115 
The Oncocyclus Section 
Stem, about 6 inches, almost entirely concealed by two sheathing leaves. 
Spathe valves , 3 — 3^ in. long, pale green, scarious at very tip only, pointed, slightly ventricose 
and keeled, reaching considerably beyond the top of the tube. 
Pedicel, very short. 
Ovary , rounded hexagonal, almost cylindrical, with thick walls, £ in. long. 
Tube, ij in. long. 
Falls, 3 in. long by i£ broad. The broadly canaliculate haft gradually widens into a lanceolate 
blade, with a rounded but yet pointed apex. Along the haft and the lower part of the blade the 
edge is merely wavy, but it then becomes serrate and at the apex is coarsely indented. The ground- 
colour of the blade is yellow or yellowish green, marked with irregular broken brownish-red veins. In 
the centre there is a blotch of rich dark reddish black. Along the haft and on to the blade runs a 
broad diffuse beard of bright yellow hairs, flanked by yellowish hairs tipped with brown. 
Standards, 3! in. long by 2\ broad, connivent and folding one over the other, suborbicular with a 
short haft bearing a number of reddish-brown hairs. The ground colour is yellowish green, marked with 
abundant blotchy veins of brown red, which, especially in the upper part, almost hide the ground colour. 
Styles, i£ in. long by f broad, very convex and coming close down on to the fall, of a greenish 
yellow colour, veined and dotted with faint brown red. 
Crests, large, quadrate, with coarsely and prominently serrate margin, marked with brown-red veins. 
Stigma, entire. 
Filaments, short. 
Anthers, large, longer than the filaments. 
Pollen, yellowish white. 
Capsule, trigonal, ellipsoid, tapering, of the usual Oncocyclus type. 
Seeds, pyriform, dark reddish brown, with conspicuous cream-coloured aril. 
Observations. 
This curious Iris was first found by Theodor Kotschy in 1854 near the River Sar, in the 
neighbourhood of Kassan Oghlou, in Eastern Cilicia. Owing to some mistake, when /. Bismarckiana 
was first brought into cultivation, it was named /. Sari var. lurida, and plate 6960 in the Botanical 
Magazine depicts the plant under this name. In the meantime Foster received plants from Mrs Barnum 
from the mountains south of Kharput, which he, when they proved to be quite distinct from /. Bis- 
marckiana, described as a new species under the name of /. lupina. The consequent confusion was 
not cleared up until Siehe rediscovered Kotschy’s plant in the same district where it was found 
originally (cf. Siehe in Gard. Chron. l.c.). His article states that /. Sari is very variable in colour 
and, though specimens with a bluish ground do occur, they are rare. This is significant in view of 
the fact that the original description gives lilac as the colour of the flowers. 
The commonest form has a groundwork on the falls of pale yellow, which sometimes, however, 
assumes a distinctly green tinge. On the standards the underlying colour varies from yellow to white 
or even to a lavender blue, and this is shaded and veined with lilac, purple brown or more often 
chestnut brown. 
Foster’s name of /. lupina was most appropriate, for the flowers have a curious tawny grey 
appearance, which is set off by the red signal patch. The whole effect is perhaps more striking than 
beautiful, and it is a pity that the plant is so difficult to manage in our climate, where it seems 
impossible without elaborate care to keep it alive for more than two or three years. 
/. Barnumae 1 
Foster and Baker in Gard. Chron. 1888, II. p. 182. 
•Baker in Bot. Mag. t. 7050 (1889). 
Hdk. Irid. p. 21 (1892). 
•Lynch, Bk. of Iris, p. 105 (1906). 
Synonyms. 
fVar. urmiensis. 
I. urmiensis, Hoog in • Garden, 1900, p. 375. 
•Gard. Chron. 1900, II. p. 373, fig. 1 16I 
•Lynch, Bk. of Iris, p. 105 (1906). 
[N.B. Lynch’s statement on p. 106 that Foster’s yellow-flowered Barnumae had 
a linear beard is contrary to Foster’s notes: “is a yellow form of I. Barnumae ; 
beard thick, bright orange — much more diffuse than in Van specimens” (MS.).] 
I. chrysantha , • Baker in Bot. Mag. t. 7784 (1901). 
Lynch, Bk. of Iris, p. 152 (1906). 
[N.B. The specimen (K) from which the plate was prepared and the description 
drawn up shows distinctly the broad diffuse Oncocyclus beard and I see no 
reason for separating the plant from /. Barnumae var. urmiensis.] 
1 Named after Mrs Bamum of the American Mission at Kharput, who sent rhizomes to Foster in 1886. 
' A printer’s error gave the colour of the flowers as crimson instead of primrose. 
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