The Apogon Section 75 
/ laevigata var. Kaempferi , Maxim, in Bull. Acad. P 6 t. XXVI. p. 521 (18S0). and in M 6 \. Biol. X. 
p. 712 (1880). 
I. pseudacorns , Regel, Tent. FI. Ussur. p. 162 (1862). 
I. Maacki , Maxim, in Bull. Acad. P£t. XXVI. (1880). p. 542. 
/. Kaempferi var. spontanea, Makino in Bot. Mag. Tokyo, 1909, p. 94. 
* I. tectomm, Somoku Zusetsu II. no. 3 (Japon. Hana-shiyobu). 
Japanese name, Hana-sh6bu (fide Dr Takeda), that of the variety albopurpurea being Washi-no-o. 
Distribution. Manchuria, North China, Corea and Japan. 
Manchuria. R. Ussuri, Maack (K) (St Petersburg). 
Lake Hanka, 1898-99, Bohnhof (K). 
Blagowjestschensk, 1898, Karo (K) (E) (B). 
R. Amur, 1867, Przewalski (K) (BM). 
North China. Toong-hvva-hien (Black Bear Valley), 1887, Ross (K). 
Corea. Chemulpo, 1884, Carles (E) and 1885 (K). 
1906, Faurie (L). 
Worisan, 1892, Veitch (BM). 
Wen-san, 1906, Faurie (L). 
Chinnampo, 1901, Faurie (L). 
Japan. Rikuchiu, Iwate-san, 1895, Watanabe (K). 
Central Mountains, 1880, Maries (K). 
N.B. There exists in the Kew Herbarium an Iris leaf, found among plants of I. Clarkei collected 
by Sir Joseph Hooker in 1848. It is dated May 15th, when Hooker was returning to 
Darjeeling from the Bhutan frontier. The leaf is almost certainly that of I. Kaempferi and 
Dr Stapf tells me that sections of the two correspond. It may be found therefore that 
I. Kaempferi extends further west than has hitherto been thought to be the case. 
Diagnosis. 
I. Kaempferi Apogon ; folia ensiformia, bipedalia vel etiam longiora, costi media conspicua ; caulis 
foliis subaequalis, aut simplex, foliosus aut ramosus cum foliis abbreviatis ad basim ramorum insitis ; 
segmenta omnia laete purpurea nec coerulea ; capsula in apiculum crassum attenuata ; semina compressa, 
suborbicularia. 
Description. 
Rootstock, a fairly stout, short-creeping rhizome. 
Leaves , ensiform, 2 — 2\ ft. by — | in., with a distinct “midrib" throughout the whole length. 
Stem, from 16 in. to over 2 feet in height, bearing 1 — 3 reduced leaves and usually a lateral 
branch, besides the terminal head of two flowers. 
Spathe valves, 3 in. long, narrow, irregularly covered with minute papillae, visible in the dried state. 
Pedicels, \ — 1£ — 2 in., of varying length in the different flowers and at different stages of growth. 
Ovary, rounded trigonal, with six grooves. 
Tube, £ — | in. round, light green, hardly at all funnel-shaped. 
Falls. The narrow oblong haft is about an inch long and yellow in the centre, with a raised 
ridge, which runs on to the blade, where it becomes minutely pubescent. The sides of the haft and 
the rest of the oval or obovate blade are of an intense red purple, 3 in. long. 
Standards, narrow oblanceolate, about two-thirds the length of the falls, of the same red-purple colour. 
Styles, deep violet, much rounded. 
Crests , small, subquadrate, erect, so that the tips are almost on a level with the top of the standards. 
Stigma, entire, broad, with irregularly dentate edge. 
Filaments, purple, short. 
Anthers , pale yellow, more or less flushed with mauve, twice as long as the filaments. 
Pollen, orange. 
Capsule, short, not more than an inch in length, tapering at either end and obtusely beaked, 
not sharply pointed. The sides are concave and the angles grooved (see Fig. 9, p. 76). 
Seeds, flat, circular, or nearly circular, discs. 
Observations. 
This Iris has long been confused with /. laevigata , and this confusion is perhaps hardly surprising 
in view of the fact that the two species apparently grow in proximity the one to the other in the 
marshes on the banks of the river Amur in Manchuria, and also in Japan. They may however be 
easily distinguished by certain constant features. The most obvious is that the leaves of 1 . Kaempferi 
have a conspicuous central rib, while in those of I. laevigata this is almost entirely absent, though a very 
slight line is sometimes visible near the tip. The flowers are wholly different in colour, those of I. Kaempferi 
being always reddish purple, while the true /. laevigata has the most magnificent blue flowers of any known 
Iris. The capsules and seeds are also very different (cf. Fig. 8, p. 74, and Fig. 9, p. 76). 
In making I. Kaempferi a variety of I. laevigata, Maximowicz (l.c.) clearly pointed out one of the 
most obvious differences between the two plants, for he describes it as foliis angustis elevato-nervosis costa 
media distincta and /. laevigata as foliis latis laevibus costa media obsoleta. With further knowledge of 
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