The Apogort Section 
65 
7- +/. A UREA 
(Plate XVI) 
•Lindley, Bot. Reg. XXXII. (1847), t. 59, non Link. 
Baker in Gard. Chron. 1876, II. 584. 
Hdk. Irid. 15 (1892). 
in Hook. f. FI. Brit. Ind. VI. 273 (1894). 
Stapf in OBZ. 1887, 419. 
•Foster in The Garden, 1887, p. 52, t. 579. 
Synonyms. 
/. crocea, Jacquemont, MS. in Hb. K and B. 
Cf. Baker in Gard. Chron. l.c. 
Xyridion aureurn, Klatt in BZ. XXX. (1872), 501. 
Distribution. From herbarium specimens this plant would appear to be a native of Kashmir, whence it was 
first introduced into Europe by Dr Royle by means of seeds from which Lindley’s type was raised by 
Messrs Whittley and Osborne of Fulham. (Cf. Lindley, Bot. Reg. l.c.) It is, however, worthy of notice 
that in 1885 Foster received from Amasia a plant of which the flowers were of a golden yellow colour 
with frilled edges to the segments. It is just possible that I. aurea may be a form of I. spuria which has 
become naturalised in Kashmir. No herbarium specimens are known from any other country. 
Choupionne, 1841, Jacquemont (K) (B). 
Mudegaum, 1847, Winterbottom, 387 (K). 
Mahgan, 1894, Aitchison, 23 (K). 
Srinagar, 1901, Duthie, 25826 (K) (E) (B). 
1905, Meebold (B). 
1908, Harrison (HortD). 
Description. 
Rootstock, a hard and compact rather than fleshy rhizome. 
Leaves , ensiform, firm, 2 — 3 ft. long by about an inch broad, dying down completely in winter. 
Stem, 3 ft. or more long bearing a terminal cluster and 1 or 2 sessile lateral clusters. 
Spathes, 2 — 3 flowered, 3 — 4 in. long ; valves narrow, stiff, green, lanceolate. 
Pedicel, i£ — 3 in. 
Ovary, gradually tapering to tube. 
Tube , £ in. long, broad. 
Falls, haft i£ in. long, £ in. broad in the middle, narrowing both at the base and also slightly at 
the junction with the oblong, 2 in. long, emarginate, much crimped blade. The colour is a rich golden 
yellow of a much deeper shade than in I. Monnieri. 
Standards, oblong, with cuneate haft, emarginate, £ in. broad by 3 in. long, with much waved edges. 
Styles, i£ in. long, becoming slightly wider in the upper part. 
Crests, deltoid. 
Stigma, two sharply pointed, tongue-like, projections. 
Filaments, deep yellow, rather shorter than the anthers. 
Anthers, deep yellow, long and narrow. 
Pollen, deep yellow, almost transparent, of a narrow oval shape ; the extine is divided down one 
side by a narrow fissure. 
Capsule , oblong, more or less rostrate, with three conspicuous longitudinal ridges each of which is 
double. 
Seeds, pale buff, compressed into thick discs and covered with loose, wrinkled, white, grey, pink, 
or sometimes black coats. 
Observations. 
This fine Iris is one of the latest to flower, usually opening its first blooms in the latter half of 
June. It is not difficult to grow and its cultivation is that of the other members of the spuria group. 
(See p. 58.) 
It is still found growing apparently in the wild state in the neighbourhood of Srinagar in Kashmir, 
from which locality I have received living rhizomes along with the pale and deep purple forms of 
/. spuria of which the latter is illustrated at Plate XV. 
Apparently I. aurea does not come true from seeds, but, as I am not yet in a position either to 
corroborate or to deny this statement, it seemed preferable to keep up a name which is in very general 
use, always remembering that it most probably represents a plant, which is at most a subspecies and not 
impossibly a mere seedling variety of a large form of I. spuria. 
\\ I. GRAMINEA 
Linn. Spec. PI. ed. I. p. 39 (1753). 
•Jacq. FI. Austr. I. t. 2 (1773). 
•Bot. Mag. t. 681 (1803). 
•Red. Lil. t. 299 (1809). 
D. 
9 
