456 IRIS VERSICOLOR. 
the Botanical Magazine, f. '703, is more than a va- 
riety of this species. ‘The characters taken from 
the comparative length of the stem and leaves, 
of the inner petals and stigmas, and the direction 
of the stem and of the stigmas ; are all subject to 
variation. Michaux, Elliott and Pursh make the 
Virginica synonymous with Iris hexagona of Wal- 
ter, which seems permanently distinguished by 
the deep furrows in the angles of its capsule. 
The Iris versicolor is found throughout the 
United States in the borders of swamps and in 
wet meadows, of which it forms a principal orna- 
ment in the month of June. No race of vegeta- 
bles can be better marked than the elegant genus 
to which this plant belongs. They are essential- 
ly distinguished by a corolla, parted into sia seg- 
ments or petals, of which three are reflexed and 
three are erect. The stigmas resembling petals. 
The species in our plate has ensiform leaves, its 
stem acute on one side, its capsules elon: three 
sided, with obtuse. angles, | oy: pes 
Class Triandria,—Order Monogynia. —Natur- 
all orders, Ensate, Lin. Ivides, Juss. .¢4.4c20.. 
The root is fleshy, horizontal, sending risen a 
multitude of fibres. Stem two or three feet high, 
round on one side, acute on the other, frequently 
branched, and bearing from two to six flowers. 
