August, 19 21 
43 
Modern cultivated forms of col¬ 
umbine show broader, more 
widely open blossoms and greater 
variety of color than do the 
native sorts 
The spur development is also far 
greater in cultivated types. Such 
changes as this are usually ef¬ 
fected only by many flower 
generations 
Relatively small though our native columbine (A. canadensis) is, its 
grace of form and the coral and yellow hues of its flowers entitle it 
to a place of honor in any garden 
species of Dicentra are known, the 
entire group belonging to the flora 
of Asia and North America. 
From the intractable Dutch¬ 
man’s Breeches, we may pass to a 
genus of plants that has given us 
some of the most marvelous gar¬ 
den forms known to us—the col¬ 
umbines ( Aquilegia). In our 
northeastern flora we meet with 
the common wild columbine (A. 
canadensis ), from which not a few 
subspecies have been derived. 
Then we have the blue form of it 
in our gardens (A. vulgaris), | 
known to the lover of flowers the | 
world over. In some parts of New j 
York State I have found this dark 
blue or even purplish species 
growing among rocks close to farm 
houses, the plants evidently being 
escapes from neighboring gardens. 
The wild red columbine, lined with yellow, 
is often found growing in masses up among 
the rocks and scrub pines on the borders of 
forests, and it is, as we will all acknowledge, 
one of the most beautiful sights in all nature 
in the early months of spring. Where it is 
accessible, thoughtless people often gather 
them in great bunches, only to throw them 
away as their lovely flowers droop on the 
way home; this practice has nearly exter¬ 
minated the plant in many localities. In the 
Rocky Mountains and Mexico we meet with 
a columbine in which the spurs of the flowers 
are several inches in length. Some ten dif¬ 
ferent species of columbines occur in our 
United States’ flora, but they can in no way 
compare with the extraordinary species that 
flourish in our gardens in the summertime. 
Of all the various flowers'in nature, in this 
country and abroad, no single genus has pro¬ 
duced, from the wild species, such a wonder¬ 
ful array of garden varieties as the irises or 
Fleurs-de-lis. They are the very gems of the 
parks and gardens, public and private, almost 
the world over, and they are known to every 
one taking any interest in flowers. It was Rus- 
kin who said that “the fleur-de-lis, which is 
the flower of chivalry, has a sword for its 
leaf and a lily for its heart.” 
Iris Species 
There are over one hundred species of iris 
known to botanists, they occurring chiefly in 
this country, in some parts of Asia, and in 
the North Temperate Zone, while we meet 
with others in northern Africa and in some 
parts of Europe. Germanica is the most 
abundant cultivated species, while the best 
known wild one in this part of the world is 
the common blue flag (/. versicolor). Iris 
prismatica, or the slender blue flag, is a plant 
of the marshes from Nova Scotia to southern 
Georgia, being found only along the coast; 
they bloom in June and July. The Carolina 
iris also occurs in the swamps of Virginia and 
Georgia, and it is said to have been found 
growing in the marshes of some parts of the 
State of Louisiana. I have found the slender 
blue flag growing in masses, in suitable lo¬ 
calities, through southern Maryland, where it 
greatly enhances the borders of swampy ponds. 
The dwarf, the crested dwarf 
and the lake dwarf irises are still 
other very beautiful species of this 
country, and found in certain lo¬ 
calities east of the Mississippi, the 
last-named being confined to the 
gravelly shores of Lakes Superior, 
Huron and Michigan. 
A magnificent introduced spe¬ 
cies from Europe is the true Fleur- 
de-lis, the Iris germanica, now 
found growing wild in Virginia 
and West Virginia; its “beard” is 
bright yellow and pendant, while 
its sepals are of a dark violet pur¬ 
ple. A great rival in the matter 
of beauty is the Charmant iris. 
Mrs. M. E. Russell announces 
the fact that she has discovered 
growing along the borders of 
marshes on the coast of Connecti¬ 
cut the naturalized Asiatic species, 
known as the Oriental iris (/. orientalis) a 
plant wherein the stem-leaves are reduced and 
few in number, while the pale yellow or whitish 
flowers are really very handsome. 
There are many elegant forms of iris 
which have been cultivated in Japan. In 
Spain, too, we meet with some lovely species 
of cultivated ones. 
Occasionally, in certain parts of the East¬ 
ern United States, one may meet in nature 
plants of the yellow iris or yellow flag. I 
have usually found it growing along clear 
streams and sometimes on the borders of 
ponds. When in masses and in full bloom, 
it is a most elegant-appearing species, with 
its tall, dark green, sword-like leaves and su¬ 
perb lemon-yellow flowers. This is the iris 
of Europe and Russian Asia (I. pseudacorus). 
In England, its roasted seeds are used as a 
substitute for coffee, w r hile old-fashioned 
physicians still occasionally prescribe a de¬ 
coction made from its roots as an astringent. 
The fetid iris (I. foetidissima) of western 
Europe, also called “Gladden or roast-beef 
plant, is an unwelcome addition to this other- 
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