Popular Studies of California Wild Flowers 93 



Floral Fire-Crackers (Lily Family) 



By Bertha M. Rice 



One of the oddest and most attractive blooms to be found is 

 the Fire-Cracker flower, a member of the lily family. It has had 

 an interesting career at the hands of the botanists, partly because 

 of the pretty sentiment which has clung to it for more than half a 

 century of years. It was first discovered to the botanical world by 

 Dr. Alfonso Wood, in 1867, who believed the plant to be of a new 

 genus. The unusual little blossom was pointed out to him by a 

 stage driver in the mountains of Trinity County, who explained to 

 the man of science that, his small daughter was so fond of the 

 flower that they had always called them "Ida May's Fire-Crackers." 

 Dr. Wood was pleased at finding such an interesting new specimen, 

 and he bestowed the name of Brevoortia ida-maia upon the plant, 

 partly in honor of the little girl and also because it was first gath- 

 ered on the "ides" (May 15th). He dedicated the plant to his 

 friend J. Carson Brevoort, of 'Brooklyn, New York, naturalist and 

 patron of science. Later botanists placed the plant in the genus 

 Brodiaea, changing its name to "Brodiaea coccinea Gray," and this 

 prosaic title bids fair to all but erase a fine bit of sentiment which 

 might brighten scientific discussions of our beautiful native plants. 



The flowers hang in clusters of from six to a dozen or more, 

 on dainty, grass-like stems, from plants ranging from one to three 

 feet high. They grow on open wooded hillsides and in rocky 

 canons, blooming from May until July. Their habitats range from 

 Mendocino County northward into Oregon ; they are confined to the 

 Pacific Coast, and are more plentiful in Mendocino and Humboldt 

 Counties. Floral 'Fire-Crackers are not common, and because of 

 their great attraction they have been practically exterminated in 

 certain localities where they formerly bloomed. The plant presents 

 an unusually quaint appearance, so strangely like small Chinese fire- 

 crackers are their blooms. The effect is increased by their drooping, 

 pendant position upon the delicate, leafless stems. They are bright 

 red in color, tubular in shape, about an inch or more long, tipped 

 with pale green, and with bits of yellow stamens protruding from 

 the end. 



The plant is frequently found growing in gardens in Southern 

 California. It adapts itself well to cultivation, but loses much, to 

 our fancy, from its wild mountain surroundings, where it furnishes 

 ever a joyful surprise to those fortunate enough to chance upon it. 



I was once surprised while riding on the Mount Tamalpais and 

 Muir Woods Railway in Marin County, when glancing up at some 

 jagged rocks directly over my head, where a gay bunch of floral 

 firecrackers waved in triumph, tantalizingly removed from covetous 

 hands. They are said to have been quite frequently found in Marin 

 County, in the long ago ; but if so they have wandered away from 

 the Tamaplais regions, or were sacrificed by those whose love for 

 flowers reckoned not of others. Several botanists familiar with 

 that locality tell me that they have never found this flower on 

 Tamalpais. 



