MEADOW SAFFROX. 381 



it as being plentiful in his day in the neighbourhoods 

 of Bath, Shepton Mallet, Northampton, and seve- 

 ral other places. 



For cultivation, the Colchicum bulbs should be 

 taken out of the ground in May when the leaves 

 are decayed, and they may be preserved out of the 

 ground as Tulips and other flowering bulbs ; but 

 in the early part of August they should be com- 

 mitted to the earth at about three inches in depth, 

 forming them into clumps wherever it may appear 

 desirable to add dwarf flowers. They have the 

 best effect when springing out of the turf, as the 

 naked appearance of the flower is not then so con- 

 spicuous, and the purple or the white corollas shine 

 to more advantage on the green sward than on the 

 bare earth. There are several varieties of these 

 flowers, some being perfectly white, others of a light 

 or a dark purple, and some that have the petals 

 striped with white and purple. These varieties 

 are further increased by the flowers being doubled. 

 The Broad-leaved Colchicum Byzantinum is a 

 distinct species that grows naturally in the Levant, 

 and which appears to have been first introduced 

 into this country in the early part of the reign of 

 King Charles the First. 



The Chequer-flowered Colchicum Variegatum 

 was also amongst the flowers that were cultivated 

 in the parterre of the unfortunate Queen Henrietta 



