IRIS FAMILY 



IRIOAOF./F, 



The members of this interesting family are 

 perennial herbs which usually have thickened or 

 bulbous roots, with vertical two-ranked leaves and 

 showy flowers in which the three stamens face 

 outward. While this group includes many of our 

 most beautiful cultivated plants there are com- 

 paratively few wild flowers belonging to it. Of 

 these the Wild Iris or Blue Flag is perhaps the 

 most abundant widely distributed species. 



BLUE FLAG. Writing of the common Wild 

 Iris, or Larger Blue Flag, many years ago, the 

 naturalist Thoreau, remarked that it is " loose 

 and coarse " in habit, and also added that it is 

 " too showy and gaudy, like some women's bon- 

 nets." Fortunately, however, few flower lovers 

 will agree with this judgment, for to most of us 

 the Blue Flag, as it grows along the borders of 

 the running brooks or in the margins of ponds, 

 is one of the most delightful of wild flowers. 

 It is not so attractive when gathered and used for 

 indoor decoration, as are many others, but the 

 beauty of such a plant is to be judged by the 

 place where Nature puts it. 



The flower of the Blue Flag is of especial inter- 

 148 



