PLANT NAMES AND THEIR MEANINGS -VII 



LILIACEAE-II 



By Willard N. CivUTK 



nnilK Liliaceae, or lily family, iiicliulcs two very different 

 ■'■ groups of plants.. One group with characteristic iilv-like 

 flowers, is so distinct in ap])earance that the casual ohserver 

 would readily identify most of the species; the other, with 

 riowers constructed on the lily i)attern, is yet noticeable differ- 

 ent ami its mem])ers are often a source of perplexity to the 

 begimier, though easily distinguished by the more experienced 

 student. It happens, therefore, that many plants called lilies 

 b\- the no\ice are not true lilies in the sense of belonging to 

 the genus Lilium, while others are scarcely recognized as lily- 

 worts though true members of the Liliaceae. In most cases 

 the difiiculty is not in recognizing the lilies, l)ut in distinguish- 

 ing the small points of difference that separate one genus from 

 another. 



In the Eastern United States, or rather in the region 

 usually covered by the Manuals, there are only three species 

 of lily that have acquired vernacular names. The first of 

 these to bloom is Lilium PhiladelpJiicuui. It is partial to for- 

 ested areas where its large, erect, deep-red cups are conunon 

 and conspicuous. It is therefore appropriately called "wood 

 lily," "red lily," "glade lily," "wild orange lily." and, possi- 

 bly "huckleberry lily." Whether "flame lily" and "f^re lily" 

 also allude to the color of the flowers or to the fact that these 

 are often the only flowers seen after a fire has swept through 

 the woodlands, is hard to determine. "Philadelphia lily" is, 



