NEPALENSES 193 



from the same ancestors as the Juno Irises, but on 

 another line of development. It is native of the 

 mountains of Nepaul, and would be interesting to 

 re-introduce. Moisture is necessary in summer but 

 dryness in winter, which may be attained by covering 

 with lights. 



140. I. Colletii, Hook. fil. Bot. Mag., 1903, t. 7889 ; 

 /. nepalensiSy D. Don forma depauperata, Collet and HemsL 

 in Jour. Linn. Soc., vol. xxviii. (1890) p. 136 ; /. nepalensis, 

 D. Don., var. Letha, Post, in Gard. Chron., 1892, vol. ii. 

 p. 458. This is the synonomy taken up for /. Collettii 

 in the Botanical Magazine, but whereas Sir Michael 

 Foster describes his nepalensis, var. Letha, as having 

 flowers which nestle among the bases of the young 

 leaves, /. Collettii is figured with stems of some length. 

 The Botanical Magazine plant and Sir Michael Foster's 

 plant were obtained by different collectors, and the 

 thought arises whether from a garden point of view they 

 are identical. While Kew plants died in the open 

 border, those in Sir Michael Foster's garden, ripened by 

 covering with a light in late autumn, came through the 

 winter with loose mulching ; and though the ripening 

 may have enabled the plants to survive, the results are 

 in accordance with the difference of elevation at which 

 the respective stocks were said to have been collected. 

 The figure of /. Collettii represents a charming plant. 

 The roots are crowded, a quarter of an inch in diameter, 

 and of equal thickness, not tapering as in /. nepalensis. 

 The leaves are narrowly ensiform, strongly nerved, dark 

 green ; the bases surrounded by rigid brown fibres. The 

 stems are about 6 in. high, one or two flowered ; spathes 

 l to 2 in. long, narrow, acuminate, and green in 

 colour. The perianth-tube is short, the limb ij in. 

 diameter, of nearly equal segments, which are spreading, 

 revolute, violet blue streaked with white towards the 

 base, the crest of the falls being orange yellow, and not 



