1888, Iris Pabularia

Garden And Forest p.326, September 5, 1888

A recent issue of the Revue Horticole calls attention to the great value of the little known Iris pabularia, the Krisham of Cashmere, as a forage plant. This plant, it appears, will flourish in the driest and most arid soil, and once established it cannot be exterminated. The leaves, which attain a height of twelve to sixteen inches, are eaten by cattle either green or dried, the same plant producing two or three crops of leaves in a season. It is recommended that the seeds should be sown in beds, and then that the young plants should be set very early the following spring where they are to remain. They should be planted in rows ten inches each way if the soil is very poor, and fifteen to twenty inches apart in richer soil. A thorough watering will aid the plants to make a good start, should it be dry when they are set. It is doubtful if Iris pahularia will prove hardy in the Northern States, but it should certainly be tested in California, and, in our dry south-western region, where, as well as in Florida, it may be destined to play an important part in the rural economy of all that part of the country. Seed can be obtained from the Messrs. Vilmorin, of Paris.

For more information on historic Irises visit the Historic Iris Preservation Society at

-- BobPries - 2014-09-12