BOGS, MARSHES AND WET PLACES IN SPBING 129 



marshes and bogs, but they are so similar in their general features 

 that the identification of species is somewhat difficult for a beginner. 

 Some of our marshes and boggy pools are beautifully decorated 

 from May to July by the large, bright flo\Aers of the Yellow Iris 

 or Flag {Iris Pseudacorus), which belongs to the order Iridacece. 

 This plant has a thick rhizome which creeps horizontally below 

 the ground, and a round stem from one to three feet high. Two 

 or three flowers grow on the stem, each with a sheathing bract at 

 the base of its stalk. The perianth consists of six segments, the 

 outer three broadly ovate at the top, and spreading ; and the 

 inner three narrower, shorter, and erect. There are three stamens ; 

 and an inferior ovary with three large petal-like stigmas, longer 

 than the inner segments of the perianth, divided into two at the 

 tip. The fruit is a large capsule, two or three inches long, containing 

 many brownish-yeUow seeds. 



