760 



I RI 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



I RI 



These flowers thrive best in a light sandy loam, which will 

 be the better when taken from a pasture ground with the 

 sward, and laid in a heap to rot; for these bulbs do not 

 Hourish in a dunged soil, nor should they be too much 

 exposed to the sun ; but in an east border they will thrive, 

 and flower extremely well. 



20. Iris Pseudacorus; Common Yellow or Water Iris, 

 Flower-de-luce or Water Flag. Beardless : leaves ensiform, 

 alternate; petals smaller than the stigma. Root fleshy, the 

 thickness of the thumb, spreading horizontally near the sur- 

 face, blackish on the outside, reddish and spongy within ; 

 leaves from the root, two or three feet long, upright, an inch 

 or more in breadth; stem-leaves shorter, forming a sheath at 

 the bottom ; scapes from one to three feet in height, upright, 

 alternately inclined from joint to joint, round or flatted a little, 

 smooth and spongy ; peduncles axillary, flat on ie side, and 

 smooth, each sustaining two or three flowers; corolla yellow, 

 the three outer petals large. It is common in most parts of 

 Europe, in marshy meadows and fens, by the sides of rivers, 

 brooks, lakes, pools, and ditches, flowering at the end of 

 June or beginning of July. It is sometimes called Skeggs or 

 Lugs, the root has an acrid burning taste, and the juice, 

 when snufted up the nostrils, produces a great heat in the 

 mouth and nose, occasioning a copious discharge, and hence 

 it is recommended as a sialagogue and errhine. This root is 

 such a powerful astringent, that it has been used instead of 

 galls in making ink, and also for the purpose of dyeing black; 

 and owing to that quality it has been successfully given in 

 diarrhoeas, for which purpose it should be well dried, for the 

 fresh root and its juice is so strong a cathartic, that eighty 

 drops of the latter produced repeated evacuations, after jalap, 

 gamboge, &c. had failed : this dose was given every hour or 

 two in a little syrup of Buckthorn, and had very speedy 

 ett'ects, causing the patient to discharge by stool several Scots 

 pints of water in the course of the night; and by continuing 

 to use it in increased doses, it cured an inveterate dropsy. 

 Hence Withering says, that, in dropsical cases, attended with 

 obstinate obstructions of the viscera, eighty or a hundred 

 drops of the juice of this root may be given >every two hours. 

 Gordon, one of the old writers on medicine, declares, that if 

 man can administer any thing to cure the dropsy, this root 

 will ; and Hill says his practice confirms the remark. The 

 xpressed juice is also said to be an useful application to 

 serpiginons eruptions, and scrofulous tumors. The root of 

 this plant is recommended by Brookes :.$ a .remedy for the 

 toothache. M. Lovrat, a French chemist, has discovered, 

 that the seed, when dried by heat, and freed from the friable 

 shell which envelopes it, produces a beverage similar to 

 coffee, but much superior in taste and flavour. 



'21. Iris Foetidissiina ; Stinking Iris, or Stinkmy Gladwyn 

 or Gladdon. Beardless : leaves ensiform ; scape one-angled. 

 Root thick, tufted, fibrous. The broken leaves emit a 

 strong odour, not much unlike that of hot roast beef at the 

 rim scent, but, if smelt too close, becoming disagreeable. 

 Dr. Withering compares the smell of them to rancid bacon. 

 Corolla of a lurid purplish ash-colour, not smelling in the 

 night-time. It runs much at the root, and flowers sparingly. 

 It is a native of France and Italy ; in England also, it is 

 found near Hornsey; about Charlton-wood, and between 

 Ehtnm and Ohisclhurst, in Kent; near Braintree and Wood- 

 ford in Essex; Bath-hills, Ditchin-^ham, Norfolk; near Cherry- 

 hintmi, Feversham, Fnlborn, nnd Triplow in Cambridge- 

 shire; between Dunstable and St. Albans ; near Pershore 

 in Worcestershire; and very commonly in all the south-west 

 countiei. It is found on hedge banks and sloping grounds, 

 flowering from the end of June till August. The country 



people in some parts of England purge themselves with the 

 decoction of this plant. Those who would not have it work 

 too strongly, make an infusion of the sliced roots in ale ; and 

 some take the leaves, which are more convenient for tonder 

 stomachs. The juice of the root has also been used as an 

 emmenagogue, as well as for cleansing eruptions of various 

 kinds. Hill says the juice of the root promotes urine and 

 the menses; that the dried root, in powder or infusion, is 

 good in all hysteric disorders, fainting, and nervous com- 

 plaints. Neednam says, that, taken inwardly, and applied 

 outwardly to the affected part, in the form of a poultice, it is 

 an excellent remedy for die scrofula Of king's-evil. Gerarde 

 says, " the root of Gladdon is of great force against wounds 

 and fractures of the head : for it draweth out all thorns, stubs, 

 prickles, &c. without giiefe. The root giuen in wine, profiteth 

 much against convulsions, ruptures, the paine of the huckle 

 bones, the strangury, and the flux of the belly, and take away 

 the cause of the laske, otherwise no doubt it moueth vnto the 

 stoole. The seexl therefore mightilypurgeth by vrine, as Galen 

 saith ; and the country people have found it true." 



22. Iris Virginica; Virginian Iris. Beardless: leaves 

 ensiform; scape ancipital. Root white within, black without, 

 the thickness of the thumb, having white fibres, and bristly 

 at top with the remains of the leaves ; flowers elegant, but 

 without scent ; claws of the outer petals channelled, green 

 on the outside, yellow on the inside, streaked with dark 

 purple. It flowers in June and July. Native of Virginia. 



23. Iris Versicolor; Various-coloured Iris. Beardless: 

 leaves ensiform ; scape round, flexuose ; germina subtrigonal. 

 Flowers blue, large. Mr. Curtis remarks, " that this species 

 has, for the most part, a stalk unusually crooked or elbowed." 

 It flowers in May and June. Native of North America. 



24. Iris Ochroleuca; Pale Yellow Iris. Beardless: leaves 

 ensiform; scape subcylindric; germina hexagonal. Larger 

 petals dilated at the base, with dusky veins; lesser snowy 

 white, with yellowish veins at the base : stigma snowy white ; 

 capsnle hexagonal, with blunt angles. This being the highest 

 species of Iris cultivated in our gardens, Mr. Curtis calls it 

 Tall Iris. It flowers in July. Native of the Levant. 



25. Iris Halophila ; Long-leaved Iris. Beardless : leaves 

 ensiform, those next the root very long; stem round ; gcr- 

 mina hexagonal. Native of Siberia. 



26. Iris Spathacea ; Long-spathed Iris. Beardless: 1. 

 ensiform, rigid ; scape round, two-flowered : spathes 

 long. Native of the Cape, near Wolfwekraal, and Lange- 

 kloof, near Keurbooms riviere. 



27. Iris Ramosa ; Branching Iris. Beardless : !. 

 ensiform ; stem panicled, many-dowered ; flowers yellow. 

 Native of the Cape. 



"*** With linear Leaves. 



28. Iri-s Sisyrinchium ; Crocus-rooted Iris. Beardless : 

 leaves linear, waved, reflex ; scape one-flowered. Petals 

 purple, with a yellow spot in place of the beard. It flowers 

 in May. Gerarde and Parkinson name it Spanish-nut. Na- 

 tive of Spain and Portugal; and found also in Sicily. 



29. Iris Verna; Spring Iris. Beardless: leaves linear, 

 flat; scape one-flowered, shorter than the leaves; rootfibrose, 

 (alternate petals equalling the others ;) the flower is purple, 

 with blue standards. It appears in May. Native of North 

 America. 



30. Iris Persica ; Persian Iris. Beardless : leaves linear, 

 flat; scape one-flowered, alternate; petals shorter, (inner 

 petals very short and spreading-.) Root oval, bulbous ; flower- 

 stalks seldom above three indies hif;h, supporting one or 

 two flowers, enclosed in spathes; these have three erect 

 petals or standards, of a pale sky-blue colour, and three 



