73 WAYSIDE AND WOODLAND BLOSSOMS. 



Yellow Iris or Flag (Iris pseudacorus). Plate 74. 



Fringing our rivers, ditches and lakes, the Yellow Iris 

 appears to be defending them with drawn sword. Everybody 

 knows the sharp-edged leaves of this species, that may cut 

 the hands of the gatherer if he be not careful. Equally well- 

 known are the bright blossoms that begin to appear in May 

 and keep up a succession until late in July ; but probably most 

 of the unscientific readers who have honoured me with their 

 company thus far and who have learned, I trust, to know the 

 parts of a flower at sight would be incorrect in their descrip- 

 tion of this common flower. Anyway, it will be worth their 

 while dissecting a flower. The parts of the flower are in 

 threes, but the sepals are more petal-like than the petals, and so 

 are the styles. The sepals are in fact the most striking 

 organs ; they are broad, and reflexed to form convenient alight- 

 ing platforms for a heavy humble-bee. The petals are narrow, 

 erect, or curved towards the centre of the flower, to be out of 

 the way of the broader, arching style, which is spread out and 

 coloured like a petal, with the stigmatic surface near the 

 upturned tips. Beneath this arching style lies the anther, 

 similarly curved, and opening away from the stigma. 



Note the why and wherefore of this departure from orthodox 

 arrangements of floral organs. At the bottom of the flower- 

 tube honey is secreted, and to obtain this the flower is visited 

 by humble-bees. In order that his long tongue may reach the 

 honey, the bee has to push his head and back against the 

 stigma and the anther. If he has previously visited a flag- 

 flower his back will be covered with pollen, some of which 

 will adhere to the stigma. He will also take away on his head 

 and back some of the pollen from the flower he is now visiting, 

 and will fertilize other flags with it. 



There is another British species, 



The Stinking Iris, Glad don, or Roast-beef plant (Iris 



