BLACKBERRY LILY 



the limits of the United States. Tigridia pavonia with its hy- 

 brids and variants is the species commonly cultivated. Desti- 

 tute of fragrance, its value hes in its marvellous coloring. 



BLACKBERRY LILY 



Belamcdnda chinensis. Parddnthus sinensis. 



The only species in the genus; escaped from old gardens to road- 

 sides and meadows. Native of China and Japan. June, July. 



Rooistock. — A short, stoloniferous rhizome. 



Stem. — ^Three to four feet high, erect, leafy. 



Leaves. — Equitant, eight to eighteen inches long, about one inch 

 broad. 



Flowers. — In loose terminal corymb; orange, dotted with crimson 

 and purple. The three sepaloid segments of the perianth a trifle 

 longer than the three petaloid. 



Stamens. — ^Three; style slender; stig- 

 ma three-lobed. 



Capsule. — More than an inch long; the 

 three valves are reflexed and the black 

 shining seeds cling to the central pla- 

 centa in a way to suggest a blackberry. 



One meets the Blackberry Lily by 

 the roadside; rarely is it found 

 within the garden gate. There are 

 two reasons for this: the foliage 

 though of the iris type adds nothing 

 to the foliage effect of the garden, 

 and the blossom though apparently 

 a lily is a small lily, not more than 

 two and a half inches across. These 

 blossoms last but for a day; not 

 more than two or three are in bloom Fruit of the Blackberry LUy 

 at one time on a single stem. The 



color is striking, orange dotted with red, darker in effect though 

 of the same type as the tiger-lily. But the petals never achieve 

 the curve which makes the tiger-lily so attractive; the flower is 



9S 



