chengtehfu), 18—, David (BM). 
Manchuria; Mukden (Yalu River), 1886, Webster (K). 
No locality, 1905, Karo (BM). 
South East, 1860, Maximowicz (B) (BM). 
1896, Komarov (BM). 
North China, 1874, Bretschneider (BM). 
Corea. Seoul, 18 — , Gottsche (B). 
1902, Faurie (B). 
North Corea, 1897, Komarov (BM). 
Diagnosis. 
I. ruthenica Apogon ; rhizoma gracile, dense caespitosum, fibris involutum ; folia linearia, graminea ; 
scapus simplex, foliis primum subaequalis denique multo brevior ; spatharum valvae purpureo suffusae ; 
stigma triangulare ; semina appendice alba spongiosa instructa. 
Description. 
Rootstock , a slender, much branched rhizome, thickly covered with the hairy remains of old leaves. 
Leaves , grassy, linear, with a glossy upper surface and slightly glaucous beneath, about 6 in. long 
by ^ — £ in. or less broad, at flowering time, afterwards becoming twice as long. 
Stem, from 1—8 in. long, usually bearing a reduced leaf and springing from a pair of reduced 
leaves at the base ; 1 -headed. 
Spathes, 1—2 flowered; valves lanceolate, inflated, green with some pinkish-red colouration at the 
edges, 1 — 1£ in. long. 
Pedicel, 5 — 2 in. long. 
Ovary, sharply trigonal, about £ in. long. 
Tube, about | — 1 in. long, of a deep violet colour. 
Falls. The broadly oval blade passes without any constriction into the wedge-shaped haft. The 
colouring consists of bright blue purple veins and dots on a creamy white ground, which becomes 
conspicuous on the lower part of the blade. The central ridge is slightly raised and tipped with violet. 
The haft often bears two curious notch-like projections near the base. 
Sta 7 idards , lanceolate with a narrow haft, deep purple violet. 
Styles, slightly more red purple than the rest of the flower, becoming broader in the upper part. 
Crests, overlapping, triangular, sometimes round, with serrate edge. 
Stigma, a prominent, projecting triangle. 
Filaments , mauve, attached comparatively high up on the falls. 
Anthers, pale mauve. 
Pollen, cream. 
Capstile, short, rounded, with scarcely any trace of ribs, but opening out rapidly when ripe and 
shedding its seeds. The walls are then very rigid and curl back in a characteristic way. 
Seeds, globose, with a remarkable white excrescence at the point of attachment and extending 
some distance round the seed. This appendage shrivels and tends to disappear when the seeds fall 
from the capsule. 
Observaliotis. 
This widely distributed Iris extends from Hungary to Eastern China and Corea, and has not 
unnaturally produced several local forms, which cannot be satisfactorily separated in herbarium specimens. 
Attempts have indeed been made (cf. Maxim. Bull. Acad. Pet. l.c.) to distinguish some of these forms 
under the names, either varietal or specific, of brevituba, nana, typica, but when we find that specimens 
from the same locality may have spathe valves that vary in length from £ in. to in. (cf. Pekin, 1889, 
Bodinier (L)) or stems varying from 1 to 6 in. (cf. Tatsienlu, 189S, Mussot (P)), it seems at least 
undesirable to attempt any such division until we can get into cultivation a series of forms from known 
localities. Moreover, Maximowicz himself admits that both his typica and brevituba occur in the 
Altai district. 
Unfortunately it is not an easy task to obtain wild specimens, for /. ruthenica, like most other 
Apogon Irises possessing slender rhizomes, is not an easy Iris to transplant and almost invariably 
arrives dead after a journey from Siberia or Central Asia. It is apparently very common along the 
Transsiberian Railway and I have known more than one instance where plants have been gathered 
growing close by the line at the various stopping places. Unfortunately none of them have survived. 
The best method is undoubtedly to obtain seeds and raise plants in this way. But here again there 
is a difficulty to be overcome, for I. ruthetiica is one of the very few Irises, if not the only Iris, of 
which the capsule opens suddenly on ripening and so completely that all the seeds are at once scattered. 
In other species, the capsules dehisce gradually but some seeds at least remain at any rate until the 
stems collapse. 
The species was originally brought into cultivation by means of seeds imported from Siberia by 
Conrad Loddiges in 1804. It was from one of these plants that the figure (1123) in the Botanical 
Magazine was prepared. Others were cultivated at Kew and quoted in Ait. Hort. Kew. l.c. 
