264 



a great many horticultural varieties, many of which have licen de- 

 velo])ed there. 



The wild species of Iris kacmpferi occurs abundantly at.Horo- 

 mui, a few miles north of Sapporo. A day was spent collecting 

 specimens at this place, in company with members of the staff of 

 the Botanical Institute. From Sapporo south to Hakodate the 

 wild Iris is relatively common, and usually may be found at the 

 borderline between the rice-growing areas and the lower slopes of 

 the mountains. In some cases, land which was formerly cultivated 

 with rice has been abandoned, and in such places the wild Iris has 

 established a very secure foothold. 



In addition to the cultivated varieties of Iris kaenipferi, several 

 other species of this genus were also to be found in Japan. Of 

 these, the most important one is /. laemgata, which occurs as a 

 cultivated plant over large areas. Usually, the tyjiical blue-purple 

 form is grown, but there are several distinct varieties to be found. 

 It is commonly grown around Tokyo for use as a cut flower in 

 the Flower Arrangement. The species may also be found in many 

 of the old temple gardens, especially in the vicinity of Kyoto. 



The Roof Iris, Iris tccioruni, may l)e observed growing on the 

 thatched roofs of houses and other buildings in various places. In 

 the village of Flodagaya, south of Yokohama, the Roof Iris is very 

 common on dwellings. Northwest of Tokyo, in the vicinity of 

 Kiriu, there are many small villages in which the thatched roofs 

 bear this Iris. A day was spent in this region in company with 

 Professor 1 1. Yoshioka of the Kiriu Iligher Technical School. He 

 took us around to a numljcr of the villages and we were able to see 

 many places with the Iris on the roofs. 



In the parks of Tokyo, such as Ueno and Hibya, there are large 

 quantities of Iris japonica. This plant grows vigorously and 

 blooms abundantly during the month of April. 



Opportunities wxre afforded for the observation of many of the 

 other ornamental plants of Jai)an. The cherries were in bloom 

 from the latter part of March to nearly the end of April. The 

 celebrations of Japan at the cherry blossom time arc famous, and 

 thousands of trees may be found in all ]iarts of the Empire. There 

 is a special society which has l)een organized for the development 

 of interest in the cherry, and I attended the annual meeting which 

 was held in one of the gardens of Tokyo on April twentieth. 



