2/6 PETALOIDE^E 



Malaxis paludosa (Bog Orchis). — The smallest British Orchideous 

 plant, 2-4 inches high, and bears a spike of minute green flowers. 

 Found in spongy bogs in many parts of Britain, but never common. 



Liparis Loeselii (Two-leaved Liparis) is confined to the eastern 

 counties, where it is rarely found in spongy bogs. It bears a spike 

 of 6-12 yellowish flowers on a triangular stalk. 



Cyprifediwn calceolits (Lady's Slipper). — Distinguished by its 

 large inflated lip, occurs but rarely in the woods of the north of 

 England, and is pronounced by Sir W. J. Hooker " one of the most 

 beautiful and interesting of our native plants." 



Natural Order LXXXI 



IRIDACE/E.— Iris Tribe 



Perianth 6-cleft ; stamens 3, rising from the base of the sepals ; 

 ovary inferior, 3-celled ; style I ; stigmas 3, often petal-like ; capsule 

 3-valved ; seeds numerous. Principally herbaceous plants, with 

 tuberous or fibrous roots, long, and often sword-shaped, sheathing 

 leaves, and showy flowers, which seldom last a long time. Chiefly 

 natives of warm and temperate regions, and most abundant at 

 the Cape of Good Hope, where, at the time of its discovery by the 

 Portuguese, the natives mainly supported themselves on the roots 

 of the plants of this tribe, together with such shell-fish as were left 

 on the shore by the receding tide. Iris, Crocus, Ixia, and Gladiolus 

 are favourite garden flowers. Iris Pseiid-acorus (Yellow Iris or 

 Flag) is one of our most showy marsh plants. Few species are 

 used in the arts or sciences ; the roots of Iris Florentma afford 

 Orrisroot, which, when dried, has a perfume resembling that of 

 violets, and is used as an ingredient in tooth-powder. Saffron, 

 the dried stigmas of Crocus sativiis, was anciently much prized as 

 a dye, and is still employed for the same purpose, as well as in 

 medicine and cookery ; and the roots of a few species are used by 

 barbarous nations as an occasional article of food. 



1. Iris. — Perianth with the 3 outer divisions longer, and refle.xed ; 

 stigmas 3, petal-like, covering the stamens. (Name from Iris, the 

 rainbow, from the beautiful colouring of the flowers.) 



2. RoMULEA (Romulea). — Perianth in 6 equal, spreading divi- 

 sions ; tube shorter than the limb ; stigma deeply 3-cleft, its loles 

 2-cleft, slender. (Name from Romulus, who founded Rome.) 



3. Crocus. — Perianth in 6 equal, nearly erect divisions ; tube 

 very long ; stigma 3-cleft, its lohes inversely wedge-shaped, (Name 

 from the Greek, crocos, saffron, and that from croce, a thread.) 



4. Gladiolus. — Perianth in 6 nearly equal divisions, forming 

 as it were two lips ; 3 segments in the upper, 2 in the lower ; style 

 slender ; lohes of the stigma inversely wedge-shaped. (Name from 

 the Latin, gladius, a sword, in reference to the shape of the leaves.) 



