218 
The Xiphium Section 
I am told by Mr A. W. Tait, Baron de Soutellinho, of Oporto, who knows the plant in its 
home, that it is difficult to grow anywhere except in its native soil. He adds that the best way to 
cultivate it is to plant the bulbs in large pots, well drained, in a mixture of granite sand, well decayed 
peaty mould and a little loam and to keep them dry from July to October. 
The flowers respond readily to artificial fertilisation and set seed abundantly. It is, therefore, not 
impossible that the descendants of wild plants may in a few generations become more accustomed to 
our climate and give us in larger quantities than are now available a very welcome addition to the 
group of Spanish Irises. 
At present no hybrid of I. Boissieri is known, though, among the above-mentioned seedlings killed 
by the severity of the winter of 1908-9, there were the results of several crosses with /. xiphium and 
kindred species. It was particularly vexatious to lose such seedlings for it would be interesting to see 
how the bearded character would behave in the cross and whether the beard would be a common feature 
among the hybrid plants. It is a point that is worth investigation for it may have some bearing on 
the question of the descent of the various species of Iris from an original archetype. 
t /. FI LI FOLIA 
(Plate XLIV) 
The specimen illustrated was obtained from bulbs sent from Gibraltar. 
•Boiss. Voy. Esp. p. 602, fig. 170 (1839-45), non Bunge. 
•Foster, Bulbous Irises, p. 68 (1892). 
Synonyms. 
Xiphion tingitanum , * Hooker f. in Bot. Mag. 5981 (1872). 
[The type is in Hb. K. grown from bulbs collected ten miles south-west of Tangier.] 
Xiphion filifolium. Klatt in Linnaea, XXIV. p. 571 (18 66). 
•Hooker f. in BoL Mag. 5928 (1871). 
[The type is in Hb. K. and was found by Maw eleven miles west of Tangier.] 
DISTRIBUTION. The south of Spain and North-west Africa. 
Gibraltar, 1841, Hb. Lemann (C). 
1851, Ball (E). 
1873, Maw (K). 
1910, Frere (HortD). 
Alameda, 1869, Maw (K). 
Sierra de Mijas, 1879, Porta et Rigo (C) (V) (B). 
Sierra de Grazalema, 1890, Reverchon (E), sub nomine I. Fontanesii. 
Tangier, 1871, Maw (K). 
Ball (K). 
Hooker (K). 
Tetuan, , Webb (K). 
South Morocco, 1907, Bainbridge (K). 
Diagnosis. 
/. filifolia Xiphion ; perigonii tubus elongatus ; segmenta omnia rubro-purpurea nec coerulea, interiora 
exterioribus aequilonga obusa nec lanceolata. 
Description. 
Rootstock , an ovate bulb, with slender, scarcely ribbed outer tunics. 
Leaves, 12 or more inches long, very slender and tapering, 5 — 7 in number, the uppermost being 
much reduced ; the leaves of non-flowering bulbs are much longer, 2 or more feet in length. 
Stem, about 12 or 18 inches high, bearing a single, usually 2-flowered head. 
Spathe valves , pointed, rigid, green, sharply keeled, the inner valve being slightly longer than the 
outer, 2| — 3 in. in length. 
Pedicel, 1 — 1 £ in., growing eventually to as much as 3 in. 
Ovary, an inch or slightly more in length, much rounded trigonal, with a groove running down each 
face. 
Tube, | — 1 in., slender. 
Falls, 2\ inches in length, the panduriform haft being longer than the orbicular blade. The colour 
is of a rich reddish purple with darker veins set off by an orange signal patch, which ends broadly on 
the blade, not narrowing to a point. There is also a slightly raised central orange ridge. 
Standards, distinctly obovate unguiculate with a blunt emarginate end. The colour is similar to 
that of the falls. 
Styles, broad, of the same colour. 
Crests, large, quadrate, with serrate upper edge. 
Stigma, bilobed. 
Filaments, slightly longer than the anthers. 
