IRIS FLORENTINA.

Iridacea.

FLORENTINE ORRIS.

Class III. TRIANDRIA. Order I. MONOGYNIA.

Gen. Char. Corolla six-petalled, unequal. Petals alternate, jointed and spreading. Stigmas petal-form, cowled, two-lipped. Spec. Char. Corolla bearded. Stem with leaves higher than the flowers, often two-flowered. Flowers sessile.

The root is perennial, ponderous, tuberous, branched, fibrous, somewhat compressed, externally brown, and internally of a yellowish white color; the leaves are sword-shaped, radical, inserted into each other, pointed, shorter than the stem, and of a dull green color; the stem is round, smooth, jointed, and about a foot in height; the flowers are large, upright, of a white color, and often have a bluish tinge; the calyx is a spatha of two valves; the corolla divides into six segments or petals, of these, three stand erect, the other three, which are of an irregular oval shape, turn back, and at the base are painted with brown lines, and bearded with yellow hairs; the filaments are three, and crowned with long yellow anthers; the style is short and simple; the stigma separates into three expanded segments, resembling petals, which form an arch over the stamens; the germen is long, of an obtusely triangular shape, and placed below the corolla; the capsule has three cavities, which contain numerous flat brown seeds.

This plant is a native of Italy, and other parts of the south of Europe, where it is found growing wild in great abundance, flowering in June and July. It was first cultivated in England by the

celebrated Gerard in the year 1596, and is now constantly propagated by the florists through the different parts of that country. It has also been found in some sections of the United States, but not in sufficient quantities to supply the demands of the druggists. In the year 1840, while travelling in the northwestern district of New-York, I found this species of the Iris quite plenty, growing along the margin of small streams and in moist meadows, and at that time procured the drawing from the living plant, which represents the description. The root which is the officinal part, is dug up in spring and prepared for market by the removal of its cuticle and fibres. That which is produced in this conntry have neither the odor, nor the other qualities, of those of warmer climates, so that for medicinal use they are imported from Leghorn, in large casks.

Medical Properties and Uses. The root in its recent state, is extremely acrid, and when chewed, excites a pungent heat in the mouth, which continues several hours; on being dried, this acrimony is almost wholly dissipated, the taste slightly bitter, and the smell agreeable-approaching to that of violets. No essential oil has hitherto been obtained from this root, but spirituous tinctures of it contains more of its virtues than watery infusions. The fresh root is a powerful cathartic, and for this purpose, its juice has been employed in the dose of a drachm and upwards in dropsies. It is now chiefly used in its dried state, and ranked as a pectoral, or expectorant, and is occasionally used for chewing to conceal an offensive breath, and enters into the composition of numerous tooth powders. But, from my own limited experience, I have never found it to possess any very remarkable expectorant powers, and have therefore considered it chiefly valuable for the pleasantness of its perfume, and the flavor which it communicates. In the form of small round balls, about the size of a pea, it is much used by the French for maintaining the discharge from issues.