IRIS FAMILY. Iridaceae. 



IRIS FAMILY. Iridaceae. 



A large family, widely distributed and found throughout 

 our continent. Perennial herbs, with bracts; the leaves 

 long, narrow, toothless, and sheathing; the flowers showy, 

 perfect and regular, twisted in the bud, not falling off in 

 withering, of three and six parts; the three stamens on the 

 base of the sepals, their anthers turning outward; the 

 single style with three branches; the ovary inferior, be- 

 coming a three-celled, usually three-angled, many-seeded 

 capsule. This family is noticeably distinguished from the 

 Lily family by the inferior ovary, and from the Amaryllis 

 family by the three stamens. 



There are many kinds of Iris. To the casual observer ! 

 the flowers appear to have nine petals of different sizes, 

 but in reality there are three sepals, three petals, and three 

 petal-like branches of the style. The three outer divisions, 

 or sepals, are large and spread or turn down; the three] 

 inner divisions, or petals, are usually narrower and are 

 erect; the style branches arch over and under each is a 

 stamen. The sepals and petals have claws, which are! 

 united below and form a tube; the capsule is large and 

 contains many, flat, black seeds, in one or two rows in I 

 each cell; the large rootstock is usually fleshy. Iris isJ 

 from the Greek for " rainbow, " in allusion to the variegated] 

 tints, and Flower-de-luce from the French "fleur-de-lis," on 

 "lily-flower." Many odd and beautiful kinds are culti-j 

 vated from the Old World. Orris-root is made from the! 

 roots of a Florentine species. 



A very handsome and decorative plant,] 

 Western Blue g row ing in large clumps, in damp situaJ 

 tris Missourilnsis tions from stout creeping rootstocksJ 

 Violet, blue The stiff, sword-shaped leaves, mostly] 



Spring, summer shorter than the stems, are smooth anci 



Wash TnTSreg Hght bluish -g reen and the stout stems 

 from one to two feet high, bear usually 



two, pale-violet flowers, about three inches long, emerging 

 from thin, papery bracts. The sepals are white, or pal( 

 blue, delicately veined with violet, with a yellow-veinec 

 rib down the middle, the petals are pale blue or pale violet 

 veined with purple, and the buds are yellowish, veinec 

 with brown. This grows in profusion in the Yosemite 

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