IRIS FAMILY. Jridaceae. 
meadows, at the foot of El Capitan, and is delicately 
beautiful, but would be more effective if the coloring were 
a little stronger. 
isonet Ticies A beautiful kind, very common in the 
Iris Douglasiana Coast Ranges. It grows in patches, or 
Purple, lilac, singly, and has rather dark green leaves, 
roa longer than the flower-stalks, and lovely 
Spring, summer : : 4 
Cal., Oreg. flowers, which vary exceedingly in color. 
Near the coast they are usually bluish-pur- 
ple, but in mountain woods they run from violet and mauve 
to pink, yellow, and white. They are often striped with 
white and yellow, delicately veined with purple, and measure 
three or fourinchesacross. In the redwood forests, in north- 
ern California, they are peculiarly large and beautiful, their 
delicate tints of cream and straw-color, tinged with mauve 
and marked with reddish-purple, and wonderfully set off by 
their dark forest background. This kind often blooms 
throughout the rainy season, but chiefly in early spring. 
: This odd and pretty little Iris grows in 
Hartweg’s Iris : : 
iris Hartwiek half-dry, open forests, in the Sierra Nevada 
Yellow and violet Mountains. The many  flower-stems, 
Summer from six to twelve inches tall, are overe 
—— topped by some of the long, narrow leaves 
and the flowers are from one and a half to two inches long, 
either yellow, veined with violet, or pale-violet, veined 
with purple. The two color forms often grow together 
and attract much attention from tourists. They look 
very pretty, springing from a carpet of fallen pine-needles, 
in the forests along the Wawona road near Yosemite. 
A beautiful kind, forming low clumps 
Ground Iris 
iris macrosiphon ©! Many, very narrow leaves, from five to 
Blue, purple twenty inches long and much taller than 
Spring, winter the flower-stalks. The handsome flowers 
oe are over three inches across, bright pur- 
plish-blue, the sepals veined with darker color and marked 
with a white stripe. This is common on grassy hills near 
the coast and farther inland becomes taller and paler in 
color. The flowers are slightly sweet-scented and begin 
to bloom in January. The Hupa Indians used the leaves 
for making twine and rope for their nets and snares. 
There are many other beautiful western Irises. 
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