IRIDACEAE (FLAG FAMILY) 65 



a berry, globose, small Seeds 1-6. — (Gk. smile = a grater; from 

 the prickly-rough stems of some.) U. C. SmUax callfornica (smilax) 



IRIDACEAE (Flag Family) 



Herbs, perennial. Leaves equitant, sheathing, 2-ranked, sword- 

 like or linear, evergreen or withering in the fall. Inflorescence 

 subtended by the spathehke bracts. Flowers showy, perfect, 

 regular. Perianth petal-Hke, 6-cleft; segments in 2 series, wither- 

 ing-persistent. Stamens 3, on the base of the j outer perianth 

 segments; anthers extrorse. Ovary 3-celled, inferior. Fruit a 

 capsule, 3-lobed or angled, loculicidal. Seeds few to many. 



A. Perianth 30-60 mm. long, white or blue; styles petal-like; style branches 

 opposite the anthers. IRIS (p. 65) 



AA. Perianth 6-17 mm. long; styles filiform; style branches alternate with the 

 anthers. 



B. Flowers blue, rarely whitish; filaments united to the top. 



SISYRINCHIUM (p. 66) 



BB. Flowers not blue, rarely whitish; filaments united only at base. 



C. Flowers yellow, with veins or stripes of black or brown or orange; scape 



broadly 2-winged. HYDASTYLTJS (p. 66) 



CC. Flowers from whitish to bright purplish-red; scapes compressed but not 



winged. W. E. — (Meaning not determined.) 



Olsynium grandiflorum (purple star-grass) 



IRIS (Flag) 



Rhizome horizontal. Flowers in a, forked corymb, or only i ; spathe- 

 bracts 2 or more, the inner scarious. Perianth segments clawed; outer 

 obovate, spreading or recurved; inner narrower, erect; tube extending 

 somewhat above the ovary. Anthers beneath the arching style-branches. 

 Style 3-parted; base adnate to the perianth tube; branches thin, tip a 

 wide 2-parted crest. Seeds many. — (Gk. iris = the rainbow ; referring 

 to the colors of the flowers.) 



A. Flowers blue or purple. 



B. Stem leafless; bracts largely scarious; perianth tube 6-8 mm, long. W. E. 



I. missourlensis 

 BB. Stem leafy; bracts green, not scarious. 



C. Leaves 8-16 mm. wide; flowers 2-3; perianth tube 12-is mm. long; capsule 

 " 3.8-4.2 cm. long. U. I. douglasiana 



CC. Leaves 3-5 mm. wide; flower i; perianth tube less than 10 mm. long; 

 capsule 1.7-2.S cm. long. W. I. tenax 



AA. Flowers white or yellow, sometimes striped or blotched with other colors. 

 D. Leaves not evergreen; bracts 2.5-5 cm. long. 



E. Plant i-flowered; flower white; outer perianth segments 5-7 cm. long; capsule 

 oblong. (See CC.) 



F. & E. EL. PL. — S 



