February 28, 1903. 
7 ME GARDENING WORLD. 
185 
Iris alata. 
The above is one of the Xiphions, or bulbous Irises, and, 
although not new, it is a highly desirable one and little known 
to the great mass of gardeners throughout the country. It 
is a native of Spain, Algiers, and other countries bordering the 
Mediterranean both on the south and north side. 
As a rule it commences to bloom some time in autumn in this 
country. Some have described it as flowering from October to 
December; our experience is that it flowers more frequently 
after the turn of the new year, say during January and 
February. That may be due to the nature of the season, 
whether mild or otherwise, and the conditions under which the 
bulbs are grown. On some occasions we have seen the plants 
grown and flowered in cold frames that were scarcely closer than 
mere sashes, laid over supports so as to keep the rain and snow 
off the plants while in bloom. 
This need of protection is 
undoubtedly the reason why 
the plant is so little known 
in this country. It cannot 
Ire due to the want of 
beauty, for it is one of 
the largest-flowered and 
showiest of the dwarf early- 
flowering Irises. As was, 
mentioned in our last issue, 
it was one of the best twelve 
flowering plants at Kew. It 
might have been mentioned 
under the same category for 
some weeks previous, for a 
batch of bulbs in pans grow¬ 
ing in the alpine house has 
been making a beautiful and 
interesting display, practi¬ 
cally from the early part of 
January. It is figured in 
the “ Botanical Register,” t. 
1876. It is also known as 
the Scorpion Iris (Iris scor- 
pioides). 
When the flowers first 
open the falls are of a rich 
purple-blue, but. in the 
course of a few days they 
fade to a paler shade of 
blue, with an orange ridge 
along the centre. Tire 
standards are small, some¬ 
what smaller than those of 
the Persian Iris. The crests 
of the stigmas are very 
large, deeply bifid, and similar in colour to the rest of the 
flower, fading slightly at the edge, but certainly sufficiently 
large to be both conspicuous and showy. If grown out of doors it 
would be necessary to give this species some protection, such as 
a cold frame, or even a pane of glass in a sheltered position; but 
so large are the flowers that something is really necessary to 
keep snow and rain from spoiling their delicate and choice 
beauty. We could recommend a cool house, such as that provided 
for early-flowering alpines at Kew. The numerous flowers that 
might be had in bloom at this season of the year would be 
really worth a special house for their protection alone. The 
primary cost would be indeed the only one, as fire heat is 
unnecessary. 
READERS AND ADVERTISERS are requested 
to note that the address of THE GARDENING 
WORLD is now 37 and 38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
The Best Flowering Plants at Kew. 
There are more plants in the garden than ye wot of.” 
Ruellia macrantha. 
The large tubular flowers which are produced in the axils 
of the uppermost leaves of stem and branches are of a bright 
rosy-purple hue, with intensely defined veins. The tube of the 
individual flower, which is 3 in. long, is slender and twisted 
in the lower one-third, then abruptly inflated, becoming bell¬ 
shaped in the upper two-thirds, and terminating in a five-lobed, 
spreading limb. Grown annually from cuttings in a warm 
intermediate temperature, they form highly-decorative plants 
for a warm greenhouse. In its native habitat it attains a 
height of from 4 ft. to 6 ft. ; hence it is surmised if grown 
as a specimen it would prove very effective. Native of Brazil. 
Stroblianthes isophyllus. 
A slender-stemmed, erect, much-branched plant, about 18 in. 
high, with opposite long slender dark green leaves, producing 
a profusion of lavender-coloured flowers in succession during 
the winter months. The individual flowers are tubular, about 
1 in. long, with a pretty “ herring-bone ’ veining on its upper 
surface. Borne in the axils of opposite leaves, the flower being 
solitary, two are thus produced opposite each other. Treated 
like the preceding, it flowers from December. Native of India. 
Petrea volubilis. 
A handsome stove-climber, with long, shining opposite leaves 
growing to a height of 20 ft., and producing terminal, drooping, 
lax racemes of deep blue flowers with lilac calyx. The flower' 
which is slightly evanescent, is surrounded by a lilac-coloured 
calyx,. which is a half larger and more persistent. Winter- 
flowering climbers are not so plentiful that this deseiving plant 
should be omitted. Native of Tropical America. 
Odontoglossum andersonianum ruckerianum. 
A handsome, many-flowered Orchid, frequently described as 
a variety of 0. crispum, which it largely resembles, differing 
Iris alata. 
