282 FLORA. 



filiform, distinct or united ; anthers 2-celled, extrorse. Ovary inferior, 

 mostly 3-celled ; ovules mostly numerous in each cell, anatropous ; style 

 3-cleft, its branches sometimes divided. Capsule 3-celled, loculicidally 

 dehiscent, 3-angled or 3-lobed (sometimes 6-lobed), many-seeded. En- 

 dosperm fleshy or horny ; embryo straight, small. About 57 genera and 

 1000 species, of wide distribution. 



Style-branches opposite the anthers, very broad, petal-like. 1. Iris. 

 Style-branches alternate with the anthers, slender or filiform. 



Style-branches, 2-cleft ; plants bulbous. 2. Nemastylis. 

 Style-branches undivided; plants not bulbous. 



Filaments all distinct ; seeds fleshy. 3. Gemmingia. 



Filaments united ; seeds dry. 4. Sisyrinchium. 



1. "iRIS L. (See Appendix.) 



Herbs, with creeping or horizontal, often woody rootstocks, erect stems, erector 

 ascending equitant leaves, and large regular terminal sometimes panicled flowers. 

 Perianth of 6 clawed segments united below into a tube, the three outer dilated, 

 spreading or reflexed, the 3 inner narrower, smaller, usually erect, or in some 

 species about as large as the outer. Stamens inserted at the base of the outer peri- 

 anth-segments; anthers linear or oblong. Ovary 3-celled; divisions of the style 

 petal-like, arching over the stamens, bearing the stigmas immediately under their 

 mostly 2-lobed tips; style-base adnate to the perianth-tube. Capsule oblong or oval, 

 3-6-angled or lobed. Seeds numerous, vertically compressed, in 1 or 2 rows in 

 each cavity. [Greek, rainbow, referring to the variegated flowers.] About 100 

 species, mostly in the north temperate zone. Besides the following, some 8 others 

 occur in the southern and western parts of N. Am. 



Stems tall, usually several-flowered, leafy; outer perianth-segments larger than the inner. 

 Flowers blue, variegated with yellow, white or green (rarely all white). 

 None of the perianth-segments crested; native species. 

 Leaves 1-2.5 cm - wide. 



Leaves somewhat glaucous. 1. /. versicolor. 



Leaves bright green, not glaucous. 



Outer perianth-segments 7-10 cm. long; flowers sessile. 



2. I. hcxagona. 

 Outer perianth-segments 6-7 cm. long; flowers pedicelled. 



3. /. Caroliniana. 

 Leaves much narrower, 4-8 mm. wide. 



Capsule obtusely angled, 3-6-lobed. 



Capsule 3-lobed; northern. 4. /. Hookeri. 



Capsule 6-lobed ; western. 5. /. Missonriensis. 



Capsule sharply 3-angled. 6. /. prismatica. 



Outer perianth-segments strongly crested; introduced. 7. /. Germanica. 



Flowers reddish or red-brown. 8. I.fulva. 



Flowers bright yellow; introduced species. 9. /. Pseudacorus. 



Stems low, seldom over 1.5 dm. tall, 1-3-flowered ; outer and inner perianth-segments 

 nearly equal. 

 Outer perianth-segments crested ; leaves lanceolate. 



Perianth-tube very slender, exceeding the bracts. 10. /. cristata. 



Perianth-tube expanded above, not exceeding the bracts. n. 7". lacustris 

 Outer perianth-segments crested, claws slightly pubescent; leaves linear. 



12. I. verna. 



i. Iris versicolor L. Larger Blue Flag. (I. F. f. 1069.) Rootstock 

 fleshy. Stem terete or nearly so, 6-IO dm. tall, leafy; leaves erect, shorter than 

 the stem, somewhat glaucous, 12-25 mm - wide; bracts commonly longer than the ped- 

 icels; flowers violet-blue, variegated with yellow, green and white; perianth-seg- 

 ments glabrous, crestless, the outer ones spatulate, 5-8 cm. long, longer and wider 

 than the inner; perianth-tube shorter than the ovary; capsule oblong, obscurely 

 3-lobed, about ; cm. long and 1.5 cm. in diameter; seeds 4-6 mm. broad, in 2 

 rows in each cavity. In marshes, thickets, and wet meadows. Newf. to Manitoba, 

 Fla. and Ark. May-July. 



2. Iris hexagona Walt. Southern Blue Flag. (I. F. f. 1070.) Root- 

 stock stout, thick. Stem> terete, u-ually simple, leafy, 3 -9 dm. tall; leaves 1-3 



