IXIACEAE 331 
2. N. cristata (Ait.) Alef. Leaf-blades narrowly lanceolate to linear-lanceo- 
late, somewhat elongating in age, often glaucescent, mostly 9-20 mm. wide, 
usually curved, sometimes faleate: flower faintly scent ted: perianth mainly pale- 
a or sometimes us hypanthium- AN Qv pia under the 
perianth: sepals euneate-spatulate to narrow ly obov m. long, os 
white or eS bloteh in ihe A ede crest eee with RM Pig donk 
E or oval, varying to ovo obovoid, mostly 1-1. . long, e- 
s larger, m End. beaked. Uris a Ait. To DWARF- a dba 
Rich woods, banks, ona cliffs, various provinces, Ga. to Ark. and Md. 
6. IRIS L.1 Gregarious reedy acaulescent herbs of swamps and marshes, 
h fleshy, usually stout rootstocks, the roots fleshy. Leaves basal, elongate, 
Mes mostly erect. Flower- a nd or rarely proeumbent, with one or 
more leaf- like bracts. Flowers solitary or several together, each subtended by 
an involucre of bractlets, which is subtended by a foliaceous braet. Hypan- 
thium-tube short. Perianth violet, blue, red, yellow, or white, often variegated. 
Sepals without crests or with narrow papillose or hairy crests in the upper part 
of the claw and the lower part of the more or less a blade. Petals 
shorter than the sepals. Style-branches arching, with a pair of apical 
equilateral appendages. Stigma entire or 2-lobed. Capsule faa allel. 
Seeds corky.—Fully 100 species, natives of the north temperate zone.—Albino 
i various speci 
J 
shock following alligator-bite.—Following is an incomplete and pp 
tentative interpretation of the irises of the Gulf States, dud rd rly of t 
lower Mississippi Delta. A complete interpretation must ait further hn 
stocks and by an annual accretion of seedlings without showing variation in 
the characters of the perianth. 
Petals present and well developed, nearly as long = the sepals. 
Perianth shades of copper-red, orange-red, salmon or rarely yellow, or even red, 
usually with an orange cast, but sometimes mage 
or lilac; Pe un noticeably present except as a 
midrib of the I. FULVAE. 
Penn usually E ein g from brown-red through red 
ink to purple, violet, and lilac to white, 
bla 
Hypanthium surrounding the ovary six-an iege 
main bract of the terminal involucre with 
an elongate tip, equalling or exceeding the 
flower: stigma two-lobed. 
Capsule iix cidecd or six-lobed; flower-stalks 
erect i 
nearly So. 
Crest of the sepal apparently not present, 
x and the claw being of the same color 
the sepal- D de, the crest therefore 
indistinguisha II. EcRISTATAE. - 
Crest of the cual very apparent as a 
po ominent rib, which is usually some 
1 Study of the ae region irises done with the cooperation of Edward 
Johnston Alexander. The following iicet on is by Mr. Alexander. 
