72 
The Apogon Section 
Songaria. Ajagas, 1841, Schrenk (BM) (K). 
Balchash, 1841, Schrenk (K). 
Atassu, 1843, Schrenk (K) (V). 
Between the R. Tschulak and the R. Ai, 1841, Karelin and Kiriloff (B) (V). 
Szechuan. Kiala ; Tongolo, 1893, Soulte (P) (K). 
Kansu. Tangut, 1880, Przewalski (K). (This is quoted by Maximowicz as his variety "gracilis," cf. 
Bull. Acad. P£t. XXVI. p. 510 (1880), but it only differs from the type in size, which may well 
depend on soil and environment) 
Diagnosis. 
I. sottgarica Apogon ; I. spurtae varietatibus orientalibus haud dissimilis sed rhizomate fibris oblique 
transversis obtecto, tubo longissimo, styli cristis longe acuminatis, capsulae elongatae valvis subchartaceis 
apice rectis nec recurvatis, seminibus cylindricis truncatis satis differt. 
N.B. The description given below is taken from Foster's unpublished MS., and is that of some 
plants received by him early in 1885 through Kew from Dr Aitchison, who collected them on 
the Afghan Boundary Commission between Sir Mandel and Sher Baksh at an elevation of 
3000 ft. 
Rootstock , a small dark rhizome about as thick as a pencil, bearing dense tufts of leaves, the remains 
of which split into fibres running diagonally over each other and produce a spiral effect. 
Leaves , 6 — 15 in. long, £ — £ in. broad, firm, strongly ribbed. 
Stent , round, solid, about 1 5 in. high and £ in. diameter, clothed at the base by clasping leaves, 
bearing 1 — 4 spicate heads, each containing 2 — 3 flowers. 
Spathe valves , the lower 4 in. and the upper 5 in. long, closely embracing the bud, light-green, but 
distinctly scarious at the tip and along the upper margin. 
Pedicel i in. 
Ovary , rounded trigonal, with a slight ridge on each face, tapering gradually into the tube. 
Tube, 1^ — 2\ in. long, green with purple spots in the line of the standards. 
Falls. The elliptical blade is separated by a constriction from the long oval haft, which is dotted 
with reddish purple on a very faint blue ground. On the blade the median portion is bluish with 
minute purple spots, and beyond this the ground is paler, almost white, and the dots larger and more 
distinctly purple. 2^ in. long by £ in. broad. 
Standards , oblanceolate cuneate, rather more than 2^ in. long by £ in. broad, covered by a network 
of imperfect veins and irregular small blotches of a red purple, the ground being white or very 
faint purple. 
Styles, shorter and narrower than the haft of the falls, whitish dotted with purple. 
Crests, narrow, nearly 1 in. in length and crossing one over the other. 
Stigma, bilobed with two triangular teeth. 
Filaments, purple. 
Anthers, reddish. 
Pollen, deep reddish orange. 
Capsule , oblong, in. 
Seeds, cylindrical, dark brown, with a wrinkled skin. 
Observations. 
This Iris, which is unfortunately not at present in cultivation in England, seems to form a connecting 
link between the sputia and the tenuifolia groups. It resembles the former in general appearance and 
in the inflorescence, which usually bears one or more spicate heads of flowers besides the main cluster. 
The slender rootstock, however, with its masses of transverse fibres closely resembles those of the latter 
group. Foster had this Iris in bloom at least once, and noted that the flower closely resembled that 
of a xiphium or Spanish Iris in poise and appearance, differing chiefly in the long, tapering and 
conspicuous style crests. 
It would probably not be difficult to cultivate if seeds could be obtained and provided that the 
plants were kept dry and well ripened after flowering in summer. 
X. The Laevigata Group. 
The four members of this group agree in possessing smooth flattened seeds and branching leafy 
stems. In three out of the four species, I. laevigata being the exception, the prominent central ridge 
of the leaves is a conspicuous feature. 
/. Kaempferi and I. laevigata seem to grow in close proximity in North Eastern Asia, while I. versicolor 
appears to be as common on the eastern side of North America as I. pseudacorus is in Europe. 
The species may be separated as follows : — 
J Leaves without any prominent central ridge. / laevigata (p. 73). 
( Leaves with a prominent central ridge. 
1. 
