Black Hellebore grows wild on the Appenine and other mountains, preferring such as are rocky.
If the weather be unusually mild, it will flower in our gardens, in the open border, as early as December and January; it may indeed be considered as the herald of approaching spring.
Like most other alpine plants, it loves a pure air, a situation moderately moist, and a soil unmanured: as the beauty of its flowers is apt to be destroyed by severe frosts, it should be covered during the winter with a hand-glass, or if it be treated in the manner recommended for the round-leav'd Cyclamen, it may be had to flower in still greater perfection.
It is propagated by parting its roots in autumn: neither this species nor the _hyemalis_ thrive very near London.
Corolla sex-partita: Petalis alternis, reflexis. Stigmata petaliformia.
IRIS pumila corollis barbatis, caule foliis breviore unifloro. _Lin. Syst. Vegetab. p._ 78. _Sp. Plant. p._ 56. _Jacq. Fl. Austr. t._ 1.
CHAMÆIRIS minor flore purpureo. _Bauh. Pin._ 33.
The lesser purple dwarf Flower-de-luce. _Park. Parad. p._ 186.
Gardeners, in former days, not having that profusion of plants to attend to and cultivate, which we can at present boast, appear to have been more solicitous in increasing generally the varieties of the several species; accordingly, we find in the _Paradisus terrestris_ of the venerable PARKINSON, no less than six varieties of this plant[C], most of which are now strangers to the Nursery Gardens. We may observe, that varieties in general not being so strong as the original plant, are consequently much sooner lost.
The Iris pumila grows wild in many parts of Hungary, affects open and hilly situations, and flowers in our gardens in the month of April; it is a very hardy plant, and will thrive in almost any soil or situation; is propagated by parting its roots in autumn.
[Footnote C: The lesser purple dwarf Flower-de-luce with white blossoms, -- ---- ---- --- ---- --- straw colour ditto. -- ---- ---- --- ---- --- pale blue ditto. -- ---- ---- --- ---- --- blush-coloured ditto. -- ---- ---- --- ---- --- yellow variable ditto. -- ---- ---- --- ---- --- blue variable ditto, and the purple dwarf Sea Flower-de-luce of the same author, is probably no other than a variety.]