SOME GARDEN IRISES. 



229 



slope that faced the Adriatic and the island of Pago. My guide 

 urged that it was not worth while to stop to collect any of these 

 plants, as we were close to the cup-shaped hollow near the summit 

 where the Iris of which I was in search was known to grow. However, 

 I dug up a few of them and am now very glad that I stopped 

 to do so, for they have turned out to be a small pallida of the same 

 description as those which were first described as /. illyrica, to which 

 the well-known /. Cengialti is closely allied, if indeed, as I am inclined 

 to think, the one is not merely a local form of the other. 



On reaching the hollow for which I was bound, I was rewarded 

 by the sight of flowers on all sides ; patches of Gentiana tergeslina, 

 which is closely allied to G. verna, a yellow Primula, Crocuses of a 

 species which has not yet been determined, varying in all shades of 

 colour from white to purple, and coming up through the Gentians 

 and among the Crocuses the short immature leaves of an Iris. The 

 soil was a black, almost peaty vegetable mould, very different from 

 the scanty but strong reddish soil, familiar to all those who have dug 

 plants out of the limestone hills of Southern Europe. Snow was still 

 lying in patches, and no signs of flower-stems had yet developed on 

 the Irises. However, I brought home a number of plants for my 

 garden and for that of a friend for whom I was also collecting. In 

 May of this year they have flowered freely. 



These plants from the hollow at the top comprise at least two 

 Irises, namely I. variegata with pure light yellow standards and 

 red-brown veins on the falls, and another which is obviously a natural 

 hybrid between /. variegata and the /. illyrica which has just been 

 mentioned as growing in the immediate vicinity. The latter, being 

 a pallida, has spathe-valves that are wholly dry and scarious at 

 flowering time ; those of /. variegata are entirely green, while those 

 of the hybrid are green at the base and scarious in the upper part. 

 The latter is identical with those numerous hybrids which have 

 long been common in gardens under the names of squalens and 

 sambucina. 



Of the newer hybrids I cannot too strongly recommend, as good 

 border Irises, ' Iriskonig,' the best of the variegaiae ; ' Oriflamme,' 

 which is nearly a pure germanica and an improvement on macrantha ; 

 * Black Prince,' which is specially valuable for its deep velvety flowers 

 and for its late-flowering habit ; and ' Isoline,' of which I suspect one 

 parent to have been /. trojana. To those who wish to raise hybrids 

 I would specially recommend the latter, for it has already given me 

 one seedHng which produced a spike containing no less than fifteen 

 flowers. ' 



Other pleasing hybrids may easily be raised by crossing /. pallida 

 with pollen of I. Cengialti and of its variety ' Loppio.' The resultant 

 plants mostly give us clear blue shades of purple with the habit of 

 a smallish pallida, not infrequently with the addition of a deep golden 

 beard, which sets off a strikingly handsome flower. 



We will now pass on to the second Iris on the list, which appears 



VOL. XL. R 



