BLUE PEAG BRIS 
Iris versicolor Linnaeus 
Blueflag iris loves swamps and wet meadows because it requites 
ample moisture in order to flourish. Its blue flowers attract bees and 
other insects; these are necessary to the formation of viable seeds, for 
the shape and arrangement of the petals ate such as to make self pol- 
lination impossible. The thick root is considered poisonous, and al- 
though this 1s not fully substantiated, the foliage evidently contains 
a tepellent, for cattle never eat it. The irises derive their name from 
the Greek word meaning rainbow. 
Blueflag iris has a wide range, growing from the mountains of 
North Carolina northward to Newfoundland. Closely related species 
also occur in adjoining territory. 
The specimen sketched grew near Washington, District of Colum- 
bia. 
PLATE 332 
