the three inner segments oblong, attenuated towards
the base, a little undulate or curled at the margins, of
a delicate pale blue, faintly veined. Stamens 3, inserted
at the base of the outer segments, at the summit
of the tu b e : filaments smooth, white : anthers linear,
bursting longitudinally : pollen white. Ovarium bluntly
three-sided, smooth and glossy. Style short, smooth.
Stigmas 3, petal-like, attenuated to the base, broad at
the end, deeply cleft, keeled on the upper side and
concave below, jagged at the edges, and more so at the
points, which are erosely fimbriate.
Our drawing of this beautiful and singular species
of Iris was taken the latter end of June last, at the
Nursery of Messrs. Whitley, Brames, aiid Milne, at
Fulham, where it was raised from seed received from
Nepaul, and we believe it to be the first time that it
has ever flowered in this country; it differs from all the
species that we are acquainted with, by its fleshy roots,
resembling those of a Hemerocallis, which made Mr.
Milne suppose, before it flowered, that it could not be
an Iris. Mr. D. Don has already observed that the I.
nepalensis of the Botanical Register was nothing but a
European species; and some plants that were received
from India by that name, and flowered at Mr. Colvill’s
Nursery, were nothing more than 1. pallida, the original
species of which was in flower at the time, by the side
of them, and we could not observe the slightest difference.
Messrs. Whitley and Co. had another Nepaul
species, that flowered with them two years ago, a very
small dwarf plant, about three inches high, a little resembling
I. ruthinica, but the flowers lasted so short a
time, that we did not succeed in procuring a figure of
it, and we fear it is now lo s t; the present species is
now thriving well in a peat bed, but we would advise
its being covered a little in severe frosty weather; it
may be increased by dividing at the root; the plants
are now to be procured at the above Nursery, at ten
shillings and sixpence each.
The generic name is derived from tpic, the rainbow,
from the variety of colours in the flowers of the genus.
1. Perianthium laid open and divested of the segments, to show the insertion of
the 3 stamens. 2. The bluntly 3-sided Ovarium. 3. The short Style, terminated
by the 3 petal-like Stigmas, that are deeply deft, and jagged at the sides, and p a rticularly
at the ends.
k