46 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



First in order of flowering after 7. pumila, which will 

 be mentioned elsewhere, is /. chamceiris, to one or other 

 of the forms of which belong nearly all the varieties of dwarf 

 Irises, usually known as 7. pumila. Roughly speaking, 

 when the stem is obvious, the Iris is not a form of 

 pumila but probably belongs to 7. chamceiris. 



Another dwarf Iris of many synonyms is 7. aphylla, to 

 which all such names as bohemica, hungarica, biflora, 

 Fieberi, must be referred. Its distinguishing mark is the 

 fact that the stem divides almost at the ground line. 



An early-flowering Iris of uncertain origin, but of 

 considerable garden value, is 7. flavescens, a pale yellow- 

 flowered and very free-blooming plant. It is said to come 

 from the Caucasus, but this is probably a confusion which 

 has yet to be unravelled. 



The true 7. Albertii is still rare, and is remarkable for the 

 way in which the conspicuous broad veins stop abruptly at 

 a straight line across the fall at the extremity of the beard. 

 The colour of the type is a clear light purple, though 

 a yellow form is also known in cultivation. Foster 

 obtained a pale pearly-grey form, which is apt to flower 

 unexpectedly at any time of year, but it is uncertain 

 whether it is of hybrid origin or merely a seedling. 



7. Kashmiriana seems to have a peculiarly unmanage- 

 able temper, for it always apparently dies out after flowering 

 well in the first year after its arrival from the East. Its 

 flowers are of a milky white, with falls that tend to spread 

 rather than to droop. Foster obtained from it a beautiful 

 hybrid, with white flowers of great substance and only a 

 slight blue tinge, which is easier to manage, though it can 

 hardly be said to be one of the hardiest of garden Irises. 



