Dykes in The Genus Iris, 1913, Description. Rootstock, a stout rhizome. Leaves, ensiform, glaucous, about 12-15 in. long at flowering time by 1-1½ in. broad, withering away almost entirely in late autumn. Stem, twice as long as the leaves, bearing 3-4 heads of flowers in a fuller inflorescence than that of I. germanica. Spathes, 2-3 flowered, largely but not entirely scarious at flowering time, about 1½-2 in. long. *Pedicel, very short. Ovary, under ½ in. long, with six slight grooves at equal intervals. Tube, about 3/4-1 in., rounded trigonal. Falls, obovate cuneate, 2½ in. long by 1¼ in. broad; the blade is of a very pale yellow, almost white, with slight brownish veins which are most marked in the neighbourhood of the beard. Along the haft, the brown veins become much bolder. The beard is pale yellow tipped with orange in front, becoming more wholly orange behind. Standards, obovate unguiculate, pale lemon yellow, slightly yellower than the falls; the haft is slightly veined with brown at the base and bears a few scattered hairs, often on only one of the three standards. Styles, keeled, pale yellow, oval. Crests, large, broadly trigonal, with coarsely toothed edge. Stigma, entire. Filaments, colourless, longer than the anthers. Anthers, cream. Pollen, white. Capsule, Seeds,Observations. This Iris is very commonly grown in gardens, where it flowers in May immediately after I. germanica. As has been already pointed out, it has long been confused with I. imbricata, from which it is easily distinguished by its ampler inflorescence, by the colour of the flowers and by the scarious and not inflated membranous spathes. It is probably of hybrid origin and I have it on the authority of Mr C. J. Bliss that it once appeared in his garden as one of the seedlings resulting from a cross between the pallida variety "Queen of May" and the amoena "Thorbeck." This points to its being a hybrid of I. pallida or I. variegata. I have never yet been able to induce I. flavescens to set seed even with artificial pollination a fact which may also point to its hybrid origin. |
The Garden 9 May 1914; IRIS FLAVESCENS, A BEAUTIFUL MAY-FLOWERING HYBRID WITH YELLOW BLOSSOMS. A CHARMING MAY- FLOWERING IRIS. Iris flavescens. This attractive May-flowering Iris is worthy of extended cultivation. For some unknown reason it is very much neglected, and is, like the German Iris, more often than not relegated to an out-of-the-way comer in the garden, where it is allowed to dwindle and die. Iris flavescens is a good border plant; the flowers are yellow, and the plant attains a height of 2 feet to 3 feet. For a long time it has been looked upon as a synonym of I. imbricata, but Mr. W. R. Dykes, in his thoroughly reliable book, "The Genus Iris," says "the frequently repeated statement that I. flavescens is a native of the Caucasus is due to its erroneous identification with I. imbricata (Lindl.). It is doubtless a garden hybrid and has no real claim to specific rank," Whatever may be its origin, I. flavescens is a beautiful Iris of the easiest possible culture. Two conditions are essential to its welfare, i.e., sun and a well-drained soil. It will thrive in both heavy and light soils; but if the soil is very sandy, a top-dressing of short, well-rotted manure and leaf-soil will prove beneficial. When transplanting is necessary, it should be done soon after flowering. |