THE IRIS FAMILY 109- 



Iridaceae. 



The Iris Family. 



Distribution. — A large family, chiefly natives of warm and temperate 

 regions. Saffron is obtained from Crocus sativus, and orris roof is the fragrant 

 rhizome of Iris florentina. The Flag, the Gladiolus, the Ixia, and the Crocus 

 are well-known garden plants. This family is represented in New Zealand by 

 the one genus Libertia. 



Gejius Libertia. 



Herbs, with mnbellate panicles of white flowers. Stamens with united 

 filaments. Capsule rounded, leathery or membranous. Seeds angular, deeply 

 pitted in the New Zealand species. (Named after Madame Libert, a French 

 botanist). 3 sp. 



Libertia ixioides. {Tlie Ixia-like Libert ia). 



stem 6in.-2ft. in height. Leaves narrow, hard, pointed, ^in.-^in. broad. 

 Flower-stalk panicled. Branches enclosed in spathes, bearing umbels of from 

 2-10 white flowers. Perianth fin.-lin. across ; petals larger than the sepals. 

 Capsule brown or yellow, jin.-^in. long. Both Islands : common. Fl. Oct. -Jan. 



Libertia grandiflora. {The Large-fioivered Libertia). 



Stem 2ft. -3ft. high. Leaves Jin. broad. Capsule ^in.-§in. long, turgid,, 

 obovoid. Both islands. Fl. Nov. -Dec. 



Orchidaceae. 



The Orchid Family. 



Perennial herbs, terrestrial or epiphytic, with remarkably iri'egular flowers. 

 Leaves entire, usually sheathing at the base. Perianth of 6 parts ; sepals 3 ; 

 petals 3, the lower of these called the labelluvi or lip, usually large, spurred, and 

 differing in form from the other two. Stamens united with the style to form a 

 colmnn, containing from 2-8 masses of pollen. Fruit a capsule ; seeds numerous. 



Distribution. — One of the largest orders of plants, consisting of nearly 5,000 

 species, and rej)resented in almost every part of the globe, except where the 

 climate is excessively cold. The beauty and strange irregular shape of the 

 flowers of this order are due to the variation in size, shape, and colour of the six 

 parts of the perianth. 



