Ithuriel’s Spear. Blue Milla
Brodiæa Laxa, Wats. Lily Family
Corm.—Small; fiber-coated. Leaves.—Usually two; radical; linear channeled. Scapes.—Six inches to two feet high. Umbels.—Of ten to thirty or more purple or violet, or even white, flowers. Pedicels.—One to three inches long. Perianth.—Twelve to twenty lines long. Stamens.—Six; in two rows; the upper opposite the inner lobes of the perianth. Ovary.—Three-celled; on a stalk six lines long. Hab.—From Kern County to Northern Oregon
After the delicate Collinsias have stolen away, the beautiful flowers of Ithuriel’s spear begin to claim our attention in open grassy spots on the borders of rich woodlands. The common name is a happy one; for there is something commanding about this tall blossom-crowned shaft. It will perhaps be remembered that the angel Ithuriel possessed a truth compelling spear. When Satan, disguised, went to the Garden of Eden to tempt Eve, Ithuriel and Zephon were sent to expel him.
... “him there they found,
Squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve,
Assaying by his devilish art to reach
The organs of her fancy, and with them forge
Illusions as he list, phantasms, and dreams;
Him thus intent Ithuriel with his spear
Touched lightly; for no falsehood can endure
Touch of celestial temper, but returns
Of force to its own likeness: up he starts
Discovered and surprised.”
ITHURIEL’S SPEAR—Brodiæa laxa.