THE IRIS. 405 



known inhabitant of our gardens/' In fact, though 

 this plant constantly appears to grow wild, it will 

 be found on further examination to be merely an 

 outcast from cultivated ground. 



The common and handsome yellow water-iris, or 

 corn-flag, which is also called the gladun, or sword- 

 grass, from an Anglicised form of the Welsh names, 

 gladdon or gladwyn, affords an excellent black dye, 

 and is sometimes employed in making ink ; as well 

 as for the cure of tooth-ache, and all such other 

 medicinal purposes as I have before referred to ; 

 while the roasted roots form an excellent and whole- 

 some substitute lor coffee. 



This name gladun agrees well with the fact of the 

 iris having been sometimes called, in ancient times, 

 gladiolus, from its resembling a sword, like the 

 plant of that name. The strong smell of the iris 

 is mentioned by Theophrastus and other ancient 

 writers, and Pliny tells us that its root was exten- 

 sively employed in perfumery as well as in medicine. 

 The roots of the Florentine iris, which are known 

 to us as orris-root, have a very agreeable odour, very 

 different from our Iris foetidissima ; the smell of 

 whose leaves when crushed, is most offensive, though 

 compared by the peasantry to that of roast beef; 

 hence its common English name of "roast-beef 

 plant/ J The juice of its root is sometimes used to 

 excite sneezing* for the relief of headache; but it 

 is a practice which cannot be too strongly con- 

 demned, as the most violent convulsions have been 

 known to ensue from it. The plant is very common 

 * This, which is mentioned by Pliny, is too hastily denied by Fee. 



