OSDBB 143.— IRIDAOE-ffl. 697 



<Vroolly outside and inside ; petals narrower than the sepals, somewhat 

 interior ; stamens 6, filaments naked, anthers erect ; style conical, 3- 

 partible ; stigma simple ; capsule opening at the summit, 3-celled, 

 3-valved, many-seeded. — An herb with a creeping root, flexuous stem, 

 woolly above, and a loose cormyb, densely clothed with soft, white 

 wool. 



L. Americana. Sandy swaropa, pine barrens, K J. St. 1 lo 2f liigb, erect, 

 hoary-tonaentous when young. Lvs. glaucous, narrowly linear, equitant, glab- 

 rous, the lower and radical long, cauline 2 or 3, shorter. Corymb finally much 

 expanded, many flowerffd. Corolla woolly and yellow within, segments reflexed, 

 about as long as the stamens. Capsule ovate, dissepiments arising from the center 

 of each valve. Seeds white. JI., Aug. (L. aurea Ker. Conostylis, Ph.) 



3. ALETRIS, L. Stab-grass. Colic-root. (Gr. aXerpig, a mil- 

 ler's wife ; because of the mealy-looking flowers.) Perianth 6-cleft, 

 ■tubular, rugous as if scurfy or mealy, persistent ; stamens issuing at the 

 top of the tube, style 3-sided, 3-partible ; ovary adherent at base only ; 

 capsule opening at top, many-seeded. — Smooth herbs, very bitter, lvs. 

 radical, rosulate, and scape many-flowered. 



1 A. farindsa L. Lvs. broad-lanceolate; fls. white, oblong-tubular, pediceled; 

 perianth in fruit rugous or mealy in appearance. — Grows in low grounds, in most 

 of the States. Root premorse. Scape 20 — 30' high, with remote scales or bracts, 



. and surrounded at base with a circle of lanceolate, sessile leaves. These are 3 — 4' 

 long, \ as wide, and lie flat upon the ground. Flowers in a long, thin raceme. 

 Perianth white, J' long, on very short pedicels, rugous without, when old. Me- 

 dicinal. July. 



2 A. aiirea Walt. Lvs. lanceolate ; /.s. j/eKow, subsessile ; perianth short, tubular- 

 campanulate, finally ragous and very scabrous. — In the pine barrens of N. J. to 

 Ha., abundant^ Scarcely different from the preceding except in color. Scape 

 2 — 3f high, with rather distant yellow flowers in the spicate raceme. Lfs. all 

 radical, 2 to 3' by 3—4". Jl,, Aug. 



OhberCXLIII. IRIDAGE^. Irids. 



Herhs with corms, bubs or rhizomes, equitant, 2-ranked leaves and spathaceous 

 bracts. Perianth tube adherent to the ovary, segments in 2 sets, often unequal and 

 convolute in bud. Siamens 3, alternate with the petals, anthers extrorse. Style 1 

 Stigmas 3, often petaloid. Oapmle 3-valved, 3-celled, loculicidal. Seeds many, with 

 hard, fleshy albumen. Mgs. 16, 151, 425. 



Genera 52, species 550, chiefly natives of the Capo of Good Hope, or of the middle of Europe 

 or N. America. 



Properiien.— 'Mora remai-liable for beauty than utility. Some of them are cathartic, as. Iris 

 tuberosa. The aromatic orria root is the dried rhizome of IHaJlorentina of S. Europe. Sa^ron 

 consists of the dried orange-colored stigmas of Crocus sativns. 



GEmsA. 



§ Flowers irregular, somewhat bilabiate, nodding. ■. GLAnioLus. T 



§ Flowers regnlivr and equilateral, mostly erect. (*) 



* Sepals sinftilar to the petals in form, size and position, (a) 



a Stamens distinct. Tube very long, partly under ground Ceocus. G 



a Stamens distinct. Tube short or none above the ovary Ixia. 5 



a Stamens monadelphous. Flowers small, blue. Plant gruss-lilto...SiSYRiNcinuM. 4 



* Sepals larger than the petals and otherwise dissimilar, (b) 



b Stamens monadelphous. Petals spreading, panduriform Tigkidia. 3 



b Stamens distinct, — stigmas Blender, on a slender style. Nkmasttlis. 2 



— stigmas petaloid, on a very short style Iris. 1 



1. IRIS, L. Flower-de-Luck. (Name from the Greek, signifying 

 rainbow.; on account of the varied color of the flowers.) Sepals 3, 



