5 



known as variety albo-marginata (Funkia alhomarginata Hook.), 

 which has the leaves margined^with a narrow band of white. 

 There is another form which is quite distinct, the variety tardi- 

 flora, in which the pedicels are longer, the lower ones 10-12 mm. 

 long. It also flowers a little later, so that while the one is in ripe 

 fruit, this variety is still in flower. It is also more resistant to 

 frost. 



The synonymy of this plant has perhaps been more tangled 

 than in any other member of the genus, and it was in part the 

 fault of Thunberg himself. In his Flora Japonica, published 

 in 1784, he described a Hemerocallis japonica. Previous to this, 

 in 1780, he had published an Aletris japonica, but in the Flora 

 Japonica he made no reference to this. As in the later publica- 

 tion he quotes verbatim in part the description given of his Aletris, 

 it is quite easy to connect the two. Subsequent to the publica- 

 tion of Hemerocallis japonica Thunb., Kaempfer's Icones Selectae 

 Plantarum appeared, published in 1791, and at plate 11 of this 

 work appeared another H. japonica, an entirely different plant 

 from that of Thunberg. In 1794 Thunberg renames his plant, 

 calling it Hemerocallis lancifolia, and maintains Kaempfer's name 

 for a plant, which, years afterward, was called Funkia Sieholdiana 

 by Hooker. It is difficult to understand why Thunberg did 

 this, unless it be that he associated this plate with the description 

 of a plant published by the same author in 17 12, but without a 

 binomial. In the Botanical Magazine, under plate 1433, this 

 same association is made. The flowers are there said to be 

 3 inches long, which hardly agrees with the plate cited in which 

 the flowers are shown to be about 2 inches long — about the 

 size they are in the plant named Funkia Sieholdiana by Hooker. 

 This is of course interesting only as a matter of history, for the 

 oldest specific name of this plant published with a description 

 IS japonica, and this must be adopted. 



3. Niobe undulata (Otto & Dietr.). Wavy-margined Day-lily 



Funkia undulata Otto & Dietr. 



A tall showy plant, with long-petioled broad leaves, and 

 numerous pale lavender flowers in a long raceme. Stems up 



