Bulbous and Tuberous Rooted Plants
A division of the Camden Park catalogues that is not clearly defined. Some of the more important families of the Hortus are included here, Amaryllidaceae, Iridaceae and Liliaceae. It also contains a wide assortment of other plants with a modified stem or root that acts as a storage organ. Such plants are usually deciduous and have a distinct dormancy period. Shrubs and trees are not included, but there is some overlap with herbaceous plants.
Hymenocallis littoralis (Jacq.) Salisb.
Very variable evergreen bulbous perennial with 10-12 basal leaves, up to 1.2m long, and stems to 60cm, bearing umbels of up to 11 fragrant white, green tinged flowers in spring. [RHSD, Hortus, Baker Am.].
Hymenocallis rotata (Ker-Gawl.) Herb.
Bulbous perennial with up to 8 strap-like leaves, to 70cm long, and stems, to 60cm, bearing terminal umbels of usually 2-3, but up to 8 fragrant, white or yellowish flowers. [RHSD, Hortus, Baker Am.].
Ipomoea cairica (L.) Sw.
Frost tender, tuberous-rooted perennial climber with palmate leaves and profuse funnel-shaped flowers in red, purple or white, with purple inside the tube. To 4.5m. [RHSD, Hortus, FNSW].
Iris aphylla L. subsp. hungarica
Iris aphylla is a rhizomatous, dwarf bearded iris with grey-green leaves and branched stems bearing 1-5 purple or blue-violet flowers with yellow-tipped white beards in spring. To 30cm. [RHSE]. The variety hungarica is often taller than the type.
Iris decora Wall.
A rhizomatous, beardless iris with ribbed, linear leaves and branched or unbranched stems with 1-3 short-lived, slightly flattened, lavender-blue or purple fragrant flowers with an orange crest, in summer. To 30cm. [RHSE].
Iris ensata Thunb.
A rhizomatous iris with linear leaves to 1cm wide and 1-to 3 flowered clusters of white to dark purple flowers, the falls marked with yellow and the standards somewhat darker. [RHSD, BIS].
Iris fulva Ker-Gawl.
Fully-hardy rhizomatous, beardless Louisiana iris with slender, slightly zigzag stems bearing 4-6 copper- or orange-red flowers in late spring. To 80cm. [RHSE, Hortus].
Iris germanica L.
Fully-hardy, rhizomatous bearded iris with fans of sometimes evergreen, grey-green leaves and sparsely branched stems bearing blue-violet flowers with yellow beards, in early spring. To 1.2m, usually smaller. Many varieties of Iris germanica exist, a number are included in the Camden Park catalogues. [RHSE, Hortus].
Iris germanica L. subsp. pallida (Lam.) O.Bolòs & Vigo
Frost-hardy, rhizomatous, bearded iris with sometimes evergreen, grey-green leaves and branched stems with 2-6 large, scented, soft blue flowers, with yellow beards. To 1.2m. [RHSE, Hortus].
Iris germanica L. subsp. pallida (Lam.) O.Bolòs & Vigo var. pallida
See Iris germanica L. subsp. pallida (Lam.) O.Bolòs & Vigo for a description of the type. With white flowers, ‘I. swertii is probably an approximate albino form or a hybrid.’ [Dykes].
Iris germanica L. subsp. pallida (Lam.) O.Bolòs & Vigo var. plicata
See Iris germanica L. subsp. pallida (Lam.) O.Bolòs & Vigo for a discussion of the type species. Plicata is now regarded as merely an albino form of pallida with white standards and falls except for veins of colour on the edges of the segments. [RHSD, Hortus].
Iris germanica L. var. florentina (L.) Dykes
Fully-hardy, rhizomatous bearded iris with fans of sometimes evergreen, grey-green leaves and sparsely branched stems bearing strongly-scented white flowers, smaller than I. germanica, in early spring. To 1.2m. Paxton’s Dictionary describes a variety, minor, with grey flowers. [RHSE, Hortus].
Iris germanica L. var. neglecta
Iris germanica neglecta has blue-lilac standards and falls lilac-veined on a white ground. [Grey].
Iris germanica L. var. nepalensis
Iris germanica var. nepalensis has stems 40-50cm long with dark reddish-purple flowers, with the falls much blacker in tone, and white-tipped, yellow beards. In gardens it is often called ‘Purple King’. [RHSD, BIS, Lynch].
Iris graminea L.
Rhizomatous Iris with usually 4 long, slender leaves, longer than the flowers, and a terminal inflorescence of 1-2 flowers, lilac-purple, the falls flushed white, veined with purple. [RHSD, Hortus].
