AQUILEGIA. 
this and the almost unknown A. glandulosa; but, apart from its 
blue-and-whiteness, and its far greater strength, height, and brilliancy, 
will be noticed the amplitude of the petals, so full as to touch all 
round, and the notable breadth of the deep-blue sepals. The royal 
flowers are not really horizontally borne, but seem just a little to nod 
with their own grandeur; and a dense field-like patch of the A. jucunda, 
one foaming sea of green, high over which wave and waver the count- 
less wide stars of blue and white, is one of the most beautiful things 
that the garden can ever show, either in early June or at any other 
time. Originally introduced from Forres, where it was long a speciality, 
A. jucunda proves a glory of magnificent constitution, in any soil that 
is duly deep and rich and cool. Clumps should be moved only when 
they are first beginning to show signs of life in the dawn of spring, 
in which case the crown sustains no check, and shows no resentment ; 
and, as for seed, A. jucunda, the unquestionable sovereign of the race, 
annihilating even A. coerulea and A. alpina, still further earns our 
gratitude by always breeding absolutely true. Not only does no 
other strain ever appear in seedlings of A. jucunda, but A. jucunda 
itself never seems to contribute any of its blood or beauty to any of 
the blooming rivals by which it is surrounded at flowering-time. This 
in itself would be sufficient disproof, if disproof were needed, of an 
unlucky theory lately broached, that our so-called A. glandulosa of 
gardens was, in reality, the hybrid A. Stuartii. Not only is A.x 
Stuartit a well-known miff, altogether smaller and feebler (though 
with the same immense flowers), but no hybrid ever yet succeeded in 
breeding true to itself always and only and absolutely, refusing all 
temptations to belong to other nations. Finally, if anything be 
worthy of association with A. jucunda, what could be more noble 
and suitable company than pale lemony Tvollius and Anemone 
narcissiflora ? 
A. Kitaibeltt. See under A. pyrenaica. 
A. lactiflora is a white-flowered species, akin to A. leptoceras, 
Fisch. and Meyer, but softly downy all over—a North-Eurasian Colum- 
bine of grace and beauty, with long spurs either straight or just 
incurving at the tip. 
A. laramiensis, together with A. flavescens and A. EHastwoodiae, are 
somewhat dim Americans of no special interest. 
A. leptocera. See under A. coerulea. 
A. leptoceras, Fisch. and Meyer, is an obscure Siberian, sug- 
gestive of a big A. vulgaris, with fine blue flowers and long straight 
spurs. 
A. Litardieri has almost passed beyond reach even of aspiration. 
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