The Pogoniris Section 183 
Distribution. Kashmir and the immediate neighbourhood. It was discovered by Dr Aitchison and sent by 
him to Kew. It is grown apparently on graves (cf. Aitchison MS. (K)) and it is therefore uncertain 
whether it is really a wild plant and a native of Kashmir. 
Kashmir. Kashmir Valley at ii.oooft, 1875, Aitchison (K). 
Jhelum Valley near Perni, 1892, Duthie, no. 10920 (K). 
Baramoula, 18 — , Jacquemont, no. 3371 (K). 
Bandipur, 1876, Clarke, no. 5150 (K). 
Liddar Valley, 1901, Duthie’s collector, no. 25976 (K), no. 25793 (E). 
Nagbal, 1901, Duthie's collector, no. 25788 (K). 
Srinagar, 1908 and 1910, Harrison (HortD). 
Chitral. Jambatai, 1895, Harris, no. 16677 (K) (BM). 
N.W. Frontier Province. Abbottabad, 1909, Lome Campbell (HortD). 
Beluchistan. Quetta, 1910, Keyes (HortD). 
Afghanistan. Kabul, 1880, Collett, no. 68 (K). 
Diagnosis. 
/. kashmiriana Pogoniris; caulis ramosus, foliis longior ; spathae herbaceae ; segmenta omnia 
alba vel pallide purpurea, interiora parce barbata. 
Description. 
Rootstock , a stout rhizome. 
Leaves, glaucous, striated, 15 — 20 in. long, of a yellowish-green. 
Stem, about 2 ft long, with a terminal head of three flowers and one or two side branches with 
1 — 2 flowers each. 
Spat he valves, pointed, slightly ventricose, persistently green, the outer valve keeled, only very 
slightly scarious at the tip, 3 — 4 in. long. 
Pedicel, not more than ^ — £ in. long. 
Ovary, 1 in. long with three larger and three smaller grooves. 
Tube , about 1 in. long, light green, rounded trigonal. 
Falls, obovate cuneate ; the haft marked with greenish-yellow veins on white reaching to the 
end of the beard, which is white in front, becoming tipped with yellow towards the base ; the blade 
of a somewhat creamy white, not so pure as in albicans, sometimes slightly tinged with blue and 
extending almost horizontally. 
Standards , white, faintly veined with yellow on the short haft and at the base of the blade. The 
canaliculate haft bears three or four whitish hairs, sometimes very short and almost indistinguishable. 
Styles, cream coloured, keeled, gradually becoming slightly broader. 
Crests, large, triangular, overlapping, especially along the keel of the styles. 
Stigma, entire. 
Filaments, cream, equal in length to anthers. 
Anthers, cream, narrow. 
Pollen, cream. 
Capsule, 
Seeds, 
Fragrance, very marked and quite distinct, somewhat like that of the lemon-scented verbena. 
Observations. 
This Iris is very distinct and yet, owing to some weakness in its constitution, which does not 
allow it to thrive in England, it is imperfectly known. My experience of it has been that newly 
imported rhizomes grow well and flower once and then the plant either dies altogether or becomes 
very weak and refuses for years to make any vigorous growth. I have consequently been 
unable to obtain seeds of this Iris, which would seem to be a possible means of raising plants 
that would succeed here. A hybrid of this Iris, known in commerce as the Shelford variety, was 
raised by Foster but there is no record of the pollen parent. It is perhaps the best white garden 
Iris, but like the wild plant it is sometimes liable to collapse unaccountably and probably needs 
warmer conditions than it usually obtains here. It is distinguished from the wild species by the 
narrower, more rigid and less markedly ribbed leaves, by the less widely branching stem and by 
the colour of the flowers, which are of a less milky white. 
Of the other white Irises in cultivation, I. kashmiriana is most likely to be confused with 
I. florentina and /. albicans. From the latter it is at once distinguished by its more widely branching 
stems and by the fact that its standards always bear a few hairs on the inner side near the base. 
These never occur in /. albicans, though they are always present in /. florentina. From this latter, 
however, I. kashmiriana may be distinguished by persistently green spathes, by its broad, yellow- 
green, ribbed leaves, by the stiffly spreading and not drooping falls, and by the milk-white flowers. 
I am inclined to believe that this Iris is the albino form of a pale mauve-purple Iris, which 
has more than once flowered imperfectly with me, but the whole question needs further investigation 
with fresh material from Kashmir*. In this connection, a warning may be given that the common 
Cf. Aitchison's no. 24 from Kashmir (K), a fruiting specimen of the “pale mauve kind. 1 
