IRIS FAMILY. Iridaceae. 



A slender-stemmed species with very 

 Slender 3 



Blue Flag narrow grasshke leaves, and a smaller 



iris flower with generally nai'rower propor- 



prismatica tions, and an extremely short tube, but a 

 Violet-blue long slender stem proceeding from smaller 

 bracts or leaflets. The fruit capsule nar- 

 rowly three-lobed and angular. This species is mainly 

 found near the coast in brackish swamps, or wet grounds. 

 1-3 feet high. Me. to Penn. and N. Car. 



A usually one-flowered, small, slender- 

 Dwarf Iris 



Irisverna stemmed species with grasshke leaves 



Violet-blue scarcely over seven inches long, the flower 

 and yellow with the three principal divisions nar- 

 April-May rO wed toward the base, slightly woolly, 

 and deep gold yellow at the narrowing part. Some- 

 times the flowers are w T hite. The fruit capsule is ob- 

 tusely triangular and short. 4-8 inches high. On 

 wooded hillsides, from south Penn. to Ga. and Ky. 



A lance-shaped leaf tapering at both 

 Dwarf iris ends distinguishes this species from all 

 Iris cristata others ; the leaf is bright green, 4-9 inches 

 Light Violet long> and about i inch wide The flowers 

 April-May ^^ ^^ light y ; olet witu the b roa( j ou ter 



divisions crested; i. e., they are marked with three 

 raised parallel flutings along the centre, the middle one 

 of which is orange yellow. The flower is exceedingly 

 delicate in color and dainty in form. The fruit capsule 

 is sharply triangular and ovate in outline, hardly twice 

 as long as it is wide. 3-6 inches high. It is a very 

 dwarf plant common on the hillside and along streams, 

 from Md. south to Ga., and west to southern Ind. and 

 Mo. 



Blackberr A Chinese P lanfc escaped from cultiva- 



Ljiy tion, similar to the iris, but much more 



Belamcanda branched. The leaves flat and light green, 

 Chinensis like those of the iris, the perfect flowers 



ma' d enta range ' with six 6Ven divisions of a h 'g ht golden 

 spotted orange color mottled with dull magenta 



August- spots. Three prominent stamens. Sev- 



September eral flowers in bloom at once. The fruit 

 capsule is fig-shaped, 1 inch long, and when the scales or 

 64 



