CALOCHORTUS VENUSTUS. MARIPOSA LILY. I 67 



colors, that they are disposed to take on a true petaloid charac- 

 ter as in Lilies ; and the instance is useful as showing- the student 

 how genera are formed by suppression of parts in some in- 

 stances, ani their development in others. In the root we see 

 another difference from true Lilies which have a scaly bulb, 

 while the plant before us has a tunicated or coated one. In this 

 respect it resembles the Tulip, from which, indeed, it differs little, 

 except in the great difference between the size and development 

 of petals and sepals. 



The Tulip of the old world has made its mark in history and 

 poetry. It has been taken as a type of gayety and splendor by 

 those deep in fioral emblems. 



Percival writes : 



" Gay as the tulip in its starred bed glowing. 



As clouds that curtain round the west at even, 

 O'er earth a canopy of glory throwing, 



And heralding the ratliant path to heaven." 



But if the Tulip of our gardens may be fairly suggestive of a 

 beautiful sky in an autumn sunset, the picture may be better 

 painted by the help of the numerous rich shades possessed by 

 our Mariposa Lilies. Perhaps they may make as popular gar- 

 den flowers and be as highly prized as the true Tulip has been, 

 when their culture becomes fully understood; but that time has 

 not come yet. When first introduced through Douglas, now 

 nearly fifty years ago, the plants from the seed he sent were 

 widely distributed, but they soon wholly disappeared. New 

 importations of roots have been kept up continually since that 

 time, but though the skill of English gardeners is world- 

 renowned, it has not succeeded in keeping the roots sound but a 

 few years. The "Gardeners'- Magazine" for 1S7S tells us that 

 they are " reputably difficult to cultivate, through not taking 

 necessary precaudons;" and the "Garden" for 1876 observes 

 that the species " rapidly disappear from English gardens." In 

 the case of the writer of this chapter, the roots from which the 

 drawings were made did not flower the second year, and by the 



