, 1893-07-01
THE SPIDER LILY.

came across the name spider Lily"
Above this name was a drawing, which though
a little stiff, indicated clearly enough an old
acquaintance while below the English name
was the botanical one, PGncratlHm cGr'6eum,
which left no doubt as to the identity OF the
plant with the common white lily" 81 the
West Indies. Perhaps nobody in Santa
Cruz has ever heard the name Spider Lily
given to this plant before; but when we look
at the long narrow divisions of the flower,
spreading themselves like 80 many legs around
the central cup, the name seems to be rather
appropriate. Numerically it is wrong, since
the spider has eight legs while the divisions
of the flower are only six; but whC ever thinks
of counting the legs Of IA spider or the parts
Of q flower? The name .lily may be al
lowed to pass, for the plant belongs to the
great lily family, the natural order Llllace8;
but it is in reality nearer to an amaryIlls
than to q true lily. The amaryllis and the
lily are types Of two great tribes" into
which All the plants Of this extensive order
are divided. How can we tell in which of these
two tribes we are to place any particularplant
OF the order that we may meet ? Very easily.
II we examine a flower of the Spider lily W"
shall see that the ovary, or seed box, OF the
flower comes 6eIOl0 the place from which the
long white di> isions Of the Slower start out.
If now for comparison, we take the flower OF
the bitter aloe or the Spaniard needle yucca,
we shall see that the ovary is above the place
where the flower divisions spring out. This
then is the distinction; all those flowers,
If the order that have an "lnfe-
rior ovary' belong to the tribe of which
the amaryllis is the type, while all those
having a superior ovary' belong to the
tribe of which the lily is the type. The
learned tell us, however, that the difference
is more apparent than real, for they say that
IN both tribes he flower divisions spring in
reality from beneath the ovary; but in the
former case they grow to it's sides and SO Gp
near to spring out from above it, while in the
latter case they are free, and 50 show them
selves plainly i their true position. In the
case of the spider lily. not only do the
flower divisions grow together around the
oyary, but after leaving its top they CONT
nue. to grow together as a green tube for a
length of three. inches or over and then send
out their white spider legs for three or four
inches more. The white cup or crown as
it is called, that springs up from the throat,
the place where the white legs spring out,
serves to hold up the six Stamens, which rise
f.om it, each bearing "a long an'her at the
ton. each anther full Of yellow flower dust
or pollen. LASTLY, rising up through the
middle Of the cup comes the green style
going down the tube to the ovary and reach
ING upwards to about a level with the anthers.
It is about six inches long, and ends above in
a little head called the stigma, which
with the help Of a lens we may see to consist
Of three lobes united in one and to be some
what roughened or covered with short hairs.
The flower is in perfeoti) IN in tho evening
then it opens its long white divisions and it's
crown, all Of pure white, and emits a powor-
full and sweet perfume. All for what put
pose? To crafty you and ne when We take
our walks in the field or tho garden ? Not at
all; but to crafty much humbler creatures,
the twilight moths. AT the bottom Of the
flowers long tube there is a supply of sweet
nectar. which is the natural food Of the moth.
The moth is furnished with a long tube or
pipe through which to suck up this food. The
long tube Of the moth and the long tube of
the flower are made for each other. While
the moth is flying, he carries his tube rolled
up in a neat little coil under his head, just
where the mouth in some otherinsects is; it is
indeed his only mouth. Arrived in.front of
the lily, to which he is attracted by its white
ness and it's sweet perfume, he rapidly unrolls
his feeding tube, which he holds then ri .ht
ont in front of him, and thrusts down the
tube Of the flower. He is not disappointed,
and being rewarded from the first trial, he
hovers from flower to flower, repeating the
process at every one. An interesting Illus