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stem. There are two species very alike, only one has 

 a ring of fleshy hairs on all six stamens, the other only 

 on three of them. 



Star of Bethlehem has white flowers in a loose terminal 

 head, so arranged that all the flowers are placed about the- 

 same level. The fruit is a three-angled capsule. 



Turquoise Berry, also known as Solomon's Seal, is com- 

 mon in woods. It is not far removed from Solomon's 

 Seal of Europe, and is similar in structure. The main 

 stem travels along underground, sending up every year 

 an erect branch. This is slender, and towards the end 

 there are lance-shaped leaves in two rows. The end tends 

 to nod, and pendent below the axils are little pale flowers. 

 The fruit is a little turquoise or white berry. 



We have but few Irises in Tasmania, but they make up 

 for that by being very varied in structure, and are there- 

 fore of great interest to the botanist. We have no mem- 

 bers of the Iris genus in Tasmania. What is meant here 

 is the Iris family. The character by which a member of the 

 Iris family may be known is that the perianth arises from 

 the top of the ovarian portion of the pistil instead of below 

 it, as in Lily, so that the fruit is formed below the flower. 

 The stamens are usually three in number, but a more con- 

 stant feature is that the anthers always open outwards, 

 and not inwards, as in allied families. In the Amaryllis 

 family, of which we have few members, the stamens are 

 three or six, and open inwards. 



Our White Flag has a horribly long name, Diplarrhena 

 moroea. The first or generic name means two stamens, a 

 character of the genus; and moroea means that it looks 

 very like a Moroea, which is a South African genus. 



White Flag has six perianth segments in two series. 

 The outer three are broad and spreading; the inner three 

 narrow and erect. There are three stamens, but one is 

 rudimentary. The style, which arises from the centre of 

 the flower, is slender, and is divided at the top into three 

 unequal branches. The fruit is a three-chambered capsule, 

 each containing many flat seeds. 



In heathy country we often find an Iris with blue 

 flowers; this is remarkable for the rapidity with which 

 it withers when gathered. It has a long tube to the 

 perianth, and on top of this three broad spreading lobes 

 and three inner small erect ones. It is Patersonia glauca. 

 The first name immortalises Colonel William Paterson, who 

 did good work in Australian botany in the early part of 

 last century. Glauca means a blue-grey colour. 



