28 LILIUM CANADENSE. AMERICAN YELLOW LILY. 



Stalk as shown in our plate (Fig. i), while in the best specimens 

 of L. siLpcrbiun the flowers are more or less axillary as well as 

 terminal, though in poor specimens of the latter when there are 

 but two or three flowers on the stalk, they are only terminal, as 

 in L. Canadense. 



The Lily increases by underground stems. These, very much 

 arrested in their development, form the bulb, as may be seen by 

 the great number of small scales, each of which is the represent- 

 ative of a leaf As three of these leaves would make a circle 

 round the stem if alternately scattered as they are on many allied 

 plants, we may have some idea from the number of these litde 

 scales how long the lily stem would be if accelerated instead of 

 arrested as the stems or branches of ordinary plants are. As 

 we see in our Figs. 2 and 3, the rhizoma or underground stem 

 pushes out from the base of the last year's bulb (Fig. 2), gradu- 

 ally thickening as it approaches the end of its season of growth. 

 The new bulb (Fig. 3) in the case illustrated is much larger than 

 its predecessor, and will make a stronger flower stem next year. 



The yellow Lily is found in all portions of the United States 

 east of the iNIississippi, and in Arkansas and Minnesota, skipping 

 Kansas. Some closely allied forms are also found on the Pacific 

 slope, but botanists are not yet agreed as to whether they are 

 really disdnct species or forms of this one. It is usually lound 

 in wet. open meadows, but as we go southwardly it is found only 

 at the higher elevations, showing that its real home centre is 

 towards the north. 



Explanations of the Plate. — i. Top of an averaged-sized flower stem, from Massaclnisett- 

 2. The flowering hull). 3. New hull) for flowering the next year. 



