SOMEl SPRING FL O WERs 



autumn, the nightshade can flower all the year round in our 

 climate ; and one European morning-glory seems able to 

 drive out all other vegetation in some California fields. 

 Watch the climbing of our native morning-glories and com- 

 pare with the chilicothe, the poison oak and the Nemophila 

 aurita. 



The most attractive nightshade of Southern California 

 is found in the foot-hills; it has large and very fragrant blue 

 flowers. Unlike the flowers we have been studying in this 

 group, the nightshade provides no honey, so the corolla 

 needs no tubular part. Its five, large, yellow anthers lie 

 close together, forming a cone that reminds us of the shoot- 

 ing star anthers. Disturb this cone slightly, and a little 

 cloud of pollen rises. It is shed through minute chinks at 

 the ends of the anthers; indeed, we might call these pepper- 

 box anthers. The bees seem to know all about this, and 

 you will sometimes find numbers of them collecting pollen 

 from the anthers, always striking the stigmas first. The 

 more common nightshade, pictured in Fig. 47, has smaller, 

 white or bluish- white flowers ; it is not so attractive to bees 

 as the fragrant, blue-flowered one. The nightshades have 

 the same device for self pollination that we found in the 

 shooting star ; the style of the older flowers turns upward, 

 holding the stigma where pollen will fall upon it. The 

 morning-glory keeps its honey curiously hidden where the 

 bees seldom try to get it, but they strike the stigmas when 

 they come for pollen. The morning-glory, too, seems able to 

 pollinate itself. 



But surely the queen among all our California spring 

 flowers, is the Mariposa lily, or butterfly tulip. As seen in 

 the picture, the Mariposas are of two distinct forms. There 

 are dainty nodding lilies, sometimes called globe tulips, the 

 white one of the picture, the satin-bell or fairy's lantern, 

 and a yellow one called golden lily-bell, are the most com- 

 mon. Their petals open very slightly, and are covered with 



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