THE APOGON IRISES 49 



be that which contains 7. stylosa. Strictly speaking, we 

 should not use the name stylosa, but that of 7. unguicularis, 

 which is the senior by a dozen years or so. However that 

 may be, the Iris, which is best known as 7. stylosa, is by far 

 the most valuable of the winter-flowering Irises. It comes 

 from Algeria, and likes a well-drained soil containing lime, 

 and does best when planted in a warm, dry, sheltered corner 

 where it will escape the coldest winter winds and catch all 

 the available sun. It thrives close up against the wall of a 

 house, especially if that wall happens to have warm pipes 

 on the other side. The plant is cunningly adapted for repro- 

 ducing its kind even in winter. It has a very short stem, 

 which usually does not extend above the ground level. 

 Then come a pair of long, narrow spathes, each pair being 

 wrapt in a sheathing leaf and containing one flower. The 

 ovary is situated at the base of these spathes, and the ovules 

 have thus three wrappings to keep out the cold. The flower 

 itself is raised on a long perianth tube, which usually attains 

 the length of 6 inches. In cold weather the buds should be 

 searched for among the leaves a sharp look-out being kept 

 for slugs and snails at the same time and picked when the 

 flowers have risen wholly clear out of the spathes. Some 

 cafe must be exercised in pulling the buds. It is easy to 

 crush the slender, delicate tube, and a violent jerk is apt to 

 break off the stem with perhaps two other immature buds, 

 which will then fail to develop. If the tube be firmly 

 grasped and pulled very gently, it is possible with a little 

 practice to obtain the whole length of the tube uninjured. 

 It is a joy to watch the buds quiver open in the warmth of 

 a room on a cold winter's day. They even mistake an 

 electric lamp for the sun, and quickly respond to its influence, 



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