58 FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



trary and conventional in character that some half-dozen 

 objects of the most diverse character have been selected by 

 various theorists as being the probable types, natural or 

 otherwise, on which the form was based. The generic 

 name of the plant is derived from the Greek word for 

 rainbow, on account of the rich and varied tints of the 

 numerous species included in the genus, while the specific 

 name, pseudacorus, points out that it bears a certain re- 

 semblance to another plant, pseudes being the Greek word 

 for false, while acorus is the generic name of the sweet sedge. 

 The leaves of each of these plants are of very similar form, 

 size, and general character, but the foliage constitutes the 

 only real point of resemblance. The sweet sedge is, more- 

 over, much more rarely met with, and has a rich and 

 aromatic scent that would at any time suffice to make a 

 real confusion of the two plants impossible. 



The yellow iris ordinarily comes into blossom in the 

 latter half of May, rarely lasting in flower beyond the 

 beginning of July. The root-stock is large and runs 

 horizontally, throwing off numerous stems and leaves, 

 and is so astringent that it has been employed as a 

 medicinal agent, though it is not now included in 

 our pharmacopoeia. It may also be used in the place of 

 galls in the making of ink, and yields, with sulphate of 

 iron, a good black dye. Before drying the acidity of the 

 taste is so great that it can scarcely be employed at all in 

 medicine, but this property is lost on drying the roots 

 thoroughly, though the strongly astringent qualities remain. 

 The root-stocks of the Iris Florentina, a kindred species, 

 yield the iris (or as it is more commonly called, orris) 

 root used in perfumery. It is collected chiefly in the 

 neighbourhood of Florence and Leghorn. The flowers rise, 



