IRIDACER. 145 
to be recommended. A common English name given to the plant is that of “the 
roast-beef plant,” owing to the smell, which is said by the peasantry to resemble roast 
beef. Linnzeus, when he gave the plant its present specific name, must have had a 
very different idea of its savoury odour. 
SPECIES II—IRIS PSEUD-ACORUS. Ii. 
- Prats MCCCCXCYV. 
Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ. et Helv. Vol. IX. Tab. CCCXLIV. 
Xiphion Pseud-acorus, Parl. Fl. Ital. Vol. IIT. p. 295. 
Rhizome thick, horizontal, creeping. Stem slightly compressed, 
about as long as the leaves, sparingly branched or simple. Leaves 
decaying in winter, broadly linear-ensiform, nearly parallel, straight, 
glaucous green, dim. Spathes terminal and lateral at the extremity 
of the main stem, usually terminal only on the branches, herbaceous, 
with extremely narrow scarious borders. Flowers two or three 
together. Pedicels of the flower opening first in each spathe as long 
as or longer than the ovary ; those of the other flowers shorter ; all 
rather shorter than the mature capsule. I’ree portion of the perianth 
tube cylindrical, much shorter than the ovary. Sepals obovate- 
spathulate; the claw rather narrow; the lamina much longer and 
much broader than the claw, oval or suborbicular, reflexed, not 
bearded. Petals erect, from one-fourth to one-sixth the length of the 
sepals, and one-half to one-third that of the stigmas, eblanecotate or 
oblong-spathulate, with narrow subparallel laws. Capsule 3-celled, 
oblong-prismatic, bluntly trigonous, with six faint furrows. Seeds 
roundish-obdeltoid, much compressed, with parallel faces, and with a 
hard light brown slightly shining testa. — 
Var. a, genuina. 
Tris Pseud-acornus, Boreau, Fl. du Centr. de la Fr. ed. iii. p. 635. 
Sepals deep yellow, with an orange spot at the base of the oval 
lamina. Petals oblong, rather abruptly attenuated into the claw. 
Var. 6, acorifornis. 
Prats MCCCCXCV. 
I. acoriformis, Boreau, Fl. du Centr. de la Fr. ed. iii. p. 635. 
Sepals deep yellow, with an orange spot at the base of the sub- 
orbicular lamina. Petals smaller in proportion to the sepals and 
stigmas than in var. a, and with the lamina gradually attenuated into 
the claw. 
VOL. 1X. U 
