MONOCOTYLEDONES. 



175 



Many species are cultivated. Several species of Smilax 

 (Smila$ officinalis, etc.) of South America furnish sarsa- 

 parilla root. The Squill {Sdlla maritima) comes from the 

 sandy regions of the Mediterranean ; its sliced bulbs form 

 the dry squill. The Lily of the Valley (^Convallaria 

 majalis) is a native of Europe and Asia. The Crown 

 Imperial {FritiUaria imperialis) of Europe and Asia, and 

 the Day-Lilies {Hemerocallis flava, and H. fulva) of 

 Europe, are coarse, ornamental plants. The Hyacinth 

 {Hyadnthus orientalis), a native of Asia Minor, was intro- 

 duced into England before the end of the sixteenth 

 century ; and under cultivation, has developed many 

 varieties. Of the true Lilies (Lilium), the following are 

 most common in cultivation : The Orange Lily (L. hulr 

 biferum), Tiger Lily {L. tigrinuri), the Turban Lily (L. 

 Prnnponiurri), the Golden Lily (Zr. auratwm), the White 

 Lily (jL. candidum). A deli- 

 cate climber in conservatories, 

 called Smilax (Myrsvphyllum 

 asparagoides), is from the 

 Cape of Good Hope. The 

 Star -of- Bethlehem {Ornitho- 

 galum umhellatum) from 

 Europe, the Tube Rose {PoU- 

 anihes tuherosa) from the East 

 Indies, are also common in 

 cultivation. "The Tulip C2V a| 

 lipa Gesneriana), whose spe- 

 cific name was given in honor 

 of the botanist Conrad Gesner, who was the first to 

 describe and figure it (in 1559), was brought into Europe 



Fig. 290. A cultivated species of Yucca. 



290 



