CRUCIFERAE 65 



Iberis is another important race of Crucifers — some of 

 them dwarf, and all, to my mind, spoilt by the tone of 

 their whites, which are either dingy or very hard. Iberis 

 correaefolia and Iberis Snowflake are far and away the 

 best for general purposes, and their flowers are clean and 

 pure, though rather cold in tone. CoiTeaefolia is a huge, 

 obtrusive grower, but Snowflake and pinnatu, another 

 good plant, make dignified, pleasant little bushes about a 

 foot high, flowering with splendid generosity. Iberis 

 jucunda is a synonym of Aethionema coridifolium, which 

 leaves Iberis petraea alone to represent the rock- section of 

 Iberis. Petraea is a very dwarf plant, trailing little 

 dark boughs along the ground, and bearing a profusion 

 of white flowers not as brilliant, alas ! as some, though 

 extremely pretty. Nicholson gives it as a form of Iberis 

 tenoreana from South Europe. It is a true high- 

 Alpine — minute, neat, and supposed to be rather difficult 

 by some people. I have never had any sort of bother 

 with it here, nor, beyond a comer to itself and decent 

 soil to grow in, have I ever given it any attention or 

 coddling. Of the larger sorts, I think one called Little 

 Gem is the best — even neater than Snowflake — forming 

 robust round balls which, in their time, are literally 

 hidden by the abundance of blossom. Tenoreana, sem- 

 pervirens, and gibraltarica are none of them trustworthy 

 in my climate. 



The Aethionemas are certainly the most brilliant of 

 the Cross-bearers after Aubrietia. They are southerners, 

 coming, for the most part, from the Alps along the 

 Mediterranean, where they drop out of sun-baked ledges 

 in a profusion of rich colour. For, almost alone of their 

 race, they have flowers in varying warm shades of pink ; 

 whereas the utmost that the generality of Crucifers can 

 do in the way of eff'ect is pale purple, their attempts at 

 red tones being apt to turn out rather weak lilacs and 



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