NAT. ORDER. 



IridacecB. 



CROCUS SATIVUS. SAFFRON CROCUS. 



Class III. Triandria. Orde?- 1. Monogynia. 



Gen. Char. Corn!/a, six-parted, equal. Perianth, funnel-form, the 

 segments united at the base into a long and slender tube. Stig- 

 ma, three-cleft, convolute, crested. Stamens, three, alternate 

 with three petals. Anthers, two-celled, extreme. 



Sjie. Char. Leaves, linear, revolute at the marg-ins. Stigma, three- 

 parted, as long- as the corolla, refiexed. Stem, bulbous. Mower, 

 nearly or quite sessile. 



The root of this plant is bulbous, peremiial ; the fioiccr appears 

 after the leaves, rising very little above the ground, upon a slender, 

 succulent tube ; the kavcs rise higher than the flower, and are linear, 

 simple, radical, of a rich green color, with a white line mnning in the 

 centre, and are at the base incui-ved along with the tube of the flower 

 in a membraneous sheath ; the flower is large, of a bluish-purple or 

 lilac color ; the corolla consists of six petals, which are nearly ellipti- 

 cal, equal, and turned inwards at the edges ; the fllamenis are three, 

 short, tapering, and support long, erect, yellow anthers ; the germen is 

 roundish, from which issues a slender style, terminated by three long, 

 convoluted stigmas, of a deep yellow color; the capsule is roundish, 

 three-lobed, three-celled, three-valved, and contains several round 

 seeds. It flowers in September and October. 



The common variety has a yellow perianth. Although this plant 

 was unknown to Ray, Miller, and several other English botanists, yet 

 many pretend to say that it is a native of England. We think that 

 Vol. IV.— 16. 



