I R I 



1 R I 



a considerable time before tiiey f^ill ofT; the 

 stems slender, twining, and rising by support to 

 the height of seven or eight feel ; sending out 

 several side -branches, which twine about each 

 other and the principal stem, and about any 

 neighbouring plants : the leaves are composed 

 of several pairs of very fine narrow lobes, not 

 thicker than fine sewing thread, about an inch 

 long, of a deep green, either opposite or alter- 

 nate : the flowers come out singly from the side 

 of the stalks, on slender peduncles about an inch 

 long : the tube of the corolla is about the same 

 length, narrow at bottom, but gradually widen- 

 ing to the top ; where it spreads open flat, with 

 five angles J it is of a most beautiful scarlet co- 

 lour, and makes a fine appearance. It is a na- 

 tive of the Indies. 



The second species has aherbaceous stem, twi- 

 ning, ouadrangular, flexuose : the leaves petioled 

 penUi^^pUlar, smooth on both sides : the peduncles 

 very long, axillary, upright, round, two-parted- 

 bifid, on one-flowered pedicels : the flowers 

 long, scarlet, larger than those of the first sort : 

 calyx five-cleft, with lanceolate segments : tube 

 of the corolla narrower at the base, long, co- 

 lumnar, curved a little, and shining: border 

 plaited, blunt : base nectareous. It is an an- 

 nual plant, six or eight feet high, and a native 

 of the West Indies. 



There is avariety with orange-coloured flowers, 



Cxdture. — These plants are increased by sow- 

 ing the well ripened seed in small pots, plun- 

 ging them in a mild hot-bed, or in the earth of 

 the bed, in the early spring months, proper air 

 and water being given. When the plants have 

 attained some growth, and in the first sort be- 

 gin to climb, they should be removed with balls 

 of earth about their roots into the places where 

 they are to grow, or, which is better for the first 

 kind, into separate large pi ts, replunging them 

 in the bark hot-bed. "They sliould have proper 

 iiticks set for them to twine about, some pots of 

 the first kind being placed in the stove, as being 

 more tender. 



The first sort aflords variety in the stove, and 

 among other tender potted plants in the sum- 

 mer; and the latter in the fronts of warm bor- 

 ders, as well as among the less tender potted 

 flowering plants. 



IRIS, a genus containing plants of the ?\- 

 linius, tuberous, and bulbous-rooted flowery 

 herbaceous perennial kinds. 



It belongs to the class and order Triandria 

 Mnnogyniu, and ranks in the natural order of 

 EiisaUe. 



The characters are : that the calyx has bivalve 

 spathcs, separating the flowers, permanent : the 

 corolla six-parted : petals obloiio;, obtuse: the 



Vol. IJ. 



three exterior ones reflex, the three interior up- 

 right and sharper ; all connected at the claws 

 into a tube, of different lengths in the different 

 species : the stamina have three awl-shaped fila- 

 ments, incumbent on the reflex petals : anthers 

 oblong, straight, depressed: the pistillum is an 

 inferior oblong germ : style simple, very short : 

 stigmas three, petal-form, oblong, carinated 

 within, furrowed without, incumbent on the 

 stamens,, two-lipped: outer lip smaller, emar- 

 ginate: inner larger, bifid, subinflected: the pe- 

 ricarpium is an oblong, cornered cajisule, three- 

 celled, three-valved: the seeds several and large. 



The species cultivated are: 1. /. pumila. 

 Dwarf Iris; 2. I. s/isiana, Chalcedonian Iris; 

 3. /. Florenlia, Florentine Iris; 4. /. bijiora. 

 Twice-flowering Iris; 5. /. aphylla. Leafless 

 Iris; Q.I. variigata, Variegated Iris; J.I. Ger- 

 manica, German Iris; 8. I. samhucina. Elder- 

 scented Iris ; 9. /. scjualens. Brown-flowered 

 Iris; 10. /. cristata. Crested Iris; W.I.tri- 

 cnspis, Trifid-petalled Iris; 12. I. Xlphium, 

 Bulbous-rooted Iris; 13. I. Psevdacorus, Com- 

 mon Yellow or Water Iris; li. I.fuHidissima, 

 Stinking Iris; 15./. Firginica, Virginian Iris ; 

 16. 1. versicolor, \'arious-coloured Iris; 17. /. 

 ochroleuca, Pale-yellow Iris; 18. /. verrta. 

 Spring Iris; 19. /. Persica, Persian Iris; 20. /. 

 gramhiea, Grass-leaved Iris; 21. /. spuria, 

 bpurious Iris ; 22. /. Sihirica, Siberian Iris ; 

 23. /. jMaiiinicensis, Martinico Iris ; 24, T. Pa- 

 vonia. Peacock Iris ; 25. I. lubcrosa, Snuke's- 

 head Iris. 



The first has the root brownish on the out- 

 side, white within, knobbed, with pale fibrils : 

 the leaves acute, sometimes shorter, sometimes 

 longer than the flower : the stem or scape very 

 sliort, often scarcely an inch in length : gernl 

 oblong, bhuitly and obscurely three-cornered, 

 an inch long, inclosed within two spathcs, end- 

 ing in the lube of the corolla, which is slender, 

 and from two to three inches in length : all the 

 petals are almost entire, blue or purple, varying 

 much in colour, insomuch that the same flower 

 changes, and from blue becomes more and more 

 red : outer beards blue, inner white, with yellow 

 tips. It is a native of Austria, flowering in 

 April. 



There are varieties with white flowers, with 

 straw-coloured flowers, with pale bine flowers, 

 with blush-coloured flowers, with yellow varia- 

 ble flowers, with blue variable flow ers. 



The second species has the scape simple, 

 round, grooved, a span high : the leaves alter- 

 nate, sheathing, upright, "very finely striated, 

 obscurely waved: the corolla the largest cf all 

 the species, very ihin : the claws of the lurocv 

 petals purple on tlic outside, doited and streaked' 

 D 



