HYBRIDS AND HYBRIDISATION AMONG BULBOUS PLANTS. 443 
has been my aim, by intercrossing the latter section with the easily 
grown fegelia, to raise a strain that would combine the beautiful and 
large flowers of the true Oncocyclus with the hardy character and free- 
flowering qualities of the Regelia. I tried crosses both ways, but soon 
found that hybrids raised from the Oncocyclus with the Regelia did not 
possess any more vigour than their seed-parents, whereas the Regelia 
section (I. Korolkowt, I. Leichtlini, I. vaga, &c.) crossed with pollen of 
the Oncocyclus gave birth to a hardy, free-growing and free-flowering race 
(fig. 120). Some of the varieties from these crosses have now been in 
cultivation in my nursery for over eight years, and the accompany- 
ing illustration, which shows a portion of my stock of Iris Hecate (one of 
the varieties raised from I. Korolkowi violacea x I. iberica insignis), 
Fic. 120.—Tyrr or FLower or REGELIO-cycuus Iris. 
speaks for itself, that in point of vigour and free-blooming qualities this 
new race, which has been distributed under the name of Iris Regelio- 
cyclus, leaves nothing to be desired. Another point in favour of this race is 
that in the open ground it flowers with the very earliest members of the 
Rhizomatous Irises, such as J. precox, and some pumila varieties, pre- 
ceding the host of ordinary bearded Irises (germanica) by from three to 
four weeks. From the Regelia parents they also inherited the desirable 
gift of producing two flowers in each scape, a second flower taking the 
place of the first on withering. Especially beautiful in this strain are 
the hybrids of selected varieties of I. Korolkowi type x with J. susiana 
and J. iberica, and also crosses between J. Korolkowi violacea with the 
purple-red J. Marie. Strange to say that a cross between J. Korolkowi 
concolor (which I find is not quite so vigorous as are the other Korolkowz 
