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THE SEGO LILY Lillian H. Fox Senior Division Second Place Anecdote The dictionary states, "The Sego Lily is a perennial herb of the lily family, having white flowers lined with purple, also its edible bulb. It is the State flower of Utah." To the early inhabitants of the Sanpitch, the Sego Lily was more than a flower. It was a staple in the diet of the Indians, and it helped the pioneers sustain life when they were hungry and the flour bin was empty. Our family history says, "We gathered Sego Lily bulbs in baskets and pails, and they were good to eat." In those days, these lilies must have grown in patches over the land the way dandelions grow today. There was a tradition among the Indians that they should not fight where the lilies grew, for this was scared ground. My father said that these white blossoms grew among the red blossoms of the Indian Paint Brush on the gray hill (Temple Hill), and the pioneers said that the depot block, as it was called, the space between two railroad tracks, was covered with Sego Lilies blooming in the spring. It bothered me to see the long tongues of the cows reach out and swoop the leaves and blossoms of these pretty lilies into their mouths. Today the Sego Lily grows mostly in the mountains, hiding under tree and bushes where they are partially hidden from beast and man. It would be appropriate to plant them in our flower gardens for Utah's Centennial Celebration. 30 |
