A GUIDE TO THE WILD FLOWERS 15 



Flowers yellow Yellow-flag no. 39 



Flowers blue (sometimes with yellow markings) 



Stems more than 6 in. tall; outer petals decidedly larger 

 than inner 

 None of the petals crested (see Fig. 40). 



Leaves 14-1 in. wide Blue-flag no. 40 



Leaves not much over % in. wide Blue-flag no. 41 



Outer petals distinctly crested (see 



Fig. 42) German Iris no. 42 



Stems scarcely 6 in. tall. 



Outer petals crested; leaves not parallel- 

 margined Dwarf Iris no. 43 



Petals not crested ; leaves linear Spring Iris no. 44 



39. Yellow-flag. Iris Pseudacorus. Stems 1-2^ ft. tall. 

 Leaves usually many, pale bluish green, a little more than 

 3/2 in. wide. Flowers usually 2 or 3 together, large, not 

 crested, the outer petals 2 in. long, yellow. Fruit 2-3 in. 

 long. June. New England to New York and New Jersey. 

 Native of Europe. 



40. Blue-flag or Iris. Iris versicolor. Stems 13^-2^ 

 ft. tall. Leaves from 3^-1 in. wide. Flowers not crested, blue 

 or bluish-violet, marked with yellow or white. Fruit about 

 13^ in. long. June. Newfoundland to Florida, and westward. 

 Fig. 40. This is the commonest species, and is found mostly 

 in meadows. 



41. Blue-flag. Iris prismatica. Somewhat similar, but 

 smaller in all its parts, with narrow nearly grass-like leaves, 

 and paler flowers. May. Nova Scotia to Georgia, mostly near 

 the coast, and in meadows. 



42. German Iris. Iris germanica. Stems 2-3 ft. tall, often 

 branched. Leaves ^-2 in. wide, bluish-green. Flowers very 

 showy, deep bluish-violet, 3-4 in. across. Outer petals 

 strongly crested, the inner arching inward. June. Escaped 

 from gardens in New England, and Virginia. Native of 

 Europe. Fig. 42. Scores of garden forms with a variety of 

 colors are known. 



43. Dwarf Iris. Iris cristata. Stems scarcely 6 in. tall, the 

 leaves lance-shaped, bright green, about 7 in. long. Flowers 

 about lYz in. across, blue, the outer petals crested, not much 

 longer than the inner ones. Fruit about ^ in. long. In rich 

 woods, Maryland to Indiana, and southward. Early spring. 



