138 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



variety, growing wild in Dalmatia and Montenegro, is known as 

 the variety dabnatica. On the other hand a very small dwarf 

 form growing on Monte Cengialto, near Roveredo, in the South 

 Tyrol, and hence known as I. Gengialti, is in all essential 

 respects an Iris pallida, and cannot be distinguished from the 

 type by any adequate specific characters. It possibly may be a 

 natural hybrid, but in that case the feature! of the pallida parent 

 wholly overshadow those of the other parent. And between the 

 giant Dalmatian pallida and the dwarf 7. Gengialti pallidam&y be 

 placed a whole series running down almost without a break from 

 the one to the other, and exhibiting much variety in the depth 

 of the blue of the flowers as well as in their form and markings. 

 All these must be considered as really coming within the 

 species pallida. Some of these forms of I. pallida are deliciously 

 fragrant, and hence Jacquin called a form of it I. odoratissima ; 

 but some have no odour at all, and the same batch of seed, 

 gathered wild, has, in my hands, produced seedlings both 

 exquisitely sweet, wholly inodorous, and having a distinctly 

 unpleasant smell. Specifically different from, but closely allied 

 to, I. pallida is the large and handsome I. cypriana, from Cyprus, 

 and I have reason to think that Asia Minor contains still other 

 species also closely allied to, but also sufficiently distinct from, 

 the typical pallida. 



Still another step brings us up to the bright yellow variegated 

 Iris of Hungary and South-eastern Europe, I. varicgata, which, 

 in spite of its colour, is much more nearly allied to I. pallida 

 than to I. sambucina. 



All these various species, all belonging to the same general 

 group, all need the same general treatment, all demand a bright 

 sunny situation, with a fair, but not more than fair, supply of 

 not too fertile loam. All hate to be shaded in summer or 

 water-logged in winter, and show their dislike by first refusing 

 to flower and ultimately taking themselves away. Some, of 

 course, are more sensitive than others. I. germanica or 

 7. sambucina will live or even thrive in a situation which will 

 kill 7. pallida outright ; but they all do best where they are 

 bathed in sunlight rather than by water. 



Some of you perhaps are wondering why I say nothing of 

 what are called sometimes German Irises,' sometimes varie- 

 ties of 7. germanica, among which many very beautiful flowers 



