90 THE LIFE-HISTORY OF A CROCUS. 



cancellatm and C. hifiorus, which are white at the western extremity 

 of their area of distribution, gradually change to blue as they range 

 eastwards. There are also numerous instances of mimetic variation, 

 two distinct species putting on in the same habitat some identical 

 form of special marking or colouring. 



The filament is generally about half the length of the anther, 

 but in a few species exceeds the anther ; it is generally white in 

 the orange-anthered species, and bright golden yellow in the 

 species with white anthers. The most aberrant form is in C. 

 cyprius, in which the filament is bright scarlet. 



The anthers in the great majority of species are orange; in 

 seven or eight autumnal species white, and in two species, C. 

 Crewei and C. Foxii, dark chocolate. The colouring of the anthers 

 is remarkably constant compared with the stigmata, the colour of 

 which is somewhat variable within each species. 



The pollen grains have also their special specific characters ; in 

 the majority of species they are regular spheres of from 1 -500th to 

 1 -200th of an inch in diameter. Some are papillose ; others gla- 

 brous ; and in C. aureus and some other species the surface is 

 sculptured by a sinuous or spiral line. This was first noticed by 

 Mohl, and Mr. Carruthers's observations show that it is due to a 

 partial thinning of the outer membrane. The pollen grains are 

 remarkable for their uniformity of size within each species, ex- 

 cepting in C. sativiis and the allied species, in which the graias are 

 of irregular outline, and very variable in size. 



The stigmata present so great a variety of type and structure 

 that the author is unable to accept the threefold classification 

 employed by Baker, based on the degree of subdivision of the 

 stigma. In C. sativus the stigmata are entire and scarlet ; in the 

 majority of species, orange more or less subdivided, and ranging to 

 a mass of capillary subdivisions. The most remarkable departure 

 from the more common type is in the stigmata of C. iridijiorus, 

 which consist of bright purple capillary divisions. The author laid 

 stress on the tendency to vary not only ia colour, but in the degree 

 of subdivision within each species. The stigmata ia some species 

 exceed, and in others fall short of, the anther. 



The ovary both of the autumnal and vernal species remains 

 underground till the end of April, when the scape rapidly elongates, 

 bringing to the surface the capsule which is matured in the early 

 summer. 



Many special characters were pointed out in the seeds, of which 

 there are two prevalent types — a glabrous oblong buff seed and a 

 nearly spherical papillose red seed. The seeds of the autumnal 

 species germinate in the autumn, and those of the vernal species in 

 the early spring. 



(To be continued). 



