474 



IRfDE^E 



many-ovuled ; style i ; stigmas 3, often petal-like ; fruit a 3-sided, 

 3-valved, many-seeded capsule. They are chiefly natives of warm 

 and temperate, extra-tropical regions, and are most abundant in 

 Cape Colony, where, at the time of its discovery by the Portu- 

 guese, the natives mainly supported themselves on the under- 

 ground stems of plants of this Order, together with such shell-fish 



as were left on shore by the 

 receding tide. Few species 

 are used in the arts : Orris 

 root is the rhizome of Iris 

 florentina and other species, 

 which, when dried, has a 

 perfume resembling that of 

 Violets, and is used as an 

 ingredient of tooth-powder ; 

 and Saffron, the dried stig- 

 mas of Crocus sativus, 

 formerly used far more ex- 

 tensively than at present, 

 as a dye and as a colouring 

 agent in cooking and in 

 medicine. Iris, Crocus, Ixia, 

 Gladiolus and others are 

 favourite garden genera. 



1. Iris. — Flowers poly- 

 symmetric ; sepals reflexed ; 

 gyle dividing into 3 broad, 

 2-fid, petaloid lobes. 



*2. Crocus. — Flowers 

 polysymmetric, funnel- 



shaped, with a long tube ; 

 style slender ; stigmatic lobes 

 widening upward. 



3. Romul£ a. — Flowers 

 polysymmetric, with a short 

 tube ; style slender ; stigmas 

 2-fid, lobes slender. 



4. SiSYRfNCHiUM. — Flowers polysymmetric, with a short tube; 

 style short ; stigmas undivided. 



5. Gladiolus. — Flowers monosymmetric ; style slender ; stig- 

 matic lobes widening upward. 



1. Iris (Flower-de-luce). — Herbaceous plants mostly with fleshy 

 rhizomes ; leaves chiefly radical, sword-shaped, equitant j flowers — 



IRIS PSEUDACORUS 



(Yellow Iris, Flag; Corn Flag). 



