Re: claw
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: claw
- From: L* M* <l*@icx.net>
- Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1997 19:39:09 -0600 (MDT)
> Sharon said:
> << Some else may have a more technical explanation, but I've always
> thought the "claw" of any part of the iris flower was the narrow portion
> attaching it to the rest of the flower. The "claw of the standard" is thus
> the narrow part at the base of the standard, which is often flushed with a
> different color. >>
Bailey's "Manual of Cultivated plants":
"The long narrow petiole-like [petiole = stalk of a leaf] base of the
petals or sepals in some flowers"
Fernald's "Gray's Manual of Botany"
"The narrowed base or stalk of some petals"
Taylor's "Encyclopedia of Gardening"
"The long, usually narrow, basal part of a petal, common in some flowers
of IRIS...Such petals are said to be clawed".
Onion's "Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology"
"Sharp horny toe-nail"
Linda Mann lmann@icx.net east Tennessee USA
hot humid and dry, rebloom stalks shriveling on PERFUME COUNTER (I
finally took pity and carried a bucket of water to them) and showing
color on IMMORTALITY. A few seed pods finally split, many pods turned
to mush and hatched both normal looking seeds and one big lepidopteran
larvae (surely not the evil iris borer!). Worms squished, following
Pogo's wisdom "Squoosh a bug and you gets rain".
