■J 
113 
\ 
"^ 
If 
THE 
jU 
I 
perennial, tuberous, ponderous, fomewliat comprefTed 
'^ 
ernally brown 
ally of a yellowilli wli 
branched, fibro 
colour : the lea 
pointed, fliorter than the ftem, and of a dull green colour : the fcem 
fword-ihaped, radical, inferted in each other, 
round, fmooth, jointed, and about afoot in height 
fl 
larg 
upi.^ 
ight, of a white colour, and often have a bluiih 
the 
f 
lyx is a ipatha of two 
the corolla divides into fix fegment 
s 
petals, of thefe, three ftand ered, the othef three, which are of 
gular oval fhape, turn back, and at the bafe are painted with brown 
lines, and .bearded with yellow hairs 
th 
fil 
three 
d 
owned with long yellow anthers ; the ftyle is fhort and fimple ; the 
ftigma fepa 
which arch 
into three expanded feg 
the ftam 
fembling p 
the germen is long, of an obtufely 
triangular Ihape, and placed below the 
cavities, which contain numerous flat brown feeds. 
Iris is a native of Italy, and flowers in J 
pfuie has thr 
This 
ated in England by Gerard 
59^ 
It was culti 
d is now confl:antly prop 
V- 
gated by the florifl:s 5 but the roots of the Orris produced in th 
other qual 
of thofe of 
fe they are commonly 
/ 
country have neither the odour, nor the 
warmer climates, fo that for medicinal 
ported from Leghorn. . 
This root, in its recent fl:ate, is extremely acrid, and when chewed 
excites a pungent h^a't in the mouth, which continues feveral hours : 
on being dried, this acrimony is almofl: wholly difllpated, the tafl:e 
flightly 
d the fmell aereeabl 
violet 
s. 
No efl^ential oil h 
fc> 
d 
b 
hith 
approaching to that of 
obtained from 
but fpirituous tind:ures of it contain mor 
infuflons 
of 
The frefli root is a powerful cath 
this root, 
m watery 
d for this pur- 
pofe its juice has been employed in the dofe of a dram and up\ 
dropf 
a pedoral, or expedor 
amyli of the London Ph 
It is now chiefly ufed in its dried fl: 
d ranke 
as 
d hence has a place in the Trochifc 
We have however no evidence of it; 
s. 
expedorant powers, and therefore nmfl; confider it as valuable only for 
the pleafantnefs of the perfume, and the flavour which it communicate 
a « What this might do In its recent and acrid flate, I cannot determine ; but in the 
cried (late, in which we commonly have it in our fhops, we are perfuaded of its being 
a very infignificant expedorant." CuJIen M. M. v. 2. p. 459. . ' 
IRIS PSEUDACORUS. 
^ 
\ 
\ 
\ 
\ 
