334 IRIS FAMILT. 



* » Taller: the sei-eral -flowered often branching stems \°-3° high: tube of the 

 flower sliort : the outer divisions naked, beardless, and all but one crestless ; 

 the inner very much smaller: fl. late spring and early summer, in swawps. 



I. Virginica, Slender Blue Flag. Slender; with very narrow linear 

 leaves, and blue flowers with some white (barely 2' long), on slender peduncles, 

 with hardly any tube beyond the 3-angled ovary. 



I. versicolor, Larger BujE-rLAG. Stout ; stem angled on one side; 

 leaves sword-shaped, |' wide ; flowers light blue variegated with some yellow, 

 white, and purple, hardly 3' long, the inflated tube shorter than the obtusely _ 

 3-angled ovary ; pod oblong, 3-angled. 



I. hexdgona. Only S. near the coast ; Vith simple stem, narrowish long 

 leaves, and deep blue variegated flowers 4' long, the outer divisions crested, the 

 tube longer than the 6-angled ovary. 



I. etiprea. Only S. and W. ; with copperish-yellow flowers 2' long, the 

 tube about the length of the 6-angled ovary. 



I. tripetala. Only S. in pine-barren swamps ; with rathpr short sword- 

 shaped glaucous leaves, and few blue flowers (2'-3' long), vari^ated with 

 yellow and pm-ple, the inner divisions very short and wedgs^shaped, the 

 tube shorter than the 3-angled ovary. 'r'\ ' 



§ 2. Garden species from the Old World, cult, for crnanient,- 



« A dense beard along the lower part of the 3 outer divisions of. the flower: the 

 stamens in all spring from thickened rootitocks. _ , .' 

 t- Dwarf: flowering in early spring. , 



I. p^mila, DwAKF Garden Iris. Stem very short ;»,'the violet and pur- 

 ple flower close to the ground, with slender tube and obovate divisions, hardly 

 exceeding the short sword-shapsd leaves. -■ • 



H- -t- Taller and larger, several-flowered, in farly summer. 



I. Germ^nica, Common FLOWBK-DE-JincR '-Sf the gai'dens, with very 

 largo scentless flowers, the deep violet pendeajgoitter divisionS'3'. long, the obo- 

 vate inner ones nearly as large, lighterand^htaetfifc, '■ ■ ■ -. 



I. sambticina, Elder-scented F.^jfejler, 3° or.4£_ high, and longer- 

 leaved; the flowers about half as laig^jJIPthe preceding, tlft.outcr divisions 

 less reflexed, violet, but whitish "aslflPWo wish toward the base, ..painted with 

 deeper-colored lines or veins ; uppw divisions pale grayish or brownish blue ; 

 spathe broadly scarious-mafgined. 



I. squWens, very like preceding, with longer dull violet outer divisions to 

 the flower whitish and striped at base, and purplish-buff'-colored inner divisions. 



I. varieg^ta, has mnch smaller flowers, with spatnlate-obovate divisions 

 2' long, white with pale yellow, the outer divisions veined with dark-purple and 

 purplish-tinged in the middle. 



I. Fiorentlna, Florence or Sweet F. Less tall than the Cornmon F., 

 with broader leaves, and white faintly sweet-scented flowers, bluish veined, the 

 obovate outer divisions 2^' -3' long, with yellow beard. Its violet-scented root- 

 stock yields orris-root. - ' 



* * No beard nor crest to the flower : all but the last with rootstocks. 



I. PseuddiCOrus, Yellow Iris, of wet marshes in Europe, with very long 

 linear leaves and bright yellow flowers, sparingly cultivated. 



I. gramlnea, Grass-Leaved I., has narrow linear root-leaves 2° -3° 

 long and often surpassing the 1-3-flowered stem; flower purple-blue, with 

 narrow divisions. 



I. P^rsioa, Persian Iris. A choice house-plant, dwarf, nearlv stemless 

 froni a kind of bulb-like tuber, from which the flower rises on a lonj; tube, 

 earlier than the leaves, delicately fragrant, bluish, with a deep-purple spot at 

 the tip of the outer divisions, the inner divisions very small and spl-eading. 



2. PARDANTHUS, BLACKBERRY LILY. (Name from the Greek, 



means pard-flower, alluding to the spotted perianth.) Fl. late summer. 



Pard&nthus Chill6lisis, from China, cult, in country gardens and 



escaping i n to ' roadsides : .3°-4° high, more branching than an Iris; the di- 



visisns of the orange-colored flower (1' long) mottled above with crimson spots. 



