4!0 FLORA HISTORICA. 



and as no exhaustion has then taken place in 

 forming either flowers or fohage, it is natural to 

 suppose that the bulb must be then possessed of 

 the most powerful medicinal properties. 



It was formerly supposed that this plant pro- 

 duced its seed before its flowers, and for want of 

 investigation this error gained general belief; 

 but, as a knowledge of botany became more 

 generally known, the impossibility of such a cir- 

 cumstance was seen, and the natural history of 

 the Colchicum was then developed. 



The bulb sends up a flower in September simi- 

 lar in appearance to the Purple Crocus, except- 

 ing that it is quite destitute of foliage, and hence 

 our peasantry name it the Naked Lady. The 

 flower is monopetalous, the six deeply-divided 

 segments being united to the neck of the corolla, 

 which forms a long tube reaching the bulb in 

 which the seed-vessel is seated, and from w^hence 

 the three long styles proceed through the neck of 

 the corolla, carrying their stigmas to a sufficient 

 height out of the ground to be matured and im- 

 pregnated by the farina of the six anthers, which 

 are also carried up to the air by being united to 

 the corolla ; when the necessary properties of the 

 farina has been received by the stigmas, and 

 conveyed to the seed-vessel by means of the long 



