The Plants of our Woods and Fields, 29 



blossoms, oftener two, or even one ; but its erect and rich sepals, nar- 

 rowing at the base into mere threads, form a beautiful open-work cup 

 of rare elegance. Though not so readily yielding to garden treatment, it 

 may be subdued to the purposes of ornament ; and it is probable that 

 raising from the seed would prove highly advantageous. The North- 

 American lilies have been for many years known and appreciated abroad, 

 as may be familiarly seen in the orange lilies of the Dutch catalogues, 

 which, so far as we can perceive, differ in no respect from the southern red 

 lily of the Southern States but in the minute markings on the interior of 

 the petals. We have found no difficulty in raising both, and even cross- 

 impregnating the garden hybrids by the original, or Lilium Catesbai, 

 which is indigenous to the South. The superb lil}^ too, has been sent to 

 this country, with other bulbs, from Holland ; and travellers speak of its 

 culture there, in beds or masses, of great beauty, and even magnificence, 

 when in full flower. 



The lily tribe is represented in our North-American flora by a variety 

 of interesting plants. We well recall the pleasure we derived from seeing 

 the wild hyacinth {Scilla (Camassm) esculenta) on the clayey hills of Ohio, 

 and have succeeded in raising it from the seed ; and a friend assures us 

 that it grows readily in his garden from bulbs brought from the Western 

 States. Among the Indians, it is known as the quamash, and very well 

 represents the Scillas of the garden. The star of Bethlehem, or sleep-at- 

 noons, so pretty with its starr\', white flowers, is fast becoming naturalized, 

 and is to be noticed in orchards and meadows ; none the less pretty because 

 of a weedy character ; hardly a native, coming to us from abroad, but 

 adopting our northern climate for its home. We cultivate it in a very 

 thin, gravelly soil, and with success. Who does not know, and who denies 

 merit to, the lily of the valley ? yet, according to Gray and Chapman, it 

 grows spontaneously on the Alleghanies, and is in no respect distinct 

 from our garden kind. In like manner, the garden Solomon's-seal proves 

 identical with our own found in the Northern United States, — a fact of 

 sufficient importance, if known, to banish it from some collections, because 

 not entirely a foreigner ; but, for our part, we shall adhere to it still, 

 despite its running, subterraneous root-stalks, which make it a little weedy. 

 It is accommodating, and grows where scarcely any thing else would. 



