THE LILY FAMILY. 51 



L. rhiladclphicuni, wild red or wood lily, has the same peculiarity as the 

 southern red lily of having its petals narrowed into long claws at their bases, 

 and which are spotted with purple. The leaves are lanceolate, mostly 

 acuminate at both ends and grow in whorls of from three to eight about the 

 stem. The flowers are erect in habit, and a single plant bears from one to 

 hve. This is a lily, however, subject to many variations. 



ASA GRAY'S LILY. {Plate XVII?) 

 Liliuni Gray I. 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE TIME OF BLOOM 



Lily. Orange-red, spotted. Scentless. Mountains of I'a. and X.C. July, August. 



Flowers : solitary or less often two or three growing at the end of the stem ; 

 nodding or occasionally ascending. Perianth : fnnnel-fonn, with six oblong- 

 spatulate, or oblanceolate segments, jKjinted at the apex and spotted with dark 

 purple. Z<raz/<ri-." growing in whorls of from three to eight; oblong-lanceolate; 

 pointed at the apex and narrowed or pointed at the base ; entire ; finely rough- 

 ened on the underside of the veins. Stem: erect ; simple ; smooth; from a bulb 

 with thick, imbricated scales. 



When Dr. Asa Gray was searching for flowers in the southern mountains 

 in 1840, he gathered on Roan Mountain a lily which, through its strong 

 resemblance to Liliiim Canadense, he deemed to be that species, and 

 had it preserved in his herbarium at Cambridge. Again in 1879, when he 

 and Professor Sargent went over the mountains they found similar ones 

 growing. Dr. Sereno Watson, however, after closely observing the lily 

 became confirmed in the belief that it possessed certain traits quite at 

 variance with those of Lilium Canadense, and, therefore, set it aside as a 

 distinct species and honoured it with its discoverer's name. The flower 

 appears smaller than do those of the Canada lily, its head is most often nod- 

 ding and while its segments are open they are not redexed. It is also of a 

 deeper tone of colour. All this indeed is still found to be true by those that 

 ascend the high mountains, where its bright colour is seen gleaming from 

 under alders and rhododendrons; but it is also true that when the lily is sub- 

 jected to cultivation, for any length of time, it loses much of its wild charm 

 of individuality and sooner or later shows more the character of Lilium 

 Canadense. 



Lilium Canadense, wild yellow lily, or meadow lily, extends southward as 

 far as Georgia, Alabama and I\Iissouri. Occasionally as many as fifteen 

 beautiful blossoms crown the plant and nod from long peduncles. Their 

 segments are spreading, or recurved, yellow, or red and closely spotted with 

 rich brown. The leaves grow in whorls about the stem, are lanceolate 

 and slightly rough on the margins and undersides of the veins. 



L. Carolinianitni, Carolina lily, is one frequently encountered throughout 

 the mountainous woods of North Carolina, from whence it extends iq 



