234 
Iris Hybrids 
raised many hybrids, most of which have perished now, although a few are still grown by friends to 
whom he gave plants with his usual generosity. 
Following in his footsteps the firm of Van Tubergen of Haarlem made many crosses, for which 
they were able to use the best of the flowers that appeared among the large importations of the 
various species which they frequently received when Oncocyclus Irises first became widely known, and 
when there was perhaps a larger demand for them than there appears to be now. 
Seeing that the resultant hybrids are now largely grown, the following account of the parentage 
as supplied to me by Van Tubergen may be of interest. 
(1) Ground-work silvery white, veining brown or lilac. 
I. Korolkowi typica x /. iberica v. Houtteana = Psyche. 
„ „ x /. susiana = Thalia. 
„ „ x I. susiana (selected flowers) = Baucis. 
„ „ x /. sofarana magnified = Y ocaste. 
(2) Very tall strong growers with large lilac blue flowers, heavily veined on a pale lilac ground. 
/. Korolkowi violated* I. susiana = Terpsichore. 
x I. Mariae = Artemis. 
[N.B. The result of the latter cross is particularly noticeable because I. Mariae is very dwarf in habit.] 
/. Korolkowi violacea x I iberica v. Houtteana = Mars. 
„ „ x /. susiana = Helena. 
„ concolor x /. iberica v. Houtteana = Persephone. 
(3) Standards of a warm lilac rose hue, the falls veined with greyish brown on a yellow ground ; dwarf. 
I. Suwarowi x /. Marine = Hecate and Hesperia. 
I. vaga x I. Mariae = Sophrosyne. 
(4) Flowers of a uniform deep lilac rose, very much like /. Mariae but much stronger and taller 
1 . Korolkowi concolor x /. iberica = Eurydice. 
I. Korolkowi atropurpurea x I. Mariae = Aspasia. 
(5) Various crosses. 
/. Korolkowi venosa x I. atropurpurea = Charon. 
/. Korolkowi violacea x 1 urmiensis^ Titania. 
/. Korolkowi violacea x (/. Mariae x I. iberica) = Honoria. 
I. Korolkowi violacea x /. iberica = Polyhymnia. 
I. Korolkowi typica x I. paradoxa = Sirona. 
I. Leichtlini x (/. paradoxa x I. iberica) = Hera. 
I. Korolkowi typica x I. Lorteti = Venus. 
If the freedom with which the Oncocyclus and Regelia sections combine may be taken as a proof 
that they are closely related, we must also conclude that both these sections are nearly related to the 
Pogoniris section, for hybrids between them are fairly easily obtained. We owe to Foster a whole 
series of crosses in which /. paradoxa and /. iberica were crossed with pollen of the large Pogoniris, 
such as /. pallida, /. variegata , and the sambucina hybrids of these two species ; but here, as usual, 
the effect of the combination of the different characters of the parents has been to obscure the colours 
and to produce combinations of the colours of the parents, which are often more interesting than really 
beautiful. 
No mention has yet been made of what is undoubtedly by far the largest class of Iris hybrids, 
namely those plants which practically represent the genus in the eyes of many, and which are found 
in nearly every garden under the misleading title of German Irises. 
The parentage of these Irises still remains a mystery, although the evidence available tends to 
show that the vast majority, at any rate, have arisen as the result of many generations of crosses 
between two species, namely /. pallida and I. variegata. These grow in localities in the Tyrol and 
in Hungary, which do not preclude the possibility of their having been brought together in gardens 
and cross-fertilized either artificially or by insects in very early days. Other species such as /. aphylla 
and /. Cengialh, and the taller Asiatic Pogoniris have probably also been used from time to time, and 
have left clear traces. /. germanica has probably not had much influence, for it is certainly not so 
hardy either as /. pallida or as /. variegata , both of which are prepared for severe winter weather 
when they lose their leaves in autumn. /. germanica , on the other hand, begins to grow again in 
the autumn, and late spring frosts often prove fatal to the immature flower stems long before the 
latter emerge from the shelter of the leaves. 
It is unfortunate that it has not yet been possible to prove the result of crossing /. variegata 
and /. pallida , chiefly because it was essential to begin with authentic wild plants. Now that these 
have been obtained, the cross has been made both ways, and before long we may hope to see the 
result. In the meanwhile, it was of interest to find that the result of crossing /. trojana with /. variegata 
was to produce a hybrid, which was remarkably like the so-called sambucina and squalens forms. The 
colour was a reddish purple, in which traces of yellow were quite apparent, especially in the smoky 
appearance of the standards. The beard was also bright orange, and the spathes had that half scarious 
and half green character, which we should a priori expect from the combination of two plants, one of 
which has wholly green spathes, and the other spathes that are partly scarious when the flowers expand. 
