282 FLORA. 



filiform, distinct or united ; anthers 2-ceiled, extrorse. Ovary inferior, 

 mostly 3-celled ; ovules mostly numerous in each cell, anatropous ; style 

 3-cleft, its branches sometimes divided. Capsule 3-celled, loculicidally 

 dehiscent, 3-angled or 3-lobed (sometimes 6-lobed), many-seeded. En- 

 dosperm fleshy or horny; embryo straight, small. About 57 genera and 

 1000 species, of wide distribution. 



Style-branches opposite the anthers, very broad, petal-like. i. Iris. 

 Style-branches alternate with the anthers, slender or filiform. 



Style-branches, 2-cleft ; plants bulbous. 2. Nemastylis. 

 Style-branches undivided; plants not bulbous. 



Filaments all distinct ; seeds fleshy. 3. Gemmingta. 



Filaments united ; seeds dry. 4. Sisyrinchium. 



i. "iRIS L. O'ee Appendix.} 



Herbs, with creeping or horizontal, often woody rootstocks, erect stems, erect or 

 ascending equitant leaves, and large regular terminal sometimes panicled flowers. 

 Perianth of 6 clawed segments united below into a tube, the three outer dilated, 

 spreading or reflexed, the 3 inner narrower, smaller, usually erect, or in some 

 species about as large as the outer. Stamens inserted at the base of the outer peri- 

 anth-segments; anthers linear or oblong. Ovary 3-celled; divisions of the style 

 petal-like, arching over the stamens, bearing the stigmas immediately under their 

 mostly 2-lobed tips; style-base adnate to the perianth-tube. Capsule oblong or oval, 

 3-6-angled or lobed. Seeds numerous, vertically compressed, in i or 2 rows in 

 each cavity. [Greek, rainbow, referring to the variegated flowers.] About 100 

 species, mostly in the north temperate zone. Besides the following, some 8 others 

 occur in the southern and western parts of N. Am. 



Stems tall, usually several-flowered, leafy; outer perianth-segments larger than the inner. 

 Flowers blue, variegated with yellow, white or green (rarely all white). 

 None of the perianth-segments crested; native species. 

 Leaves 1-2.5 cm. wide. 



Leaves somewhat glaucous. i. /. versicolor. 



Leaves bright green, not glaucous. 



Outer perianth-segments 7-10 cm. long; flowers sessile. 



2. /. liexagona. 

 Outer perianth-segments 6-7 cm. long; flowers pedicelled. 



3. /. Caroliniana. 

 Leaves much narrower, 4-8 mm. wide. 



Capsule obtusely angled, 3-6-lobed. 



Capsule 3-lobed; northern. 4. /. Hookeri. 



Capsule 6-lobed; western. 5. /. Missouriensis. 



Capsule sharply 3-angled. 6. /. prismatica. 



Outer perianth-segments strongly crested; introduced. 7. 7. Germanica. 



Flowers reddish or red-brown. 8. I.fulva. 



Flowers bright yellow; introduced species. 9. /. Pseudacorus. 



Stems low, seldom over 1.5 dm. tall, i-3-flowered ; outer and inner perianth-segments 



nearly equal. 

 Outer perianth-segments crested ; leaves lanceolate. 



Perianth-tube very slender, exceeding the bracts. 10. /. cristata. 



Perianth-tube expanded above, not exceeding the bracts. u. /. lacustris 

 Outer perianth-segments crested, claws slightly pubescent; leaves linear. 



12. 7. verna. 



1. Iris versicolor L. LARGER BLUE FLAG. (I. F. f. 1069.) Rootstock 

 fleshy. Stem terete or nearly so, 6-10 dm. tall, leafy; leaves erect, shorter than 

 the stem, somewhat glaucous, 12-25 mm - wide; bracts commonly longer than the ped- 

 icels; flowers violet-blue, variegated with yellow, green and white; perianth-seg- 

 ments glabrous, crestless, the outer ones spatulate, 5-8 cm. long, longer and wider 

 than the inner; perianth-tube shorter than the ovary; capsule oblong, obscurely 

 3-lobed, about 3 cm. long and 1.5 cm. in diameter; seeds 4-6 mm. broad, in 2 

 rows in each cavity. In marshes, thickets, and wet meadows, Newf. to Manitoba, 

 Fla. and Ark. May-July. 



2. Iris hexagona Walt. SOUTHERN BLUE FLAG. (I. F. f. 1070.) Roct- 

 stock stout, thick. Stems terete, usually simple, leafy, 3-9 dm. tall; leaves 1-3 



