273 IRIS FLORENTINA 



curved, brownish veins ; the 3 inner curved outwards and then 

 upwards and inwards, meeting to form a dome in the centre. 

 Stamens 3, inserted on the tube of the perianth at the base of the 

 outer segments, curved outwards ; filaments tapering, somewhat 

 longer than the extrorse anthers. Ovary inferior, nearly sessile, 

 oblong, cylindrical, with 6 furrows, fleshy, 3-celled; style 3-fid; 

 stigmas 3, large, obovate, similar in texture and colour to the petals, 

 spreading outwards and curving closely over the stamens, trans- 

 versely cleft at the extremity so as to form a chink between two lips, 

 the lower (outer) of which is short and narrow, the upper (inner) 

 divided into two erect triangular segments, slightly laciniate on 

 their outer margins ; placentation axile ; ovules numerous. Fruit 

 (not seen) capsular, 3-celled, loculicidally dehiscing, stated to be 

 about an inch long, longly acuminate, faintly triangular. Seeds 

 (not seen; of the genus, horizontal, compressed, smooth, with a 

 lax testa and a small embryo with inferior radicle in the axis of 

 fleshy albumen). 



Habitat. Though named florentina, it is the opinion of D. 

 Hanbury, who had studied it and its allies in the neighbourhood of 

 Florence, that it is only a naturalised plant in that district, being 

 truly indigenous to the coast region of Macedonia and the south- 

 west shore of the Black Sea; it is also found in several other 

 parts of southern and eastern Europe, growing in dry, stony 

 places, but it is doubtful if it occurs in the Iberian Peninsula, 

 though it grows in the Eiviera. As a cultivated plant it is a 

 very old inhabitant of our gardens, but is less common and more 

 tender than I. germanica, L. Along with that species and with 

 I. pallida, Lam., it is grown in large quantity near Florence for its 

 rhizomes. Most botanists maintain these as separate species, but 

 the distinctions are very slight. The colour of the flower of 

 I. florentina is usually somewhat slaty, or even faintly bluish, but 

 often pure white ; it flowers in May, a little after the common 

 garden flag. 



Bertoloni, PI. Ital., i, p. 231 ; Grenier & Godr., PI. France, iii, 

 p. 241 ; Roem. & Sch., Syst. Yeg., i, p. 457 ; Klatt, 1. c., p. 603 ; 

 Lindl., PL Med., p. 575. 



