What Iris Shakespeare especially alluded to it is useless to inquire. We have two in England that are indigenous—one the rich golden-yellow (I. pseudacorus), which in some favourable positions, with its roots in the water of a brook, is one of the very handsomest of the tribe; the other the Gladwyn (I. fœtidissima), with dull flowers and strong-smelling leaves, but with most handsome scarlet fruit, which remain on the plant and show themselves boldly all through the winter and early spring. Of other sorts there is a large number, so that the whole family, according to the latest account by Mr. Baker, of Kew, contains ninety-six distinct species besides varieties. They come from all parts of the world, from the Arctic Circle to the South of China; they are of all colours, from the pure white Iris Florentina to the almost black I. Susiana; and of all sizes, from a few inches to four feet or more. They are mostly easy of cultivation and increase readily, so that there are few plants better suited for the hardy garden or more ornamental.
FOOTNOTES:
[99:1] G. Fletcher's Flower-de-luce was certainly the Iris—
"The Flower-de-Luce and the round specks of dew
That hung upon the azure leaves did shew
Like twinkling stars that sparkle in the evening blue."
The "leaves" here must be the petals.
FUMITER, FUMITORY.
| (1) | Cordelia. | Crown'd with rank Fumiter and Furrow-weeds. |
| King Lear, act iv, sc. 4 (3). (See [Cuckoo-flowers].) | ||
| (2) | Burgundy. | Her fallow leas The Darnel, Hemlock, and rank Fumitory Doth root upon. |
| Henry V, act v, sc. 2 (44). | ||