fhire; between Dunflable and St. Alban's; near Perfhore 
in Worcefterfhire ; and in all the. fouth-weft counties 
-very common; oil hedge-banks and floping ground; 
flowering from the end of June to Auguft. It runs much 
at the root, and flowers fparingly. The old Englifli name 
is Jlinking gladwyn, or gladdonx arid the common country- 
people, in fotne parts of England, are faid to purge them- 
ielves with the decotlion of this plant. Thofe who vvould 
not have it work too ftrongly, make an infufion of the 
fliced roots in ale; and feme take the leaves, which are 
more convenient for tender ftomachs. The juice of the 
root has alio been ufed as an emmenagogue, as well as for 
cieanfing eruptions of various kinds. 
22. Iris Virginica, or Virginian iris; beardlefs; leaves 
enflform; fcape ancipital. Root white within, black 
without, the thicknefs of the thumb, having white fibres, 
and briftly at top, with the remains of leaves. Scape 
comprefled, upright, jointed, flieathed with alternate 
leaves, many-flowered, the length of the leaves, or a lit¬ 
tle higher, a foot in length. Leaves narrow, fharp, curved 
in at the tip, nerved and fmooth, as is the whole plant. 
Flowers elegant, but without feent. Native of Virginia. 
■ It flowers here in June and July; and was cultivated by 
Mr. Miller in 1751. 
23. Iris verflcolor, or various-coloured irisi beardlefs; 
leaves enflform; fcape round, flexuofe, germs fubtrigonal. 
Scape jointed, bifid at the top or fimple, many-flowered, 
higher than the leaves, two feet in length. Flowers blue, 
large. Mr. Curtis remarks that this fpecies has, for the 
moil part, a ftalk umifually crooked or elbowed ; that it is 
the picla of Mr. Miller, and that the verficolor of Miller is 
probably the fibirica of Linnaeus. It is a native of North 
America, and was cultivated in 1732 by James Sherard, 
M. D. It flowers in May and June. 
24. Iris ochroleuca, or pale-yellow iris: beardlefs; 
leaves enflform; fcape lubcylindric; germs hexagonal. 
Scape round or roundifh, covered with the (heaths of leaves, 
many-flowered, longer than the leaves, a foot high, nerved. 
Spathes membranaceous at the edge. Larger petals di¬ 
lated at the bafe with dufky veins; linaller fnowy-white, 
with yellowifh veins at the bafe. Stigmas fnowy-white. 
Capfule hexagonal, with blunt angles. Notwithftanding 
Mr. Miller’s defeription of his oricntalis accords very badly 
with this, they have been generally confidered as the fame 
plant, diltinguidled by the name of Pococke s Iris, Dr. Po- 
cocke having fir ft introduced it, according to Mr. Miller, 
from Carniola ; but that is probably a miflake, for it is a 
native of the Levant; and Mr. Miller accordingly names 
it orientalis. It was cultivated by Mr. Miller in 1759. It 
flowers in July. Being the higheft of the fpecies cultivated 
Jin our gardens, Mr. Curtis has named it tall iris. 
25. Iris halophila, or long-leaved iris: beardlefs; leaves 
enflform, thofe next the root very long ; item round ; 
germs hexagonal. Native of Siberia ; introduced in 1780 
by Pallas. It flowers from July to September. 
26. Iris fpathacea, or long-fpathed iris: beardlefs; 
leaves enflform, rigid ; fcape round, two-flowered ; fpathes 
very long. Scape fimple, many-flowered, a foot high. 
Native of the Cape of Good Hope, in Auteniquas near 
Wolfwekraal, and Langekloof near Keurbooms River. 
27. Iris ramoia, or branching iris: beardlefs; leaves 
enflform ; ftem panicled, many-flowered. Native alfo of 
the Cape, in the fands of Swartland. 
28. Iris fifyrinchium, or crocus-rooted iris : beardlefs ; 
leaves linear, waved, reflex; fcape one-flowered. Root 
compofed of two bulbs, one over the other, as in Gladio¬ 
lus and Crocus. Native of Spain and Portugal. Culti¬ 
vated in 1597 by Gerarde. It flowers in May. Gerarde 
and Parkinfon name it Spani/h-nut. _ Ray found it in Si¬ 
cily, flowering in the month of April. 
29. Iris verna, or fpring iris: beardlefs; leaves linear 
flat; fcape one-flowered, (horter than the leaves; root 
■ fibrofe ; (alternate petals equalling the others.) This 
Stas tufted fibrous roots, from which arife many grafs-like 
leaves about nine inches long; from between them come 
out the ftalks, which are (hotter than the ieaves, and flip- 
port one purple flower with blue ftandards. It flowers in 
May, but feldom produces feeds in England. Native of 
North America. 
30. Iris Perfica, or Perfian iris: beardlefs; leaves li¬ 
near, flat; fcape one-flowered, alternate; petals (horter; 
(inner petals very ftiort and fpreading.) Perfian iris has 
an oval bulbous root, from which come out five or fix 
pale-green leaves, hollowed like the keel of a boat, about 
fix inches long, and one inch broad at the bafe, ending 
in points. Between thefe the flower-italic arifes, which 
is feldom above three inches high, fupporting one or two 
flowers, inclofed in fpathes; thefe have three erect petals, , 
or ftandards, of a pale (ky-blue colour, and three reflexed 
petals, or falls, which on their outfide are of the fame co¬ 
lour, but the lip has a yellow ftreak running through the 
middle, and on each fide are many dark fpots, with one large 
deep-purplefpotatthebottom. Native of Perfia. Cultivated 
here in the time of Parkinfon, (1629,) who remarks that 
it was then very rare, and feldom bore flowers. The Per¬ 
fian iris is greatly efteemed for the beauty and extreme 
fweetnefs of its flowers, as alfo for its early appearance in 
the fpring, it generally being in perfection in February or 
the beginning of March, 'according to the forwardnefs of 
the fealon. Like the hyacinth and narcilfus, it will blow 
within doors in a water-glafs, but ftronger in a fmall pot, 
or fand or fandy loam ; and a few flowers will feent a 
whole apartment. This beautiful plant is reprefented on 
the annexed Plate, at fig. 1. 
31. Iris angufta, or narrow-leaved iris: beardlefs; leaf 
filiform-linear, upright, fmooth; fcape fmooth, one or 
two flowered; fpathes blunt. Bulb ovate, tunicated, 
fmooth, fibrofe, the fize of a hazel-nut. Scape round, up¬ 
right, almoft fimple, (heathed, jointed, a fpan or a little 
more in height. Native of the Cape of Good Hope, on 
the hills below DuyveKberg and Lewekopp. 
32. Iris fetacea, or brittle-leaved iris: beardlefs; leaf 
filiform-linear, upright, fmooth ; fcape fmooth, one-flow¬ 
ered ; fpathes acute, membranaceous. Scape filiform, 
generally Ample, but fometimes divided and three-flow¬ 
ered, upright, from a hand to a fpan in height. It has 
commonly only one leaf; but fometimes there are two. 
It is upright except at the tip, where it droops, and is 
twice as long as the fcape. Flowers blue, fmall. Native 
of the Cape. 
33. Iris tenuifolia, or (lender-leaved iris: beardlefs; 
leaves filiform-linear; fcape tivo-flowered. Native of Si¬ 
beria, in the fands of Dauria, and near the Wolga. 
34.. Iris graminea, or grafs-leaved iris: beardlefs; leaves 
linear; fcape fub-biflorous, ancipital; germs hexagonal. 
This has narrow', flat, grafs-like, leaves, about a foot long, 
of a light-green colour ; between thefe arife the ftalks, 
about fix inches high, having two narrow leaves much 
longer than the ftalks. Flowers two or three, fmall; the 
petals have a broad yellow line with purple ftripes; the 
three falls are of a light purple colour ftriped with blue, 
and have a convex ridge running along them ; the others 
are of a reddi(h purple variegated w'ith violet; they have 
a feent like frelh plums. Native of Auftria. Cultivated 
in 1597 by Gerarde. It flowers in June. 
35. Iris fpuria, or fpurious iris; beardlefs; leaves li¬ 
near; fcape round, fub-triflorous; germs three-cornered. 
Stem round, very (lightly comprefled, ftraight or a little 
flexuofe, from two to three feet in height, taller than 
the leaves. Flowers commonly two, . fometimes three ; 
they have no feent; colour blue-purple; but under the 
ftigmas the reflex petals are more inclined to red; up¬ 
right petals flat, and ufually quite entire. Mr. Miller 
fays that the flowers have light-blue ftandards, and pur¬ 
ple variegated falls, having a broad white line in the mid¬ 
dle inftead of the beard. Mr. Curtis remarks, that it is 
diftingui(hed by the narrownefs of the leaves, which emit 
a difagreeable imell when bruifed j by the fine rich pur- 
