HUMBOLDT'S LILY. TIGER-LILY.
Lilium Humboldtii, Roezl and Leichtlin. Lily Family.
Bulbs.—Large; often weighing over a pound; with scales two or three inches long. Stems.—Stout; purplish; three or four feet high; eight- or ten-flowered, or more. Leaves.—Wavy-margined; roughish; Flowers.—Large; six to eight inches in diameter; golden yellow; spotted with pale purple, turning to red or brown. Segments.—Having papillose prominences near the base. (Otherwise like L. pardalinum.) Hab.—The foothills of the Sierras; southward to San Diego.
This wonderful lily, at first glance, resembles the common leopard- or tiger-lily—L. pardalinum—and it is found sometimes in the same regions as the latter, but never in the same kind of localities. It affects the loose soil of dry, upland woods, but never grows in wet or boggy places. Its flowers are larger than those of L. pardalinum, and have more of a golden hue and less of red in them.
By July this lily is in full bloom and a magnificent sight. A plant was once known which had fifty buds and blossoms, thirty of which were open at once!