LILIES 



THE Family of Lilies is one of the most interesting 

 and one of the handsomest flower groups which 

 we possess. At first it was very large, for many 

 closely connected species were included ; but it swelled to 

 such dimensions that the botanists were forced to sub- 

 divide it more and more, until now it is comparatively 

 small. The latest division (which every one has not yet 

 adopted) is the grouping of the Bellworts, Hellebore, 

 Blazing-Star and a few others in the Bunch-Flower 

 Family; the Green-Briers and their climbing relatives 

 in the Smilax Family; and the Asparagus, Solomon's 

 Seal and those similar in the Lily-of-the- Valley Family. 

 At present it is only with the latter and with the Lily 

 Family Proper that we will concern ourselves. 



THE LILY FAMILY 



The Lily Family Proper is made up of leafy-stemmed 

 herbs, growing from bulbs or corms. The leaves are 

 always parallel- veined and simple. The flowers are 

 regular and generally perfect, having a perianth of six 

 even segments, sometimes connected; six stamens, with 

 two-celled anthers, growing from the bases of the seg- 

 ments; and a three-celled pistil, with a generally three- 

 lobed stigma, at the end of a long style. The fruit is an 

 oblong capsule. The seed differs according to the variety. 



PLATE I 



WOOD LILY, RED LILY, Lilium Philadelphicum. 

 Root. A bulb of fleshy scales. Stem. Simple, i-3 

 high. Leaves. Narrow, pointed, in whorls. Flowers. 

 Large, showy, erect, 1-5, terminal, scarlet and 

 orange. Perianth. Of broad segments, narrowing be- 

 low, purple-dotted within. Stamens (a). Dark red. 

 Pistil (ft). With a head-like stigma. Seeds. Long, 

 with narrow wings. 



This is one of our most showy and beautiful flowers. 

 It grows in dry woods and salt marshes, from Canada to 

 North Carolina, from June to August. I have found 

 very small specimens, not over 5' high, on Nantucket 

 Island. 



