266 Plants and their Ways in South Africa 



The Iridaceae are mostly perennial herbs with dry narrow leaves. 

 Rootstock a corm, rarely a rhizome or fibrous. Leaves usually 

 in two ranks. 



The order I rideae differs from Amaryllidacese in the absence 

 of the inner circle of stamens, by the extrorse anthers, and in 

 the inflorescence. 



Sub-order I. — Mor^e^. — Flowers in corymbs ; fading quickly, appear- 

 ing one after the other from one bract. Stamens opposite the 

 style-branches and pressed closely against them. 

 Moraea. — Style-branches of large petal-like crests with a horizontal 



stigma on the under side at the base of each crest. 

 Homeria. — Crests of style-branches small, spreading, shortly fringed 



around the edges. 

 Ferraria. — Crests of style small, petaloid, 2-lobed, deeply fringed 



around the edges. 

 Hexaglottis. — Style-branches long and slender, deeply forked. 



Sub-order II. Sisyrinchie^. — Flowers in corymbs, fading quickly. 

 Stamens alternate with the style-branches. 

 Tribe I. Galaxiece. — Bracts with one flower. 



Galaxia. — Bracts down in the centre of a rosette of leaves. Stamens 



monadelphous. Stigma shield-like. 

 Syringodea. — As in Galaxia, but stamens free. Style with three 



wedge-shaped branches. 

 Romulea. — Bracts raised on a scape. 

 Tribe II. Arisiece. — Bracts usually more than i-flowered. 

 Bobartia. — Style-branches long, awl-shaped. 

 Witsenia. — Style-branches shorter. Perianth lobes equal, shorter 



than the tube. 

 Cleanthe. — Style-branches short. Perianth without a tube, outer 



lobes 2-3 times smaller than the inner, black. 

 Aristea. — Style-branches short. Perianth lobes nearly equal, not 



narrowed into a claw. 

 Klattia. — Style-branches short. Perianth lobes nearly equal, longer 

 than the tube, narrowed into a claw. 



Sub-order III. Ixie^. — Flowers in spikes, not withering quickly, each 

 one subtended by a pair of bracts. 

 * The three style-branches undivided. Flowers regular. Stamens 



not bending to one side of the flower — 

 Schizostylis. — Style short ; branches long, awl-shaped. Root 



fibrous. Spathe valves green. 

 Hesperantha. — Like Schizostylis, but rootstock, a flattened corm. 

 Geissorhiza. — Style longer than Hesperantha, branches short, awl* 

 shaped. Bracts green or membranous at the tip. 



