132 
FLORA AND SVLVA 
Hyeres, and is very beautiful in midwinter. I 
Of this pale flower there are two varieties, I 
one of which was found growing wild in Al- 
geria, near Mustapha, by an English resident. | 
Its flowers are pure white, save for the bright j 
yellow blotch in the centre of the inner seg- 
ments, deepening towards the base of the 
claw ; the segments also are narrower and 
even more delicate in texture than in the col- 
oured forms. The second white variety is of 
stronger growth, with broad leaves of bright 
green, and ivory-white flowers of fuller sub- 
stance. Though more robust than its purer 
and more delicate companion, neither of these 
pale flowers is as lasting as those of the wild 
plant. There are also a number of impure 
whites which do duty for a/^a. The finest 
coloured form is speciosa, with massive flowers 
of great substance, showing beautifully waved 
segments of rich violet, shaded with purple. 
The leaves are narrow and so short that the 
flowers easily overtop them, making this the 
best kind for garden effect though a little later 
in flowering, A seedling raised by Messrs. 
Dammann of Naples and called Kaiserin TLlisa- 
beth shares this dwarf form and short grassy 
leaves, and its flowers show a distinct reddish 
tinge. In the variety purpurea the flowers are 
deep purple and slightly larger, with leaves 
as in the parent ; atroviolacea is another good 
dark form of intense colour. Paler kinds are 
lilacina, a plant of strong growth blooming 
early in April, with flowers of delicate mauve 
and thin texture ; marginata^ also vigorous, 
with leaves of 2 to 3 feet long, and flowers of 
rich lilac netted with white veins from a paler 
edging ; and pavonia^ less distinct in colour 
but with very large flowers. Messrs. Delauil 
of Hyeres claim to have raised a cross between 
the blue and white forms, in which the blue 
colour of the one parent remains unchanged, 
while the leaves are so short and the flowers 
so abundant as to make it the best of all for 
ribbon borders. 
A plant so near this as to be often classed 
with it, is Iris cretensis^ sometimes called Iris 
unguicularis var. angustifolia. Its leaves are 
shorter and very narrow, with smaller and 
more deeply coloured flowers of bright lilac 
purple, paler towards the throat. This is 
found in the Mediterranean region but further ! 
east than /. unguicularis^ in Greece, Crete, and 
through the Grecian Archipelago into Asia 
Minor, rising in places to a height of 5,000 
feet. The fact that it grows less and less like 
the Algerian Iris as one travels east, suggests 
that it is only a geographical form of it, need- 
ing the same care in cultivation, but flowering 
later, and not so good. B. 
THE PERENNIAL TRUMPET 
FLOWERS {Incarvilka). 
Until a few years ago, the Incarvilleas 
were known only as a group of some 
three or four members, of small interest 
save to botanists and little seen in gar- 
dens. But within recent years our know- 
ledge of the Far East has increased, and 
from China and japan have come a num- 
ber of new plants, many of them hardy in 
our gardens, and telling of a wealth of 
beauty before undreamed . And amongst 
the plant-groups so enriched, few have 
gained more than these: there are now 
about a dozen kinds known, though 
several are not yet in cultivation. Most 
of them are found among the hills of 
Western China and Thibet, some species 
having a wider range than others. All 
are perennials, sometimes with a fleshy 
root and soft tissues, in others woody 
and sub-shrubby in character. Their 
flowers are large, handsome, and trum- 
pet-shaped, like many of their nearest 
relatives; they are, in fact, perennial 
Begonias, with something of the flne 
colour of those handsome climbers. 
They thrive best in light warm soils, 
deep and rich to favour their strong 
roots, and well drained to preserve them 
from stagnant moisture in winter. In 
general they do better in the open bor- 
der than under glass, where the tissues 
are softer and the flowers poor in 
