354 



GENERAL REVIEW. 



during the past two or three centuries. Parkinson (see * Para- 



disus,' 1625, p. 170, 189) de- 

 scribes and figures' numerous 

 species of Iris, including /. 

 sttsiana, which were cultivated 

 in his time. Of the " English 

 Iris" he describes numerous 

 forms, so that it must have 

 been improved at a very early 

 date. In speaking of these 

 varieties he quaintly observes : 

 " There hath been brought un- 

 to us divers roots of these 

 kinds with the dried flowers 

 remaining on them, wherein 

 there hath been seen more 

 varieties than I can well re- 

 member to expresse, which 

 variety, it is very probable, 

 hath risen by the sowing of 

 the seeds, as is truly observed 

 in the narrower-leaved kinde 

 of Flowerdeluce, in the Tulipa, 

 and in some other plants." 



It is curious to find that 

 while the Dutch florists have 

 sedulously gone to work to im- 

 prove the European Iris, the 

 Japanese gardeners have been 

 equally industrious, and have 

 long cultivated a race of ex- 

 tremely variable and beautiful 

 forms of the purple, golden- 

 rayed /. lavigata (see ' Bot. 

 Mag..' t. 6132) and / setosa 

 Pallas. These were first intro- 

 duced into European gardens 

 about 1873, I believe through 

 the exertions of Max Leichtlin 

 of Baden-Baden, and are now 

 well known in our gardens un- 



Iris Germanica. a, Complete flowering der the name of /. 



ovar y- 



They may be propagated by 

 division and by means of seeds, 

 which should be sown as soon as gathered, either, in pots or 



