LILY FAMILY. Liliaceas, 



A small, lilylike flower distinguished 

 °Y 'ir Ad=^ ^^^' ^^^ brown-purple-tinged (outside) gold 

 der'8 Tongue yellow color ; sometimes the purple tinge 

 Erythronium is wanting in the flower, but the two leaves 

 Americanum .^j.^ almost always strongly mottled with 

 u go ye = .^_ these are elliptical, pointed, nearly 

 April-May stemless, and proceed from the root. The 



flower is j)erfect, with six stamens and a 

 pistil, and it is especially adapted to long-tongued in- 

 sects ; it is undoubtedly cross-fertilized by the early 

 bees, chief among which are the queen bumblebees 

 {Bombus pentisylvanicus) whom I have often observed 

 enter the flower-bell and issue plentifully besprinkled 

 with pollen. Other occasional visitors are the small 

 butterflies Colias pliilodice—yeWow , and Pieris rapce — 

 A^iite. It is probable, too, that many species of flies are 

 attracted to this plant on account of its mottled color ; 

 but the majority of flies are poor pollen disseminators. 

 The name, Greek, for red, in allusion to the European 

 species which is purple-red. The little plant, 5-10 

 inches high, is common in moist woods and beside 

 brooks in swamp}- places, from Me., south, and west to 

 Minn. Found in Campton, N. H. 



A very similar species with narrower 

 White Adder's ^n i i t^- ^i ^ ^ n 



Tonsrue leaves mottled less distmctly or not at all, 



Erythronium smooth, thick, and whitish green. The 

 albidum flowers are white, or dull, pale violet- 



wliiteorvioiet=j-jj^gg(j outside, and yellow-tinged at the 

 March-May heart, inside ; the six divisions of the 

 flower-cup strongh' recurved. As the white 

 stigma in Erythronium matures in advance of the 

 golden anthers, it is, generally speaking, cross-fertilized; 

 its most frequent visitor is the bumblebee {Bombus vir- 

 ginicus). 5-8 inches high. Common only in the west 

 and south. N. J., south to Ga., and west to Minn. 

 Found near Carlinville, southern 111. (Prof. Robertson). 



54 



