IRIDACE^— IRIS FAMILY 



BLUE FLAG. BLUE IRIS. FLEUR-DE-LIS 



Iris versicolor 



Iris, Greek, rainbow; in recognition of the variegated 

 flowers. 



Perennial. Native. A very ornamental plant found 

 in wet meadows and swamps. Newfoundland to Mani- 

 toba, south to Florida and Kansas. June-August. 



Rootstock. — Thick, fleshy, horizontal. 



Leaves. — Long, narrow, pointed, sword-shaped. 



Flowers. — Violet-blue variegated with yellow, green, 

 and white. Borne on tall erect stems which often branch 

 for the blossoms. 



Perianth. — Of six segments; three outer, sepaloid, 

 spatulate, spreading and reflexed; three inner ones, 

 narrow and erect. 



Stamens. — Three, inserted at the base of the outer 

 perianth segments. 



Pistil. — Ovary three-celled; divisions of the style 

 petal-like arching over the stamens, bearing stigmatic 

 surfaces under their tips. 



Fruit. — Capsule, oblong, obscurely three-lobed. Seeds 

 many. 



Pollinated by bees. Nectar-bearing. 



The structure of an Iris flower is extremely puzzling 

 to an amateur because the parts are so grown together. 

 Ovary, perianth, and style unite to transform the lower 

 part of the flower into a sort of stem and the upper 



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