STUDIES OF PLANT LIFE 
behold in it the wisdom of the great Creator. The structure 
of the cellular tissue in most water plants, and the smooth 
oily surface of their leaves, have also been provided as a 
means of throwing off the moisture to which their place 
of growth must necessarily expose them; but for this 
wise provision, which keeps the surface dry though sur- 
rounded with water, the plants would become overcharged 
with moisture and rot and decay too rapidly to perfect the 
ripening of their seeds—a process often carried on at the 
bottom of streams and lakes, as in the case of the Water- 
lily and other aquatics. Our blue Iris, however, does not 
follow this rule, being only partly an aquatic; it stands 
erect and ripens the large bony three-sided seeds in a 
three-sided membraneous pod. The hard seeds of the Iris 
versicolor have been roasted and used as a substitute for 
coffee. The root, which is creeping, fleshy and tuberous, 
is possessed of medicinal qualities. 
The name Iris, as applied to this genus, was bestowed 
upon it by the ancient Greeks—ever remarkable for their 
appreciation of the beautiful—on account of the rainbow 
tinted hues displayed in the flowers of many of the species; 
especially are the prismatic colors shown in the flowers of 
the large pearly-white garden Iris, a plant of Eastern 
origin. 
The Fleur-de-lis, as it was formerly written, signified 
whiteness or purity. This was changed to Fleur-de-luce, a 
corruption of Fleur-de-Louis—the blossoms of the plant 
having been selected by Louis the Seventh of France as his 
heraldic bearing in the Holy Wars. The flowers of the 
Iris have ever been favorites with the poet, the architect, 
and sculptor, as many a fair specimen wrought in stone 
and marble or carved in wood can testify. 
The Fleur-de-lis is still the emblem of France. 
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