IKIDACEAE 19 



Iris Blue Flag, Fleur de-lis 



iri», rainbow > 

 21, fig. F 

 I Plants with rootstocks and flat straddling li 

 Sepals bearded 



(1) Beard of sepals forming a line along the midrib, sepals usually 



larger than the petals 



(a) Plants dwarf; the flowering stalks .? dm. tall or l< 



\. Plant about 1 dm. tall, nearl) Btemless; flowers purple, 



lowish <>r white I. ptimila 



Plants 1 5-3 <lm. tall; flowering stem manifest 

 (x) Bracts green; flowers resembling /. pumita, but larger hybrids of /. pumila 



with /. germdnica, etc. 

 (y) Bracts paper] I flowers bluish lavender, beard white l.Cengi&lti 



(b) Plains more than 3 dm. tall (German iris) 

 v Flowers usually in May 



(x) Bracts green tinged with purple, flowers various shades 



of purple, heard yellow f.germdnica 



(y) Bracts papery, flowers nearly white with purple veins, 



fragrant I. florentina (orris-root) 



y. Flowers in late May and June 

 Various garden hybrids chiefly of the following species: 



(t) Sepals yellow, petals pale yellow /. flave'scens 



(u) Sepal- yellow, veined and shaded with brown, petals 



yellow /. variegdta 



(v) Sepals dull purple, beard yellow, petals dull lilac, or 



yellowish / squalen* 



(w) Sepals veined with red purple, otherwise as (v) l.sambucina 



(x) Rowers white, edged with lavender l.plicdta 



(y) Flowers violet to nearly white /. pallida 



(z) Flowers lilac with a white heard, stem leafless, forking 



low /. aphylla 



(2) Reard not confined to the midrib of the sepals, petals larger than 



the sepals (Cushion iris) 



(a) PetaK and sepals marked with black on a silvery white ground / susidna 



(b) Petals and sepals variously colored, usually marked with 



purple or brown on a white ground 



Numerous species little cultivated: the best are hybrids of /. Korolk, 

 b. Sepals not bearded 



(1) Dwarf and nearly stemless; flowers with a long narrow perianth 



tube, and crested sepals /. cristdta 



Flower stems 4-10 dm. long, perianth tube short 



Cultivated: leaves 5-8 mm. wide 

 \. Flowers numerous, bright blue or white, bases of old leave- 

 very fibrous /. sibirica 

 y. Flowers 2-3. pale lilac-blue, bases of old leaves not fibrous I. missouriensis 

 (b) Native: leaves 8-18 mm. wide • {.versicolor 

 2. Plants with bulos : leaves not straddling 



a. Dwarf; stemless: flowers with a long perianth tube 



(1) Leaves flat: petals very small, spreading f. persica 



- > Leaves thick : petals narrow, erect, flowers purple, very fragrant /. reticulata 

 h Flowering stem 2-4 dm. long, perianth tube short, flowers of various 



colors I. xiphiiiin 



Crocus — Crocus 



tGr. krokos, the crocus) 

 PL 21. fig. E 



I. Flowers yellow 



1. Anthers orange, sepals brownish on outside C.susidnus 



2. Anthers pale, sepals clear yellow C. moesiacus 



II. Flowers violet to white C.vernus 



