Nigel Service, (1991), provides the following description of Iris belouinii in SIGNA, #46, p. 1667-1670."Rhizome massive. Leaves somewhat glaucous, ensiform, more or less acuminate tipped, widest in upper part, dormant in summer, 40-58 cm x 3.5-4.5 cm. Stem 89-137 cm usually with 2-3 long branches from rather long green bracts and each bearing 2-3 flowers. Spathes a rather pale green with a scarious apex, sometimes somewhat purple stained at margins, rather inflated, the inner valve normally slightly longer. Pedicel short, 2-6 mm. Ovary roundly triangular, grooved at angles, 1.7-2 cm. Tube green barely marked with some obscure darker spotting, about 2-2.5 cm long. Fall obovate-cuneate, light purple-violet with a short pale blue line beyond the end of the beard and a bright blue infusion towards the center of the blade, haft white, veined ochre darkening to mid-brown at the base of the blade, beard white tipped yellow, yellow in haft, not persisting far onto blade, 8.6-10.2 x 4.1-5.8 cm. Standard broad-ovate, wider than fall and slightly paler, narrowing into a short off-white haft marked dark fawn, 8.5-10.0 x 5.2-6.0 cm. Style-arm white-colorless with a purplish keel, crest broad, divergent, serrate, more purple than fall, about 1.8 cm long. Stigma entire. Filament white, 1.9-2.2 cm long. Anther cream, 1.5-1.7 cm long. Pollen." Ferdinand Denis noted the Capsule more or less 6.5 x 2 cm. Seeds irregular, D-shaped to more or less pyriform, dark red-brown coarsely wrinkled. |