I40 CALOCHORTUS LUTEUS. YELLOW PRETTY-GRASS. 



the original Californian root, and these came out at the points 

 represented as two small swellings in the plate, from which it 

 will be seen that they were on the stem rather than on a part of 

 the old bulb. 



Almost every traveller who goes through California in the 

 late fall of the year writes to Eastern friends of the great beauty 

 of the plains and foot-hills when glowing with the gold of the 

 Mariposa Lilies, which we take to be the species we now 

 illustrate. The phenomenon is especially noticed by those who 

 go through the Sacramento Valley, where, to judge from all the 

 accounts given, it seems to find itself the most completely at 

 home. In cultivation it would probably not be early enough for 

 our outdoor gardening; but it will be an excellent thing for 

 pot-culture in windows or green-houses. In this respect it has 

 one very great advantage. We have spoken of the connecting 

 link between it and the Tradcscantia, or Spiderwort; but it 

 will not do to compare the endurance of the petals in the two 

 flowers ; for while the Spiderwort lasts only a few hours, the 

 Yellow Pretty-Grass will endure for a long time. The flow- 

 ers on the plant from which we took our drawing kept open a 

 week, and other growers have even had a still more favorable 

 experience. The editor of the " London Garden," July i, 1S76, 

 says : " We have so long considered the Mariposa Lilies some- 

 what delicate and fragile, owing to seeing them till recently 

 represented by very poor specimens, that we are agreeably sur- 

 prised at finding they keep for a considerable time in water, and 

 open their large, gay, yet delicately marked blooms freely. The 

 ones before us are of a fine dazzling yellow color, like Calo- 

 chortus vejiustus, but of the most dazzling yellow, with brownish- 

 crimson pencillings and markings." We quote this because it 

 evidently refers to the species we have now before us. 



Explanation of the Plate. — i. Bulb with complete plant and side view of flower. — 

 2. Full-face view of flower. 



