674 
THE GARDENERS’ 
CHRONICLE. 
[May 21, 1887, 
the affinities of I. dichotoma and I. fimbriata are 
undeniable (witness Decaisne’s genus), but th 
rmer has no crest at all, and Mr. Baker is obliged 
by his classification to put it in an unnatural position 
among the beardless Irises. And I might in general 
urge, in spite of the time-honoured distinction of 
bearded and beardless Irises, that the presence or 
absence of so superficial an appendage as a bea 
or crest, unless this feature is clearly correlated 
with some other fundamental feature, is inade- 
crest, others closely allied have none, 
Iris (Xiphion) Boissieri (Henriquez), discovered by 
my friend, Mr. Tait, in the Gerez Mountains, Portugal, 
though in many respects closely allied to I. filifolia, 
has a quite obtrusive beard. And some ofthe new 
Central Asian Irises have, like I. falcifolia, а distinct 
beard on the inner perianth segments as well as on 
the outer, while d qM allied Irises have the inner 
segments quite bar 
ut though г. feel mns to throw over Mr. 
Baker's token, t ms 
uite 
blances of I. cristata and lacustris (to which 
crestless I. verna is certainly allied) to such an Iris as 
L "oq are not, after all, superficial and mis- 
leadi 
t, however, lay down any one мае ав 
distinctive of the whole ; and so or 
'Thus, there is in all 
of them а vean or less tendency— 
l. For the flower to Ie before the foliage is 
€ develope. This is obscured in I. fimbriata 
Wn as an evergreen „рн, but asserts itself if 
ae visi - dried o mo 
2. For 
3. е falls to develope a mem 
4. For the inner perianth segments to be broad 
and conspicuous, and assume а horizontal 
position 
5. For the spathe-valves to be large and to remain 
green, conspicuous for a long time, persisting even 
after the flower has withered. 
6. For the dishiscence of the ripe capsule to be 
confined to the dorsal sutures (and aay pe! toa 
part of that only) without involving, as rdinary 
Pogoniris and on the beardless Irises, the central 
column (and rostrum) as well. 
7. For the seed to develope a Myr chalaza, 
differing in colour from the rest of the seed, 
That such a group is a natural one is still further 
suppo by the geographical distribution of its 
members, which is exactly that of the J. 
ydus Mergers 
ayas, where xy are and e 
pom where they are again 1686 ps 
recovered in the Eastern States of North America, 
if we admit I. cristata and I. lacustris into the group; 
ed as a distinct 
са that I. cristata does really belong to the 
The last three characters given AUN 
spicuous and persistent spathe-valves, the locu- 
having 
. Oncocyclus Ae (I. susi 
ML Korikówi T. Bloudori, &c, L 
the closely allied I. arenaria 
llelism between the presence of I.- 
e con- n! 
hairs of the beard on the contrary are discrete, and 
n the Oncocyclus group, scattered; the 
veins of the rianth segments are sharp and 
defined, not diffused into blotches, and the inner 
segments, а" often conspicuous, are erect and 
often connivent. 
I am inclined to think, however, , that these two 
ach other than is 
near the Central Asian territory, are in some respects 
intermediate forms between the one group and the 
other, M. Foster, 
(To be continued.) 
FLORISTS' FLOWERS. 
THE TULIT. 
I wovr» like to see the Tulip grown more exten- 
sively than it is at present as a hardy garden plant. 
own garden are now well advanced, and in a perfectly 
healthy condition, although the bed is exposed to 
north and east winds. I suppose the main reason 
why the Tulip went out of cultivation was owing to 
the trouble deemed necessary to preserve the etie 
as well as the plants, and the litter made in the g 
den owing tothe supposed necessity of protecting rihê 
plants from frosts as soon as they appe above 
ound, and until the flowers opened, was most 
objectionable to tasteful persons. Man 
their Tulip beds in an out-of-the-way corn 
where the bent hoops, the mats, and the ert 
wooden structure to hold up the canvas shade are 
kept out of sight ; and if ‘hey are wanted on a par- 
ticular day for a flower show it is certain the blooms 
injured by heavy showers, and yet we find good 
owe The self 
tell by the leaves, even in quite a young state, that 
the breeder form has gone, the flame or feathered 
type having taken its place. A breeder Tulip has 
leaves of an uniform dark green colour, and all the 
rectified forms have the leaves flaked with a lighter 
colour. Why the leaves and flowers should alter in 
herbaceous borders ; t a 
bulbs in а clump; these all flowered at first in the 
self form, but after three years a number of them 
have taken to show the flame or Кайт in the 
petals, and in that state they are very pretty indeed. 
We have a long bed containing many plants, an 
for a change this year they have been planted on the 
ground where the Dahlias will be planted in June. 
The soil is necessarily very deep, and richly manured 
for such gross feeding plants as Dahlias. We placed 
over the surface about 3 inches of decayed turfy 
1 Тһе 
being in contact with them. Nothing has been done 
to the beds, except to run the Dutch hoe through 
amongst the plants very lightly. 'I used to place a 
surface dressing of light manure over the surface 
but this has not been done during the last four e 
and the plants have been just as strong, the 
being oed see and beautiful. Some panics 
object to littery manures эчүе! left rene on the 
it well to know that 
NEW ALPINE AURICULAS. 
The Auricula-house at the Royal Nursery, -—— 
presents to view just now such a wonderful collection j 
excel in point of form, stoutness, and distribution — 
the fine variety named last year im - 
memoriam of the late Charles Turner. It seems by - 
eral 
is spring, and ~ 
the кч У: is in determining what to фей 
and wh pi to retai 
atter ofc course, the d is бм far the 
каре? in golden-centred flow ong those | Я 
not yet distributed, but which Mex bee exhibited а 
in seedling form, and will be sent out as soon as — 
sufficient stock is secured, are: William Brockbank, б : 
maroon, with broad edge of pale rosy-violet—extra _ 
fine; Edith, the centre pale gold-maroon, shaded | 
ith c ; Evening Star, a beautiful flower, | 
rich gold, slight merge with orange-buff edge; - 
B es dark, with deep orange-crimson shading—an _ 
tra fine variet if; Dr. Masters, dark, shaded with 
a pinkish-buff ; Pantaloon, ` dark, 
chestnut edge — extra fine; Chastity, 
ark ground, with edge of  pinkish-velvet — - 
very pleasing; Gem, black ground, edged with 
bright рн fine; Lueretia, dark, with 
rosy-violet, very fine and smooth; Homer, dark, hes 
pale ri redali chocolate edge—very smooth, and extra 
fine; Distinction, a slight zone of dark, edged with 
"extra fine; Hotspur, rich gold, black - 
ichard 
are :—Mrs. ma D 
but apt to poles OWA ; Troubadour, and Wik 
liam Br: 
ast 
flowers of а pleasing character it is necessary 
types сае be maintained and improved аз much | 
be | | 
f res hew ЕС flowers in t 1 
3 are :—Oliv , distinctly eig 4 
"Р 
t 
le primrose to white centre, 
with pale purple; Criterion, pale gold to whi 
ground, edged with rosy-vi iss B 
dark- ground, with bright purpl 
fine flat pip. Add to t Geo 
aS 
to 
pps, Mrs. Lumby, Queen Victoria, 
Beatrice, and ee and we get the best 
white-centered flowe 
In the North no о unshaded alpine—that is to say, 
- а self-coloured margin surrounding t the 
is admi 
