266 Plants and their Ways in South Africa 



The Iridaceae are mostly perennial herbs with dry narrow leaves. 

 Rootstock a corm, rarely a rhizome or fibrous. Leaves usually 

 in two ranks. 



The order Irideae differs from Amaryllidaceae in the absence 

 of the inner circle of stamens, by the extrorse anthers, and in 

 the inflorescence. 



Sub-order I. MOR^EE^. Flowers in corymbs ; fading quickly, appear- 

 ing one after the other from one bract. Stamens opposite the 

 style-branches and pressed closely against them. 

 Moraea. Style-branches of large petal-like crests with a horizontal 



stigma on the under side at the base of each crest. 

 Homeria. Crests of style-branches small, spreading, shortly fringed 



around the edges. 

 Ferraria. Crests of style small, petaloid, 2-lobed, deeply fringed 



around the edges. 

 Hexaglottis. Style-branches long and slender, deeply forked. 



Sub-order II. SISYRINCHIE^. Flowers in corymbs, fading quickly. 



Stamens alternate with the style-branches. 

 Tribe I. Galaxiece. Bracts with one flower. 



Galaxia. Bracts down in the centre of a rosette of leaves. Stamens 



monadelphous. Stigma shield-like. 

 Syringodea. As in Galaxia, but stamens free. Style with three 



wedge-shaped branches. 

 Romulea. Bracts raised on a scape. 



Tribe II. Aristece. Bracts usually more than i-flowered. 

 Bobartia. Style-branches long, awl-shaped. 

 Witsenia. Style-branches shorter. Perianth lobes equal, shorter 



than the tube. 

 Cleanthe. Style-branches short. Perianth without a tube, outer 



lobes 2-3 times smaller than the inner, black. 

 Aristea. Style-branches short. Perianth lobes nearly equal, not 



narrowed into a claw. 



Klattia. Style-branches short. Perianth lobes nearly equal, longer 

 than the tube, narrowed into a claw. 



Sub-order III. IXIE^. Flowers in spikes, not withering quickly, each 



one subtended by a pair of bracts. 

 * The three style-branches undivided. Flowers regular. Stamens 



not bending to one side of the flower 

 Schizostylis. Style short ; branches long, awl-shaped. Root 



fibrous. Spathe valves green. 



Hesperantha. Like Schizostylis, but rootstock, a flattened corm. 

 Geissorhiza. Style longer than Hesperantha, branches short, awl- 

 shaped. Bracts green or membranous at the tip, 



