334 IRIS FAMILY. 



* Taller: the several -foirered often branchiry stems }-3ht'nh: tufe of the 



/lower short : the outer divisions naketJ, bttird/r8*, nnd all but one crcstless; 



the inner very much smaller : fl. late sprint) (tntl ear/y summer, in swamps. 



xi !t. Virginica, SLENDER BLUE FLAG. Slender; with very narrow linear 



leaves, and bine flowers with some white (barely 2' long), on slender peduncles, 



>l - with hardly any tube beyond the 3-angled ovary. 



4^* I. versicolor, LAROKK BLUE-FLAG. Stunt; stem angled on one side-, 



,*/.// leaves sword-shaped, f wide; flowers light blue variegated with some yellow, 

 ^ ,/ white, and purple, hardly 3' long, the inflated tube shorter than the obtusely 

 3-angled ovary ; pod oblong, 3-angled. 



I. hexagona. Only S. near the coast ; with simple stem, narrowish long 

 leaves, and deep blue variegated flowers 4' long, the outer divisions crested, the 

 tube longer than the 6-angled ovary. 



I. Cllprea. Only S. and W. ; with copperish-yellow flowers 2' long, the 

 tul>e about the length of the 6-angled ovary. 



I. tripetala. Only S. in pine-barren swamps ; with rather short sword- 

 shaped glaucous leaves, and few blue flowers (2' -3' long), variegated with 

 yellow and purple, the inner divisions very short and wedge-shnpcd, the 

 tube shorter than the 3-anglcd ovary. 



2. Garden species from the Old World, cult, for ornament. 



* A dense Ixard alonrj the lower part of the 3 outer divisions of the flower: the 



stamens in all spring from thickened rootttucks. 



-- Dicarf: flattering in earl// spring. 



I. pumila, DWARF GARDEN IRIS. Stem very short; the violet and pur- 

 ple flower close to the ground, with slender tube and obovate divisions, hardly- 

 exceeding the short sword-shaped leaves. 



*- *- Taller and larger, several-flowered, in early summer. 



I. Germanica, COMMON FLOWER-DE-LUCE of the gardens, with very 

 hirge scentless flowers, the deep violet pendent outer divisions 3' long, the obo- 

 vate inner ones nearly as large, lighter and bluer. 



I. sambucina, ELDER-SCENTED F., is taller, 3 or 4 high, and longer- 

 Icaved; the flowers about half as large as in the preceding, the outer divisions 

 less reflexed, violet, but whitish and yellowish toward the base, painted with 

 deeper-colored lines or veins; upper divisions pale greyish or brownish blue; 

 spatliQ broad I v srarious-margined. 



I. squalens, very like preceding, with longer dull violet outer divisions to 

 the flower whitish and striped at base, and purplish-bnff-colored inner divisions. 



I. variegata, has much smaller flowers, with spatulate-obovate divisions 

 2' long, white with pa'e yellow, the outer divisions veined with dark-purple and 

 purplish-tinged in the middle. 



I. Florentina, FLORENCE or SWEET F. Less tall than the Common F., 

 with broader leaves, and white faintly sweet-scented flowers, bluish veined, the 

 obovate outer divisions 2^'-3' long, with yellow beard. Its violet scented root- 

 stock yields orris-root. 



graminea, 



long and often surpassing the 1-3-flowered stem; flower purple-blue, with 

 narrow divisions. 



I. Persica, PERSIAN IRIS. A choice house-plant, dwarf, nearly steiniess 

 from a kind of bulb-like tuber, from which the flower rises on a Ion-.: tube, 

 earlier than the leaves, delicately fray rant, bluish, with a deep-purple spot at 

 the tip of the outer divisions, the inner divisions verv >mall and spreading. 



2. PARDANTHUS, BLACKBKKKY LILY. (Name from the Greek, 

 means i><inl-jiotr<'r, alluding to the spotted perianth ) Fl. late summer. 

 Pardanthus Chin^nsis, from China, cult, in country gardens and 

 'scaping into roadsides: 3 -4 high, more branching than an Iris; the di- 

 visions of the orange-colored flower (!' long) mottled above with crimson spots, 



