136 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



correctly I. germanica var. asiatica. I have received from Asia 

 Minor also two other very distinct and handsome varieties, which 

 I have called var. Sheas and var. Amas, since they were collected 

 in the districts respectively called Siwas and Amasia. And in 

 some of the forms growing wild in Italy both standards and falls, 

 that is, both inner and outer perianth segments, instead of being 

 of different tints of blue purple, are of more or less the same hue 

 of red purple. One of these has been distributed as I. Kochii 

 (Kerner), and is often sent out under the erroneous name of 

 I. sub-biflora, and another has been called by Todaro I. australis. 

 There are thus in existence many wild varieties ; but these do 

 not, in my judgment at least, differ from each other by specific 

 characters ; they are all varieties of the one species J. germanica. 

 The plant is one which appears to be — and to have long been — 

 a favourite of man. You will find it in the gardens of nearly all 

 civilised nations along the temperate zone ; it adorns the cottage 

 of the English labourer and the walls of the Persian town. It 

 has been brought to the English garden from abroad, but the 

 French or Italian peasant has often transferred it from the 

 mountain rock to his house-side. Conversely it has often 

 escaped from the cultivated garden to the wild hill- side, and 

 undoubtedly in its wide distribution along the temperate zone 

 the hand of man has played no inconsiderable part. Along the 

 range I have mentioned, from West Spain to Nepaul, it is, with 

 local exceptions, the most widespread species of Iris. If in a 

 ramble in South Europe you come upon a broad-leaved Iris 

 growing wild on the hills, the chances are nearly ten to one that 

 it will prove to be I. germanica. You will observe that I re- 

 peatedly say " hillside " ; for it is on sunny slopes, where, 

 between rocks, it finds an adequate patch of good, but not too 

 rich loamy soil, where it has not to fight against trees and 

 shrubs which smother its leaves and scape, or against rank 

 grass, which robs its rhizomes of the kindly maturing, rot- 

 preventing influences of the sun's rays, that it finds a fitting 

 home. 



But, as I said, I. germanica, with all its varieties (and I 

 mean the true varieties, not the falsely so-called varieties, of 

 which I shall speak presently) is only one member of a large 

 group. Very closely allied is the handsome and fragrant 

 I. Biliottii of Central Asia Minor, and the very closely allied, 



