.114 FIAG. 



DEScRimoN. — The rliizoma is horizontal, long, about the 

 thickness of the finger, sub-compressed, jointed, marked with 

 the remains of former leaves, and furnished with several fibres 

 or rootlets ; it is externally of a brownish green or reddish 

 white colour, internally white, soft and spongy. The leaves are 

 from two to three feet in length, erect, ensiform, acute, sheathing 

 often undulated at the edge, and of a yellowish green colour. The 

 flowers are arranged on a spadix issuing laterally from a tri- 

 angular, slightly compressed scape, which proceeding upwards 

 tapers into a leafy expansion, rather narrower and shorter than 

 the leaves. The spadix itself is cylindrical, sessile, about 

 three inches in length, attenuate at each end, and covered with 

 small pale green flowers, placed quincuncially. The perianth 

 consists of six scariose leaves or scales, equal, concave, quadrate- 

 oblong, obtuse, keeled. The stamens are six, opposite the 

 scales, which they rather exceed in length ; filaments thick, 

 terminated by two-celled anthers turned inwards. The germen 

 is superior, oblong, hexagonal, without a style, and terminated 

 by a small simple stigma. The capsule is a kind of berry, 

 pyramidal, triangular, obtuse, furrowed, three- celled, and con- 

 taining several oval seeds. Plate 19, fig. 2, («) entire flower ; 

 (6) stamen ; (c) anther dehiscing, magnified; (rf) germen ; (e) 

 seed magnified. 



This singular plant occurs on the banks of rivers and in watery 

 places, in the middle and south-eastern counties of England ; 

 very rarely in Scotland. It is a native of Asia, and is supposed 

 to have been introduced into Europe from Bithynia. It flowers 

 in June. 



The generic name is derived from Koprj, the pupil of the eye, 

 from its use in diseases of that organ *. Calamus was a general 

 name with the Romans for anything resembling a cane or reed ; 

 as the English word fag is, for drooping or prostrate objects, 

 and the foliage of this plant resembling that of the Iris, it has 

 received a similar appellation. 



Qualities and general Uses. — In some counties of Eng- 

 land in which this plant abounds, it was formerly used to strew 

 the floors of houses instead of rushes, and for the sake of its 



* " Siiccus ejus ea quae pupillis officiunt, caliginemque offundunt, dis- 

 cutit." Dioscorides , Mat. Med. lib. xxv. c. 13. 



