Flora of New Zealand Series

Perennial, rarely annual, glabrous, rarely pubescent herbs with rhizomes, corms and bulbs. Leaves often crowded at base of stem, mostly narrow-linear, flattened at sides, sheathing and equitant at base. Flowers bisexual, actinomorphic to completely zygomorphic, in spikes, racemes or panicles, sometimes solitary, enclosed 1-several within 2 spathe-valves consisting of a bract and more membranous bracteole. Perianth petaloid, ± marcescent; segments 6, connate basally into tube or occasionally free, ± similar or 3 outer different in shape, size or colour from inner. Stamens 3, symmetrically placed in actinomorphic flowers, slightly irregularly placed, asymmetric, in zygomorphic flowers; filaments free or partly connate; anther 2-locular, opening extrorsely or laterally by longitudinal slits. Ovary inferior, usually 3-locular with axile placentae; style 3-lobed in upper part, branches entire to deeply lobed, sometimes winged and petaloid, stigmatose at the top or within. Capsules loculicidally dehiscent. Seeds few to many. Generally distributed, though predominantly a S. African family, including some 70 genera.

Fresh flowering material is desirable in using this key, and particularly also for the key to Iris spp., as the organs of the flower and the colour especially are altered with pressing and drying.

Fig. 20. IRIDACEAE; A: asymmetrical arrangement of stamens in flower of Sparaxis (perianth partly removed); diagrams of A 1 asymmetrical arrangement, A 2 symmetrical arrangement as seen from above. B-E: diagrams of forms of style; B: Gladiolus, 3-fid. C: Schizostylis, deeply 3-fid. D: Watsonia, 3-fid, with shortly bifid style-branches. E: Homeria, style-branches petaloid. F-H: spathe-valves; F: Sisyrinchium, entire. G: Ixia, tridentate and G 1 bidentate. H: Sparaxis, lacerate. © All rights reserved. [Image: 26X6]