LILAC MARIPOSA 



Calochortus splendens Douglas 



It is a difficult matter to restrain one's enthusiasm, while riding 

 over the foothills in California, when the mariposas are in bloom. 

 Their great variety is marvelous, and as their stems are so slender, 

 they truly appear like a host of butterflies as they sway in the wind. 

 One of the loveliest of them all is the lilac mariposa. It was a beau- 

 tiful day when we found them at the Santa Ana Ranch near Santa 

 Ana, California, and each specimen seemed more beautiful than the 

 last. 



The mariposas are members of the Lily Family, related to the 

 garden tulips, which are derived from Old World species belonging 

 to a different genus. The mariposas are of purely west- American 

 range, no variety being found east of Nebraska. Some of the mari- 

 posas have edible bulbs, which are highly valued by the Indians. 



PLATE 3IO 



