However this may be, a lily grows there in great profusion, and was
just coming into flower toward the middle of June. It is the Lis de
St. Bruno (Anthericum liliastrum), a plant worthy of giving its name
to a valley of which it is a characteristic feature. Still more
conspicuous at the time when we were there were the Narcissus
poeticus, abundant all round Luchon, but already past in the low
meadows near the town, but higher up, at an elevation of about 4,000
ft., it was quite at its best, and whitened the ground over many
acres.
I looked about for varieties, but failed to detect any special
character by which it could be referred to any of the varietal names
given in catalogues, and concluded that it was N. poeticus pure and
simple. Pulmonarias were abundant along the road, as also in the whole
region of the Pyrenees, the character of the leaves varying greatly,
some being spotless, some full of irregular white patches, others with
well defined round spots. They varied, too, from broad heart-shaped to
narrow lanceolate, and I soon concluded that it was hopeless to
attempt any division of the class founded upon the leaves.
Besides the beautiful flowers of Scabious mentioned before, a new
feature in the meadows here was the abundance of Astrantia major. A
pure white Hesperis matronalis was also common, but I saw no purple
forms of it.
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