46 THE BOOK OF THE IRIS 



often of hybrid origin, but it is useful to distinguish 

 garden hybrids as such, and it is no more than right to 

 record parentage. It should be indicated, if possible, 

 in the name, as in the case of I. " Monspur" between 

 /. Monnieri and /. spuria. The so-called " German 

 Irises " belong to this group, and the term often includes 

 a number of forms which have nothing to do with 

 /. germanica proper. Sir Michael Foster has shown 

 from his experiments in hybridising and upon other 

 considerations that they are all hybrids or sports of 

 three species, viz., /. pallida, I. sambucina, and /. variegata. 

 The beautiful Iris known as " Queen of May" is 

 /. pallida, with the smallest possible infusion of the 

 blood of /. sambucina. " Madame Chereau," again, is a 

 seedling of /. sambucina crossed with 1. pallida. Out of 

 one cross between a not quite pure /. variegata a 

 variegata which contained some blood of /. sambucina, 

 Sir Michael Foster raised a large number of plants, 

 among which he could recognise not only typical neglecta, 

 but a very large number of the German Irises of the 

 nurseries. 



To this section belong the new hybrids raised by 

 Mr W. J. Caparne of Rohais, Guernsey. He has three 

 sets, apparently, and terms them " Early Alpine," 

 " Intermediate," and " Tall Summer-flowering " re- 

 spectively. Parentage, unfortunately, is not given, but 

 of the " Early Alpine " he says that they have been 

 " evolved and developed from nearly every early- 

 flowering species obtainable during the last twenty 

 years." /. olbiensis, L Chamaeiris, perhaps Cengialti, and 

 certainly /. kashmlriana may be detected in some of these 

 hybrids ; but whatever their parents may be, they are 

 themselves no doubt very charming and attractive. I 

 have a note that /. pumila and /. florentina are among the 

 parents. The raiser claims that they provide a flower- 

 ing season of from six to nine months' duration. An 



