198 FLORA HISTORICA. 



of so dark a hue as to have given rise to the name 

 of Mourning Iris. This species of Iris was cul- 

 tivated in this country previous to 1596. as Gerard 

 then tells us that it flourished well in his garden, 

 being planted in ground not over-wet. This old 

 herbalist observes, " the whole flower is of the 

 colour of a Ginnie hen ; a rare and beautiful flower 

 to behold." We learn from Clusius that this 

 superb Iris was first brought from Constantinople 

 to Vienna and Holland, in the year 1573. 



The hardy sorts of Iris are easily propagated by 

 parting their roots in the autumn ; and few flowers 

 requiring so little attention, produce so fine an 

 effect as these plants, particularly when their 

 clumps are large. The roots should not be re- 

 moved oftener than once in three or four years, as 

 they seldom flower so abundantly the year after 

 having been planted. 



The great bulbous-rooted Iris, Xiphioides, and 

 the small bulbous-rooted Iris, X/p/mwi, are natives 

 of Spain, and were cultivated in England as long 

 back as the time of Gerard ; yet they continue 

 rather rare than plentiful in most of our gardens, 

 although no flower which we can bestow our atten- 

 tion upon will be found more ornamental than 

 these species of Iris, which vary so considerably in 

 their corollas, that scarcely two plants produced 

 from seed are painted in the same manner ; but 



