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THE LILIES OF THE SIERRA NEVADA. 

 By Geo. Hansen. 



Lilium pardalinum Kell. The excessive dryness of the Sierra 

 foot-hills drives this moisture-loving lily into the canons and ravines. 

 Even there in places where it was once plentiful and gathered in 

 magnificent bunches by those arriving in the " days of '49," it has 

 become rare and rarer, till now we have to climb amongst rocks 

 and dig in deep deposits of loam to secure this bright Tiger Lily- 

 I have found its stalks as high as six feet, nodding over precipices or 

 standing upright and dis!)laying from one to six or seven flowers. 

 Wherever found, it inhabits bright, sunny spots, and delights us by 

 its fresh and clear color of orange, often washed with deep brownish 

 red. The spots of deep maroon are very thick (and yet distinct 

 from each other) on a lighter ground color of orange. 



Thus distributed, I have found L. pardalinum from 1,000 feet 

 up to 4,000 feet. At the latter elevation one begins to find sub- 

 alpine meadows. While the brightness of color, the density of the 

 herbaceous growth, and the deliciousness of the perfume of these 

 meadows have become proverbial, I remember, with double fresh- 

 ness, one especially of the many I have traversed. This one was a 

 meetiug-place for the Indians as they traversed the Sierra from 

 California to Carson Valley, in the state of Nevada. They call it 

 " Sopago," deri^^ng the name from the so-called Soaproot, Chloro- 

 fjalum angustifolium. Here, surrounded by the high ridge of the 

 mountain chain on which the emigrant road runs, moist on account 

 of its position on the north slope, stretches a wide vale under the 

 shelter of giant pines and firs, which are safe from the murderous 

 axe on account of their inaccessibility. Scattered settlers have set 

 up homesteads here and there, and in the cleared areas, where their 

 garden and gi'ain plants ripen into rich crops in the deep, loose 

 blackish soil, was the largest field of Lilium pardalinum 1 ever 

 beheld. What a stand of lilies! They grew in thickets stem by 

 stem like grass in the meadow, four feet high, all with nodding 

 heads of from four to seven flowers. Standing in the opening a? 



Erythea, Vol. VII, No. 3 [1 March, 1899]. 



