202 
The Juno Section 
Synonyms. 
I. caucasica var. bicolor , Rgl. in Act. Hort Petr. IX. p. 620 (1884). 
•/. Narbuti , O. Fedtschenko in Bull. Jard. Imp. Bot. P£t. V. p. 158 (1905). 
DISTRIBUTION. Transcaspia and N.W. Afghanistan. 
Transcaspia. Askabad ; Suluklii (Saratowka), 1900—01. Sintenis (K) (BM) (E). 
Kisil-Arwat, 1901, Sintenis (V) (B). 
Afghanistan. Badghis (Gulran). 1885, Aitchison, no. 128 (K) (B). 
Diagnosis. 
I. Fosteriana Juno ; bulbus tunicis fusco-viridibus obtectus ; segmenta exteriora lutea. interiora 
purpurea. 
Description. 
Rootstock , a slender bulb with persistent, slender, fleshy roots; the outer coat is membranous, of 
a dark greenish-black colour. 
Leaves, few in number, the longest being 8—10 in. long by £ in. at the widest point, channelled, 
gradually tapering to a point, striated' and glaucous green on the outside. The inconspicuous white 
margin bears no setae. 
Stem, hidden by the clasping leaves, about 6—8 in. long from the ground level to the base 
of the spathe; 1— 2-flowered. After flowering, the stem becomes 9—12 in. long. 
Spathe valves, narrow, very pointed, somewhat inflated, green except at the very tip, striated, 
2 — 3 in. long, reaching above the top of the tube. 
Pedicel, none. 
Ovary, rounded, trigonal, £ in. long, with thin walls and slightly convex sides. 
Tube, 1 — 1£ in. long, light green, hollow for some little way down. 
Falls. The haft, which is poised at an angle of about 45 degrees, is 1 in. long by | — £ in. 
broad, of a creamy yellow with a greenish tinge. Two conspicuous purplish veins run on either 
side of the central ridge. The orbicular or oval blade is about three-quarters of an inch in diameter, 
of a rich yellow, with a creamy white edge. On the blade the central orange ridge becomes 
conspicuous and denticulate. 
Standards, oblanceolate unguiculate, an inch long, horizontal or deflexed, of a rich red-purple colour. 
Styles, an inch long, of greenish yellow colour often with some purple streaks. 
Crests, large, £ in. long, almost quadrate. 
Stigma, conspicuous, oblong. 
Filaments, cream, equal to the anthers. 
A tit hers, cream. 
Pollen, white. 
Capsule, rounded, trigonal, with slightly convex sides; walls papery, i* — 2* in. long, closely 
resembling that of /. xiphium. 
Seeds, small, cubical, reddish-brown, slightly wrinkled. 
Observations. 
This species is distinguished from all others that are in cultivation by the dark olive-green 
coats of the slender bulb and by the contrast between the large purple standards and the yellow 
of the falls. 
In my experience /. Fosteriana is not an easy plant to cultivate. The growth is always slender 
and somewhat weak, with the result that the effort of flowering seems to reduce the strength of 
the plant to such an extent that good bulbs are not formed for the following year. Indeed, the 
small offsets are often so weak that they succumb altogether. It is possible, however, that this 
Iris would grow better in a heavier soil than that in which I have hitherto grown it, provided 
that the position was sheltered, warm and well drained, and that the soil was kept absolutely dry 
for some months in summer by some arrangement of glass overhead. 
After carefully comparing with my plants of /. Fosteriana a sketch of /. Narbuti drawn by 
Mme Fedtschenko in Sumarkand many years ago and very kindly lent me by the artist, I have 
failed to find any real difference between the two plants. It is true that the blade of /. Narbuti 
bears some dark markings near the end of the crest but these dark markings occur irregularly in 
other Juno Irises, e.g. in /. orchioides and /. bucharica, and I see no reason why they should not 
also occur in some specimens of /. Fosteriana, especially as the style branches bear in some cases 
a number of olive brown streaks. 
I. Fosteriana seems also to be peculiar in one other feature, namely in the structure of the 
leaves. These are much more distinctly striated or ribbed on the under surface than are those of 
any other Juno Iris that I have been able to examine, and moreover they bear along the ridges 
or ribs a number of spiny processes such as I have not found on any other species. 
See Observations. 
