138 < A.LOCHORTUS LUTEUS. YELLOW PRETTY-GRASS. 



Although Calochortus is exclusively American, it is yet not 

 distantly connected with the tulip of the Old World, and is also 

 closely related to the Erythrouium, Fritillaria, and some other 

 .American genera, with which it unites in giving interest to the 

 great tribe of Tulipece. One striking difference from any of 

 its allies, however, will be noted by the most casual observer. 

 The flower-cup of the common tulip seems to be formed of six 

 petals; but in reality, three of these apparent petals are sepals, 

 for the flower is formed on a ternary plan. The sepals are, 

 however, so petal-like that there seems to be no calyx in the 

 ordinary sense of the term. In Calochortus, however, there is 

 seen to be an approach to the general condition of a complete 

 flower. The three outer leaves or sepals, although still colored 

 somewhat as the petals are, as we see in our full-face view, 

 Fig. 2, are so much smaller than the inner ones forming the 

 corolla that no one would have any difficulty in at once decid- 

 ing the distinctness of the two series of floral envelopes. This 

 observation is particularly worthy of the attention of students 

 interested in a comparison of structure ; for with this separation 

 of the calycine from the corolline system, we see that Calochortus 

 approaches another order, of which our Tradescantia, or Spider- 

 wort, is a familiar example. The glaucous, sub-fleshy leaves 

 of most of the species of the two families also somewhat resem- 

 ble each other in character, and the tendency to the production 

 of silky hairs in the stamens of Tradescantia finds some parallel 

 in the tufty hairs often produced on the petals of Calochortus. 

 These characters are, however, mere appearances, and would 

 not weigh much in regular systematic botany ; but they will be 

 of some value to our readers, many of whom are interested in 

 the general tendency of relationship, as well as in the more 

 exact studies. 



The name Calochortus is from the Greek halos, pretty, and 

 chortus, grass. The leaves of most of the species have a grassy 

 appearance; and in view of the beautiful flowers on so grass- 

 like a plant, when the real grasses have no such beauty, the 



