GROUND-IRIS.
Iris macrosiphon, Torr. Iris Family.
Almost stemless plants, often forming mats. Rhizome.—Slender. Radical-leaves.—Grasslike; six to fifteen inches long. Buds.—One or two; borne in sheathing bracts. Flowers.—On short pedicels; deep purple-blue, marked with white. Perianth.—With slender tube one to three inches long. Stamens.—Three; borne under the petaloid divisions of the style. Ovary.—Three-celled. Capsule.—Oblong-ovoid; shortly acute at each end; one inch long. Seeds in two rows in each cell; compressed and angled. Hab.—The Coast Ranges, from San Mateo to Trinity County.
When spring is at its height, this charming little Iris may be found upon sunny, open hillsides among the unrolling crosiers of the common brake. There is something peculiarly captivating about these blossoms, with their satisfying richness of hue and perfect symmetry of form, added to which is a sweet, delicate perfume, an ideal exhalation of the springtime.
As the buds unfold beautifully in water, it is better to gather buds than flowers, as the latter are too fragile to carry without breaking.
[GROUND-IRIS—Iris macrosiphon.]
![[GROUND-IRIS—Iris macrosiphon.]](#3624944100741987669_f106.png.id-1597179637531986028.wrap-0.html.html){kind=link}
I. longipetala, Herb., is the common bog-iris of our central coast. It grows in large clumps in wet places, and while not a delicate flower, it has a certain brave, hardy look as it stands out upon the wind-swept downs of the Coast. Its stems are rather stout, a foot or two high, and have from three to five large lilac flowers. The sepals are veined with deeper lilac and blotched with orange.