ON IRISES. 



139 



are to be seen. It is rather unfortunate that these should be 

 spoken of under the name of I. germanica, since, as far as I 

 can judge, none of them are in any way varieties of I. germanica, 

 or, indeed, have anything to do with I. germanica proper. The 

 results of my own hybridisation and considerations based on the 

 characters and habits of these " German Irises," have led me to 

 the conclusion that they are all hybrids or sports of the three 

 species — I. pallida, I. sambucina, I. variegata. The beautifully 

 marked and sweetly fragrant I. plicata or I. Swertii, of which 

 there are several varieties in the trade under fancy names such as 

 " Madame Chereau," is, I am confident, a seedling of J. sambucina 

 crossed with I. pallida ; and I. ncglecta and I. amocna are 

 similarly of hybrid origin. The beautiful Iris known as " Queen of 

 the May " is I. pallida, with the smallest possible infusion of the 

 blood of I. sambucina. Out of one cross between a not quite pure 

 I. variegata, t\mt is to say, an I. variegata which contained some 

 sambucina blood, I raised a large number of plants, among which 

 I could recognise not only typical ncglecta, but a very large 

 number of the various types of the German Iris of our nurseries. 

 But I shall have presently to return to the results of hybridisation. 

 All these hybrid forms demand the same treatment as their 

 parents. 



I spoke just now of I. Ccngialti as being a dwarf form of 

 I. pallida. I possess an analogous dwarf form of I. variegata 

 gathered on the Balkan Mountains. What is often called I. sub- 

 biflora is a somewhat dwarfed form of I. germanica ; and I be- 

 lieve dwarf forms of I. sambucina also exist. But these dwarf 

 forms, in spite of their small stature, retain all the essential 

 features of the taller, more typical forms ; they are stunted 

 members of the I. germanica group. Let me now direct your 

 attention to a group of Irises coming next to the germanica 

 group, the members of which are never other than dwarf. 

 Their foliage is small, and their scape, bearing a few flowers 

 only — often three, or even two only — rarely exceeds a foot 

 and a half in height. There are several Irises of this kind found 

 in South Europe. One of them was called by Linnaeus biflora, 

 meaning in reality bis florens, twice flowering, because it is very 

 apt to throw up a second late bloom in autumn ; and it is con- 

 venient to speak of the whole group as the "biflora" group. 

 As far as I can make out there are some three or four fairly dis- 



