64 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
indeed, and Clovis, believing that the victory was due to 
the influence of the iris, caused the flower to be executed 
in gold and velvet, and henceforth regarded the iris as the 
symbol of victory. 
The distinctively French character of the early history 
of St. Louis attaches to the iris a peculiar interest and im- 
portance in the Pageant and Masque, and no single flower 
perhaps so deserves to be called the flower of St. Louis as 
does the iris. In recognition of this fact the Garden is 
showing during the Pageant week, and for some time after 
that, a large collection of the various forms of the iris. To 
the already representative Garden collection many new 
forms have been added for this occasion. These have been 
grown in pots and will be shown in the greenhouses, where 
the variation in color and form can be observed more easily. 
. The Flower.—Although the early interest in the iris 
centered chiefly in the supposed medicinal properties of the 
plant, it was not long before the iris began to be cultivated 
for its flowers. Few plants are more extensively and gener- 
ally used in gardening than the iris, not only because of the 
beauty of the flowers, but also on account of the hardiness 
and persistence of the plants under varying conditions. The 
flower itself presents some interesting modifications. 'The 
parts of the flower are joined together in the form of a tube 
or cylinder, and while this structure varies in length it is 
always present. At some distance above the ovary the tube 
gives rise to six petal-like segments, of which the outer 
three, commonly called the “falls,” bend downward and the 
inner three, termed the “standards,” remain erect and 
usually converge at the top. The central style column, 
which is surrounded by the six segments, also branches into 
three petal-like divisions, each of which bears a stigmatic 
lip on the under side near the upper extremity. Above the 
point of insertion of the stigmatic lip each style branch splits 
into two stigmatic crests. The style branches are usually 
arched and concave on the under side, thus affording pro- 
tection to the stamens which lie directly beneath them. The 
ovary is divided into three elongated cells, corresponding to 
the three style branches, and the seeds are attached to a 
central column. While some species of iris show certain 
minor modifications, the account just given is generally 
applicable to the flowers of all forms. 
Rhizomatous and Bulbous Irises—By far the most com- 
monly grown species of iris are those provided with rhizomes 
or root stocks — thick, tas aig root-like stems growing 
almost on top of the ground. There are, however, certain 
