Iris Pseudaco.rus. Yellow Iris. 



IRIS Lin. Gen. PL Triandria Monogynia 



Cor. Limbo 4. partito : Fetalis alternis reflexis. Stigmata petaliformia. 

 Rait. Syn. Gen. 26. HerBjE radice bulbosa preditje. 

 IRIS Pfeudacorus corollis imberbibus, petalis interioribus ftigmate minoribus, foliis enfiformibus Lin 



Syft. Vegetab.p. 79. Sp. PL p. 56. PL Suec. n. 37. 

 IRIS cauleinflexo, foliis enfiformibus; petalis eredis, minimis, reflexis, imberbibus. Halkr IF fin. 1260 

 1RI3 Pfeudacorus. Scopoli. FL Cam. n. 49. J 



IRIS paluftris lutea. Ger. em. 50. 

 ACORUS adulterinus. Bauh. pin. 74. 



ACORUS paluftris, five Pfeudo-iris et Iris lutea paluftris. Park 1 2 1 9. Rati. Syn. p. 1 74. Yellow water 



Flower-de-luce. l ' 



Pludfon. FL Angl ed. 2. p. 14. Lighifoot. Fl. Scot. p. 86. Oeder. FL Dan. t. 404. 



RADIX percnnis, craffitie pollicis, horizontals, foris | ROOT perennial, the thicknefs of ones thumb, horf- 

 nigricans, mtus rubicundus, fpongiofus fu- | zontalj externally blackifh, reddifh with- 



perne plunmis fibnUis ngidis obtecta, interne ± i nfi d e , and fpongy, the upper part covered 



dimittens radiculas longas, albidas, rugofas. i with numerous rigid fibres, its lower part 



i fending down many long, whitiih, wrinkled, 



I ftringy roots. 



FOLIA radicals, bi aut tripedalia, ereda, lata, en- | LEAVES from the root, two or three feet high up- 



fiformia, nervo eminente, bafi equitantia, * right, broad, fword-maped, with a prominent 



caulina breviora, alterna, bafi vagmantia. | midrib, at bottom riding one on another and 



covered with a glutinous fubftance, thofe on 

 I the ftalk fhorter, alternate, forming a lheath 



I at the bottom. 



CAULIS pedalis ad tripedalem, ere&us, e geniculo ad $ STALKS from one to three feet in height, upright, 

 geniculum alterne inclinatus, teres, laevis, | alternately inclined from joint to joint, round,' 



fpongiofus. I fmooth, and fpongy. 



FLORES erecti, fpeciofi, flavi. £ FLOWERS upright, fhowy, of a yellow colour. 



PEDUNCULI axillares, femiteretes, glabri. | FLOWER-SLALKS proceeding from the alae of the 



I leaves, round, but flattened on one fide and 



& fmooth. 



CALYX : Spatha biflora aut triflora, bivalvis, trival- | CALYX, a Spa th a containing two or three flowers, of 

 vis aut quadrivalvis fecundum numerum | ■ two, three, or four valves according to the 



florum. I number of flowers. 



COROLLA fexpartita; Pet ALA triaexteriora ampla, | COROLLA deeply divided into fix fegments : the 

 ovato rotundata, reflexa, lineis rubris feu ex £ three outermoft fegments or Petals large, 



rubro-fufcis ad bafin laminae pi&a, ad bafin | of a roundifh oval fhape, turning back, painted 



unguis biforaminofa, tria interiora primo £ at the bafe of the broad part with lines of a 



erecta, cito inflexa, ftigmate breviora, oblonga, | reddifh brown colour, and at the bottom of 



bafi an guttata, intus cava. Jig. 1. 2. £ the claw or narrow part having the appear- 



I ance of two fmall holes. Jig. r. 2. 



STAMINA: Filamenta tria, fubulata, compreffa 5 | STAMINA: three Fillaments flat and tapering; 

 Antherje oblongae, luteae, marginibus pur- ^ Anthers oblong, yellow, edges purplilh, 



purafcentibus, ab incumbente ftigmate in | bent down by the ftigma preffing on them, 



arcum depreflae, biloculares, loculae lineares, | having two cavities which are linear and 



inferne dehifcentes, Jig. 3. t open on the under fide. fig. 3. 



P1STILLUIVL: Germen inferum, oblongum, trigonum, | PISTILLUM: Germen placed below the corolla, 

 angulis obtufis fulcatis ; Stylus tenuis, % three cornered, the angles blunt and grooved; 



genuine brevier; Stigma maximum, tripar- % Style flender, fliorter than the ftigma; 



titum, flavum, laciniis oblongis, fuperne | Stigma very large, deeply divided into three 



carinatis, inferne concavis apice trifidis, ve- I fegments, of a yellow colour, the fegments 



nofis, ferrulatis, fegmento medio breviffimo, | oblong, above keel-fhaped, below con- 



infero. fig. 4. 5. 6. & cave, at the top veiny, fawed at the edge 



I and fubdivided into three fegments of which 



I the middle one is very fhort and placed under- 



i neath. fig. 4. 5. 6. 



PERICARPIUM : Capsula oblonga, angulata, tri- | SEED-VESSEL an oblong, angular Capsule, of 



locularis, trivalvis. fig. 7. £ three cavities and three valves, fig. 7. 



STAMINA plurima, magna, flavefcentia, utrinque i SEEDS numerous, large, of a yellowifh colour and 

 comprefla./^. 3. * flattened on both fides, fig. 8. 



MANY of the plants of this tribe recommend themfelves to our notice by the beauty and delicacy of their 

 blofloms, fome by their medicinal, and others by their oeconomical ufes ; the prefent plant may perhaps put 

 in its claim on each of thefe accounts, and though its flowers may not poflefs the fragrance fb grateful in the 

 Iris perfica, the magnificence which aftonifhes in the fufiana, or the variety of colours which glow in the verficolor, 

 yet thofe who have examined its ftruclure muft allow it to be at once beautiful, delicate, and Angularly curi- 

 ous; the Stigma in particular deferves to be noticed by the Student, being in form and*fubftance more like the 

 petals than the part it really is. 



As to its medicinal powers the root is without fmell, vifcid, and of a fweetifh tafte, its infufion and 



deco£tion at firft very fweet, then highly aftringent, prefently producing a fenfe of heat in the throat, which 

 continued with me for more than twelve hours. Rutty Mat Med. 



An infufion of it became black on the addition of Vitriol of iron. id. 



In diving it lofes much of its acrimony, id. 



Cut into the form of peafe it isufeful to deftroy the proud flefh in ifliies, and promotes their difcharge id. 



The juice has been ufed to promote fneezing, but being highly acrimonious of itfelf, a few drops of it mix' d 

 with milk, has been ufed to produce that effect in the tooth-ach. id. 



The juice of the root has alfo been recommended to be applied to creeping ulcers, and being confidered as 

 poflefling confiderable aftringent powers, it has been adminftered in fluxes but very injudicioufly according to 

 fome modern experiments made with it, (vid Edinburg Med. EJfays) by which it was found that eighty drops of 

 this juice repeated every hour or two, proved an excellent purgative where Jalap and Gamboge had in vain been 

 exhibited. On the whole it appears to be a violent medicine, and to be ufed with great caution. The only 

 account we have of its oeconomical ufes is, that an infufion or decoction of it like that of galls and other vege- 

 table afttingents is capable with the addition of iron of being converted into ink, or of dying black, to both of 

 which purpofes it has long been applied in Scotland and the adjacent Ifles. Sibbald. Lighifoot. 



It is a very common plant in marfhy meadows, by the fides of rivers, ponds, &c. and flowers in the begin- 

 ning of July. 



Planted in the garden where the foil is moitt, it encreafes exceedingly both by root and feeds. 



