I R I 



I R I 



a considerable time before they fall off: ibe 

 stems slender, twining, and rising by support to 

 the height of seven or eight feel ; sending out 

 several Bide -branches, which twine about each 

 other and the principal stem, and about any 

 neighbouring plants : the leaves are composed 

 of several pairs of verv tine narrow lobes, not 

 thicker than fine sewing thread, about an inch 

 long, of a deep green, either opposite or alter- 

 nate : the flowers come out singly from the side 

 of the stalk.*, on slender peduncles about an inch 

 long : the tube of the corolla is about the same 

 length, narrow at bottom, but gradually widen- 

 ing to the top ; where it spreads open flat, with 

 five angles ; it is of a most beautiful scarlet co- 

 lour, and makes a fine appearance. It is a na- 

 tive of the Indies. 



The secondspecies has aherbaceous stem, twi- 

 ning, quadrangular, flexuose : the leaves petioled 

 pentangular, smooth on both sides : the peduncles 

 very long, axillary, upright, round, two-parted- 

 bifid, on one-flowerea pedicels : the flowers 

 loug, scarlet, larger than those of the first sort : 

 calyx five-cleft, with lanceolate segments : tube 

 of the corolla narrower at the base, long, co- 

 lumnar, curved a little, and shining : border 

 plaited, blunt : base nectareous. It is an an- 

 nual plant, six or eight feet high, and a native 

 of the West Indies. 



There is a variety with orange-coloured flowers, 

 Culture. — These plants are increased by sow- 

 ing the well ripened seed in small pots, plun- 

 ging them in a mild hot-bed, or in the earth of 

 the bed, in the early 6pring months, proper air 

 and water being given. When the plants have 

 attained some growth, and in the first sort be- 

 gin to climb, they should be removed with balls 

 of earth about their roots into the places where 

 thev are to grow, or, which is better for the first 

 kind, into separate large pets, replung'mg them 

 in the bark hot-bed. They should have proper 

 sticks set for them to twine about, some pots of 

 the first kind being placed in the stove, as being 

 more tender. 



The first sort affords variety in the stove, and 

 among other tender potted plants in the sum- 

 mer ; and the latter in the fronts of warm bor- 

 ders, as well as among the less tender potted 

 flowering plants. 



IMS, a genus containing plants of the fi- 

 brous, tuberous, and bulbous-rooted flowery 

 herbaceous perennial kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Triandria 

 Monogynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Ensatee. 



The characters are : that the calyx lias bivalve 

 spathes, separating the flowers, permanent: the 

 corolla six-parted : petals oblonur, obtuse; the 

 Vol. II. 



three exterior ones reflex, the three interior Up- 

 right and sharper ; all connected at the claws 

 into a tube, of different lengths in the different 



species : the stamina have three awl-shaped fila- 

 ments, incumbent on the reflex petals: anthers 

 oblong, straight, depressed : the pistillum is an 

 inferior oblong germ : style simple, very short : 

 stigmas three, petal-form, oblong, carinated 

 within, furrowed without, incumbent on the 

 stamens, two-lipped: outer lip smaller, eniar- 

 ginate: inner larger, bifid, subinflccted: the pe- 

 ricarpium is an ohlong, cornered capsule, three- 

 celled, threc-valved : the seeds several and large. 

 The species cultivated are: I. I. pumila. 

 Dwarf Iris; 3. 1, susiana, Chalccdonian Iris; 

 3. I. Florenlia, Florentine Iris; 4. 7. I) flora, 

 Twice-flowering Iris ; 5. I. aphylla, Leafless 

 Iris; 6./. varicgata* Variegated Iris; 7.7. Ger- 

 nianica, German Iris ; 8. I. saml'iicina, Elder- 

 scented Iris; 9. 7. squalen*, Brown-flowered 

 Iris; 10. I. cristata, Crested Iris; 11.7. /n- 

 cuspis, Tri fid -Detailed Iris; 12. I. Xiplvum, 

 Bulbous-rooted Iris ; 13. I. Pscudacorm, Com- 

 mon Yellow or Water Iris; 14. l.fivtiJissima, 

 Stinking Iris: 15. I. Virginica, Virginian Iris; 

 16. I. versicolor, Various-coloured Iris; 1". 7. 

 ocliroleuca, Pale-yellow Iris; 18. 7. verna. 

 Spring Iris; 10. I. Persica, Persian Iris; 20.7. 

 graminea, Grass-leaved Iris; si. J. spuria, 

 Spurious Iris ; 22. 7. Silirica, Siberian Iris ; 

 23. 7. Martiniceims, Martinieo Iris ; 24. 7. Pa- 

 vonia, Peacock Iris ; 25. 7. tuberose, Snake's- 

 head Iris. 



The first has the root brownish on the out- 

 side, white within, knobbed, with pale fibrils: 

 the leaves acute, sometimes shorter, sometimes 

 longer than the flower: the stem or scape very 

 short, often scarcely an inch in length : genu 

 oblong, bluntly and obscurely three-cornered, 

 an inch long, inclosed within two spathes, end- 

 ing in the tube of the corolla, whi h i- slender, 

 and from two to three inches in length : all the 

 petals are almost entire, blue or purple, varying 

 much in colour, insomuch that the same flower 

 changes, and from blue becomes more and more 

 red : outer beards blue, inner white, with yellow 

 tips. It is a native of Austria, flowering in 

 April. 



There are varieties with white flowers, with 

 straw-coloured flowers, with pale blue flowers, 

 with blush-coloured flowers, with yellow varia- 

 ble flowers, with blue variable flowers. 



The second species has the scape simple, 

 round," grooved, a span high : the leaves alter- 

 nate, sheathing, upright, ' very finely striated, 

 obscurely waved: the corolla the largest of all 

 the species, very thin : the claws ol the larger 

 petals purple on the outside, dotted and sir .. . 

 L> 



