LILY FAMILY. Liliacete. 



A small, lilylike flower distinguished 

 mviow Ad- for its brown-purple-tinged (outside) gold 

 der's Tongue yellow color ; sometimes the purple tinge 

 Erythronium is wanting in the flower, but the two leaves 

 Americanum are a i mos t always strongly mottled with 

 Dull gold yel- it _ ^^ ^ elliptical, pointed, nearly 

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



flower is perfect, 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 pennsylvanicus) whom I have often observed 

 enter the flower-bell and issue plentifully besprinkled 

 with pollen. Other occasional visitors are the small 

 butterflies Coliaa pliilodice yellow, and Pieris rapce 

 vhite. 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 swampy places, from Me., south, and west to 

 Minn. Found in Campton, N. H. 



A very similar species with narrower 

 Ton ue leaves mottled less distinctly or not at all, 



Erythronium smooth, thick, and whitish green. The 

 albidum flowers are white, or dull, pale violet- 



Whiteor violet- tinged outside, and yellow-tinged at the 

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



flower-cup strongly 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). 



