CALIFORNIA PLANTS IN THEIR HOMES 



lily, Freesia, century plant, snow drop, narcissus, jonquil 

 and the like, and the Iris family, which includes, besides 

 the Iris, or flag, our blue-eyed grass, Fig. 61, the gladiolus, 

 and crocus. The Iris family has three stamens, the Ama- 

 ryllis has six. You are likely to find some very stately 

 true lilies among the garden flowers ; some of the most 

 elegant of these foreigners come from Japan. The pretty 

 South American climber that we call smilax, belongs to 

 the lily family; so do the hyacinth, red hot poker, tulip, 

 and the more humble but useful onion and asparagus. Men 

 find uses for some other members of this group. In Mexico, 

 where the century plant grows abundantly, several kinds 

 of intoxicating drinks are made from its sap, the strong 

 wood fibres are made into ropes, and the underground stems 

 furnish material for soap. The stems of one California 

 Yucca, and the bulbs of our soap-root are also used as soap. 

 Some members of the group furnish medicines. The rushes, 

 which are nearly related to the lilies, are used for weaving 

 chairs, baskets, etc.; the pith of their stems was formerly 

 used for wicks ; perhaps you have heard old people tell of 

 rush lights. 



On the whole, from our standpoint, this group seems 

 to be more ornamental than useful; but we must remember 

 that for the flowers, beauty is use, and that these flowers 

 with their beautiful forms, colors and fragrance will furnish 

 us many wonderful stories, if we have the wit to read them. 

 The most wonderful story of all, perhaps, is that of the 

 Yucca. This plant is one that knows how to meet hard 

 times ; it can gather and store moisture well enough to 

 flourish in the desert ; it makes and stores so much food 

 that when the right season comes, there shoots up, in a few 

 days, a stem sometimes twelve feet high, bearing one of 

 the most beautiful flower clusters in the world. The leaves 

 can defend themselves so well that some kinds of Yucca are 

 called Spanish bayonet ; and yet the plant depends for the 



