NAT. ORDER. 



Iridece. 



GLADIOLUS ALATUS. SWORD-LILY. 



Class in. Triandria. Order I. MonoGVnia. 



Gen. Char. Spatha, two-valved, grassy. Corolla, six-parted and 

 garjjing. Stamens, three, rising upward. Stigma, trifid, re- 

 curved, Capsule, oblong, three-sided. Seeds, winged. 



Spe. Char. Filaments, distinct. Anthers, bursting. Capsule, three- 

 celled, three-valved. 



The root is tuberous, hard, internally white, externally brown, 

 and sends off innumerable quantities of small threcd-like fibres; the 

 stalks rise from the root, and is surrounded at its base with three 

 or five, long, pointed, narrow, sword-like leaves; the leaves are 

 equitant, or alternately embrace each other, so as to enclose their 

 edges ; the cahjx and corolla are superior, confounded, their divi- 

 sions either partially cohering, or entirely separate, sometimes 

 irregular, the three petals being very short ; the stamens are three, 

 and rise from the base of the sepals ; x\\e JilamerUs are distinct or 

 cornate , the anthers bursting externaly, lengthwise, fixed by their 

 base, two-celled ; orrt'?7?/??2, three-celled ; cells many-seeded; style, 

 one ; stigma, five, often petaloid, sometimes two-lipped ; the capsule 

 is three-celled, and three-valved, with a loculicidal dehiscence; the 

 seeds are attached to the inner angle of the cell, and sometimes to 

 a central column, which afterwards becomes loose. 



According to Miller the above is divided into three species, as 

 the common sort described above, with the flowers disposed on one 

 side of the stalk, varying with white and flesh-colored flowers, called 



48 



