TRIANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. Ibis. 
97 
Stem two feet high, cylindrical, hut angular on one side; as long as the 
leaves which cover it, and have a very fetid smell. Germen triangular, 
the angles furrowed. Blossom of a dull purplish colour; pencilled with 
darker veins. Claws of the outer petals wrinkled and plaited on the under 
surface. Inner petals larger than the summit, expanding. ( Seeds orange 
coloured, polished. E.) 
Fetid Gladdon or Gladwyn. Fetid Flag. (Irish: Gloricum. Welsh: 
Llys r Hyllgryg; Llys rHychgrygj y Gloria . Iris foetida. With. Ed. 4. E.) 
Near Hornsey; and about Charlton wood, Kent. Hudson. Near Braintree. 
Near Pershore. Nash. Bath Hills; Ditching-ham, Norfolk. Woodward. 
(Woods and hedges about the farm house of Pen ucha’r Green, in the 
parish of Henllan, Denbighshire. Mr. Griffith. E.) In all the S. W. 
counties very common. (Priestholm Island. Rev. H. Davies. Chalk 
Hill near Hedsor Wharf, Bucks. Mr. Gotobed. In a grove on the right 
hand side of the road leading from Cambridge to Hinton Church, Tevers- 
ham, Fulborn, Triplow. Relhan. In the wood at Purfleet, Essex. Mr. 
E. Forster, jun. Frequent near Dover. Dillwvn. Common about 
Hastings. Mr. J. Woods, jun. Coppices at Milford, near Salisbury. Dr. 
Maton. Hedges at Raskelf near Easingwold. Rev. Archdeacon Pierson. 
Bank at Little Nun wick, by Rippon. Mr.Brunton. Bot. Guide. At Jol¬ 
ley, Durham. Mr. E. Robson. Winch Guide. Abundant about Teign- 
mouth, by the road side leading to Bishop’s-Teignton, &c. On the Flat 
Holmes Island, in the Severn-sea. About Under-clifF, near Blackgang 
Chine, &c. Isle of Wight. E.) P. June—July.* 
base of the style-flag which covers it, at a considerable distance from the stigma, and 
at the same time cut off from all access to it by the intervening barrier formed by the 
arcus eminens, it is clear that, but for some extraneous, agency the pollen could never 
arrive at the place of its destination. In this case, the humble-bee is the operator. Led 
by instinct, or, as Sprengel supposes, by one of those honey-marks (saft-maal,') or spots 
of a different colour from the rest of the flow'er, w hich may be considered as destined to 
guide insects to the nectaries, she pushes herself between the stiff style-flag and elastic 
petal, which last, while she is in the interior, presses her close to the anther, arid thus 
causes her to brush off the pollen with her hairy back, which ultimately, though not at 
once, conveys it to the stigma. Having exhausted the nectary she retreats ; and, in 
doing so, is pressed by the petal to the arcus eminens; but it is only to its lower, or 
negative surface, which cannot influence impregnation. She now takes her way to the 
second petal, and insinuating herself under its style-flag, her back comes in close 
contact with the true stigma, which is thus impregnated w'ith the pollen of the first 
visited anther: and in this manner migrating from one part of the blossom to another, 
and from flower to flower, she fructifies one with pollen gathered in her search after 
honey in another. Whoever thus endeavours to unravel the wonderful contrivances of 
nature, cannot but sensibly feel, and feelingly exclaim, ^ 
<c Author of all! How bright thy glories shine ! 
How pure, how perfect is thy least design!” 
M. Sprengel found, that not only are insects necessary to fructify the different species 
of Iris, but that some of them, as I. Xiphium , require the agency of the larger humble- 
bees, which alone are strong enough to force their way beneath the style-flag; and 
hence, as these insects are not so common as many others, this Iris is often barren, or 
bears imperfect seeds. See Entomology by Kirby and Spence, and Sprengel Ent- 
decktes Geheimniss, &c. E.) 
* Ihe juice of the root, both of this and the preceding species, is sometimes used as 
a sternutatory ; but it is an unsafe practice. Violent convulsions have been the conse¬ 
quence. (Dr. Swediaur attributes several powerful qualities to this root, and particu¬ 
larly specifies its utility in hysteria, scrophula, and dropsy. E.) Keither horses, sheep, 
nor cows eat it. The scarlet seeds displayed by the opening capsules give the hedge 
banks a gay appearance in autumn. The leaves when bruised smell like rancid bacon. 
