44 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 257. 



houses, and of this there are several varieties, white and lilacs. 

 Except that it requires a rest from July to October, its culture 

 offers no difficulties. 



The most interesting winter Iris seems to me to be I. stylosa, 

 which, though Algerian by birth, is apparently hardy here. This 

 by precedence is I. unguicularis, which name, as Professor 

 Forster has remarked, has the advantage of containing five 

 more letters, and being more difficult to pronounce. It 

 is, however, a plant which is more satisfactory under protec- 

 tion, though only requiring a moderate temperature to bring 

 it into flower in December or January. It is necessary to have 

 it well established in pots for such treatment, and it will re- 

 quire attention and some stimulants in the early year to keep it 

 moving. There are several varieties of this. Var. Speciosa, now 

 in flower with me, is rather light purple, with white and yellow 

 markings on the falls, and the standards, which are erect, 

 are suffused with a coppery bronze on the inner base. 



Since the appearance of this series of notes I have had sev- 

 eral communications, seeking, with perhaps unconscious sar- 

 casm, cultural directions for the Iris, and perhaps a few more 

 notes in that direction may be useful, though, unless otherwise 

 noted, the plants before mendoned demand the simplest possi- 

 ble treatment. Many, or most, of the rhizomatous kinds are 

 evergreen, where the leaves are not killed by frost, and may 

 be moved at any time, but, preferably, it should be done after 

 flowering and before the ground commences to cool off in the 

 fall. They can be secured at any time in the spring or fall 

 from the dealers, and if care is used in setting out, few of them 

 will give further trouble until they have exhausted the soil, 

 which they do somewhat rapidly. Those with thick rhizomes 

 are apt to be bruised in transportation, which will cause them 

 to rot, and they should be carefully watched, and the decaying 

 part cut out as soon as it appears, after which they should be 

 planted in sand till they recover. These, like other plants, are 

 better planted, as some one has said, with a spade. In other 

 words, in a good, broadly, loosely worked space such as a 

 spade would open. Spread out the roots well and work loose 

 earth among them, with the thick rhizomes just at the surface. 

 Those with short underground rhizomes should be planted so 

 that the buds are near the surface. As these often make a 

 matted mass of fine roots, difficult to spread and separate in 

 the earth, it is well to cut up such masses to single eyes, and 

 plant with a space between. Such masses of roots can other- 

 wise often be successfully treated by washing out and throwing 

 sand between while wet. This will help to keep them separate 

 and enable one to plant satisfactorily. In the outdoor garden, 

 where one is entirely at the mercy of the elements, careful 

 planting is usually of more importance than after-cultivation, 

 for after planting, nature and the plants have it mostly out be- 

 tween them. However, we all like to think that we are mas- 

 ters even in the garden, and a judicious use of water and 

 manure, as observation seems to indicate, will help the Iris, 

 as well as other plants, and a loose state of the soil will tend 

 to increase them rapidly. — ,r ^ j 



Elizabeth. N.J. J.N.Gerard. 



Autumn-flowering Lilies. — I. 



STRICTLY speaking, the sub-genus ArcheHrion consists of 

 three separate groups, Lilium tigrinum, L. auratum and 

 L. speciosum, each differing considerably, either in the shape of 

 bulb or flower, far more than in the case of other sections. 

 All the ArcheHrion Lilies, as far as they are known to us, are 

 natives of Asia, principally of Japan and China, where they 

 are collected by the natives for food, but for some years large 

 quantities have been cultivated and exported, mainly to 

 Europe and America. 



Lilium tigrinum Group. — L. tigrinum has a stem from 

 three to five feet in height, greenish purple or dark brown in 

 color, and pubescent ; the leaves deep green, scattered, and 

 the lower ones enlarging more to the apex. It is one of the 

 few bulbous species bearing bulbils in the axils of the leaves, 

 which adhere at first firmly to the stem, but as they grow 

 larger assume a more separate existence, until, on maturity, 

 they drop to the ground in the autumn and soon produce 

 little rootlets and leaves. There are only two other truly 

 bulbiferous species of Lilies besides this, namely, L. bulbi- 

 ferum and L. sulphureum (L. ochroleucum). L. tigrinum 

 flowers from the end of July right through August and up to 

 the middle of September. The variety, Splendens, differs 

 from the type in the much broader, deep green and shiny 

 leaves, a dark brown ebony-like stem, and much larger and 

 brighter-colored flowers. It is of vigorous growth and later 

 in bloom. This I consider is the best of the Tiger Lilies. L. 

 tigrinum Fortunei differs principally from L. tigrinum by the 

 lighter-colored flowers, less recurved segments, larger and 



lighter spots, narrow leaves and downy stem. It blooms a 

 week or two later than the type, and a few days before Splen- 

 dens. On account of its tall, vigorous growth, in the first, and 

 sometimes also in the second, year after importation (for the 

 stem grows from six to eight feet high, and produces a great 

 number of flowers), it is erroneously called Giganteum, but 

 when grown for a few years it loses this character, and becomes 

 simply Fortune's Lily. I have found imported Tiger Lily bulbs- 

 always of this variety, but never of the form Splendens, or the 

 type. The form Fortunei is to all appearance the most com- 

 mon, and has undoubtedly a wide distribution. A friend sent 

 me a few bulbs of it from a then unexplored part of Burma, 

 which he bought from Chinese merchants, who sold them for 

 food ; and he, having only a slight knowledge of Lilies, sent 

 them to me as a new kind. L. tigrinum erectum is a very rare 

 and distinct form, but, as far as I know, not now in cultivation. 

 The flowers are erect, but the plant is of rather weak consti- 

 tution. The double-flowered variety is like Fortunei, except 

 in the perfect double flowers of camellia shape — a most 

 handsome and vigorous-growing form, and a native of China 

 and Japan. It flowers the last of all, lasting from September 

 to October. Tiger Lilies are easily propagated by the bulbils ; 

 in fact, under favorable conditions, they sometimes become 

 a perfect weed. L. jucundum is an almost real Tiger Lily, 

 with the exception of not being bulbiferous. The bulbs differ 

 but little from those of L. tigrinum, only being more com- 

 pressed. The stem is from four feet to five feet high, covered 

 with white down, and the leaves scattered, linear and twisted. 

 The color of the flowers is bright red, dotted brown. Among- 

 these are one or two very distinct forms. L.Leichtlini.with yellow 

 flowers, spotted with brown, might rightly be put here, having- 

 the whole character of L. jucundum, but at the same time it 

 might be classed with the Martagon Lilies. 



Lilium auratum Group. — Lilium auratum has a stem frorr> 

 two to six feet high, deep green, smooth tinted purple, rather 

 slender, leaves scattered, short-stalked, lanceolate-acuminate,, 

 deep green, shiny and smooth ; the lower ones are shorter and 

 much narrower than the upper ones ; the perianth is fron> 

 four to eight inches long, segments fulcrate, one to two inches- 

 broad in the middle, white streaked with yellow and dotted 

 with purple. It is strongly scented — a most variable Lily,, 

 with many distinct and beautiful varieties, and a native of 

 Japan, flowering from July till October. The most distinct 

 forms are : Wittei, having a small, light-colored bulb, very- 

 slender stem, growing from two to three feet high, and small, 

 milky-white flowers, streaked yellow, but without spots. 

 Rubro-pictum has narrow, long leaves, and a smooth, lurid, 

 purple-tinted stem, flowers of medium size, very numerous, 

 white, tinted outside with greenish purple, and streaked faintly 

 with red, also enriched with large, crimson dots. A late- 

 flowering and very pleasing form. Rubro-vittatum has a 

 slender stem, about three feet high, green, tinted with purple, 

 the leaves lanceolate, dark green, tinted purple and very 

 smooth ; the flowers are large, white, streaked deep crimson. 

 This I consider to be the most beautiful, not alone of this group, 

 but of all the Lilies. As far as constitution is concerned, it is 

 far more satisfactory than the common L. auratum. Platy- 

 phyllum has a light or deep green Stem, tinted with purple, 

 the leaves broad and lanceolate, the flowers large, much ex- 

 panded, white, the exterior tinted purple, the interior often tinted 

 and streaked with sulphur, and dotted with maroon^a vigorous- 

 growing and beautiful form. The stem is very stout, and 

 often attains a height of from six to eight feet, especially the 

 second year after importation. The first year it is much 

 dwarfer. It is the most vigorous variety of this group, and a 

 native of Japan, flowering in August and September. Virgi- 

 nale differs but little from Platyphyllum as far as the general 

 habit and shape of the bulb are concerned ; the principal dif- 

 ference lies in the large, white flower, which is not spotted as 

 the preceding, but has a pale yellow band running through 

 the middle of each of the inner segments. It is a very rare 

 form. The variety Wittei, a much more plentiful variety, is 

 usually sold for Virginale. Besides these varieties there are 

 others, but they are not quite so distinct. Any one buying a 

 number of imported bulbs of L. auratum will find an almost 

 endless variety among them. Some are of dwarf growth, and 

 have narrow, long leaves, the plants usually early-flowering, 

 with flowers almost as good as those of Platyphyllum. In 

 Rubro-pictum they are more or less spotted, and tinted pur- 

 ple or crimson. Others, again, have a tall, slender stem often 

 fasciated, while some have curly leaves and small flowers, 

 which are produced late. These last two forms are of weak 

 constitution and are short-lived. The dwarfer, long or broad- 

 leaved forms are the most amenable to culture, while the tall, 

 late-flowering, curly-leaved varieties are the most difficult to 



