THE PLANT WORLD. 18l 



delight in loose soil of hillsides and shaded woods, while /. versicolor^ 

 the common blue flag, is at home in wet meadows and swamps. I have 

 the former growing in my grounds and a single small plant produced 

 seventeen blooms last spring. The latter with a number of its rela- 

 tives also blooms freely for me every spring. 



It may surprise some to know that over one hundred species and 

 innumerable varieties are offered for sale by plant dealers in this country. 

 They are very readily divisible into two groups, in the first of which 

 the rootstock is a short, thick, or creeping rhizome and in the second the 

 rootstock is bulbous. It would require pages upon pages to properly 

 describe these beautiful flowers, but we shall have to be contented with 

 mentioning a few of the principal groups. Perhaps the German Irises 

 and their numerous varieties and allied species, are in most general 

 cultivation. Hardly an old time garden without its clump of fleur- 

 de-lis. They are of various colors from pure white through shades of 

 mauve and blue to darkest purple. They are all hardy and flower in 

 May and June. 



The Japanese Irises (/. Iceingafa or Kminpfcri) form another 

 striking group in which the inner and outer segments are of approxi- 

 mately the same size and width. They range in color from white 

 through blue to dark purple, often variously variiegated and streaked. 

 They are hardy and bloom in July. 



The Oncocyclus Irises are curious dwarf [)lunts of Persia, Pales- 

 tine and Armenia, bearing solitary flowers of immense size. They 

 may be known by the inner segments being larger than the outer, and 

 in color they range from blue or brown to almost black. They are 

 tender plants not much cultivated here. 



The bulbous irises may be typified by the Spanish iris (/. xiphiwn 

 or HhpaniccL)^ and the English iris (/. xlphioides) both common in cul- 

 tivation. 



All of our native species may be successfully grown in the home 

 grounds, doing best of course when their native situation is imitated, 

 but thriving under almost any treatment. Py careful selection these 

 may be planted with .various exotic forms so as to give a succession of 

 iris flowers from early spring to late July. We trust that our readers 

 will try the transplanting of as many native species as grow in their 

 particular localities, and give us the results of close observation on 

 their habits and peculiarities. We venture to say that they will not 

 regret it. 



