244 BLUE-EYED GRASS. 



LXIV. BLUE-EYED GRASS. 



Description. — This is a frequent inhabitant of meadows, 

 both lowland and upland, so much resembling the grasses 

 in its foliage that it would seldom be detected but for the 

 blue flowers open in June. 



Analysis.— What kind of a root has it ? Its life ? The 

 stem — has it any? And what its place, size, etc. ? The 

 leaves — are they vertical as in Iris ? 



The I?iJlo7^esce7ice — is it borne on a stem or a scape ? 

 Eespecting its form, the stalk is a7icij)ital — two-edged or 

 winged. The flowers issue from the midst of several bracts, 

 of which the 2 outer are green, the inner scar ions. The 

 ovary — is it free, or adherent ? The perianth is 6-parted. 

 Is there any difference between the 3 sepals and the 3 petals ? 

 All are mucronate, that is, tipped with a slender point, with 

 a notch. The stamens are 3, with their filaments united 

 below into a tube sheathing the triple style. The fruit is a 

 globular capsule with 3 cells and about 24 roundish seeds. 

 The seed, black and rough-coated, shows, in a section, an 

 embryo with one cotyledon in large albumen. 



The Name is SisyrmcMum Bermudidna — the former 

 from the Greek, meaning a pig's snout, alluding to the form 

 of the bracts ; the latter referring to the islands whence Lin- 

 naeus first received it. 



The beautiful Gladiolus (a little sword) of the gardens, 

 with ensiform (sword-shaped) leaves and a spike of irregular 

 flowers, may be analyzed in connection with Iris and Sisy- 

 rmchium. 



The Order of the Irids — Iridace^ — is represented by 

 these plants. It includes 55 genera and 550 species, chiefly 

 natives of S. Africa, Europe, and the United States. They 

 coincide in the following traits ; 



