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Iris ochroleuca. Tall Iris.
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Class and Order.
Triandria Monogynia.
Generic Character.
Corolla 6-petala, inaequalis, petalis alternis geniculato-patentibus. Stigmata petaliformia, cucullato-bilabiata. Thunb. Diss. de Iride.
Specific Character and Synonyms.
IRIS ochroleuca imberbis foliis ensiformibus, scapo subtereti germinibus hexagonis. Linn. Syst. Vegetab. p. 90.
Of the several species of Iris cultivated in our gardens, this excels in point of height; we have taken our English name therefore from this character, and not from the term ochroleuca, which, if translated, would be too expressive of the colour of the blossoms of the Iris Pseudacorus, with which the ochroleuca has some affinity in point of size as well as colour.
Notwithstanding Mr. Miller's description of his orientalis accords very badly with that of Linnaeus's ochroleuca, they have been generally considered in this country as one and the same plant, distinguished by the name of Pococke's Iris, Dr. Pococke being the person who, according to Miller, in his time first introduced it from Carniola (by inadvertence spelt Carolina, in the 6th'4to edition of the Dictionary). There are grounds, however, for suspecting some error in the habitat of this plant, for had it grown spontaneously in Carniola, it is not probable that Scopoli would have omitted it in his Flora Carniolica.
Leaving its place of growth to be more accurately ascertained hereafter, we shall observe, that it appears perfectly naturalized to this country, growing luxuriantly in a moist rich soil, and increasing, like most of the genus, very fast by its roots. It flowers later than most of the others.
