iris family: Meaning and Definition of

i'ris fam"ily

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. the plant family Iridaceae, characterized by herbaceous plants having bulbs, corms, or rhizomes, sword-shaped grasslike leaves, and usually showy flowers, and including the blackberry lily, crocus, freesia, gladiolus, and iris.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.