230 miDE^ 



France, whence it ranges through Southern Europe to North Africa. It is 

 also known as Eomulea cohimnce. 



i. Blue-eyed Grass (Sisipinchium). 



Slender-leaved Blue-eyed Grass (S. angustifolium). — Flowers in 

 umbels of three or four, with somewhat erect lance-shaped bracts, borne on 

 a flattened two-edged scape ; leaves sword-shaped, sheathing, one-sixth of an 

 inch Avide ; rootstock of stiff fibres. This plant occurs with us only in the 

 bogs of Kerry and Gal way, and is otherwise known only as a native of 

 North America. The flowers, which are about two-thirds of an inch across, 

 are coloured blue on the inside only. They appear in July and August, and 

 are succeeded by somewhat globose leathery capsules. 



5. Crocus (Crdcus). 



1. Purple Spring Crocus (C. vermis). — Leaves appearing with the 

 flowers ; spathe simple ; throat of the corolla fringed ; stigmas shortly 3-cleft ; 

 corm clothed with netted fibres. The flowers are either purple or white, 

 with pale yellow anthers and toothed stigmas of a deep orange tint. This 

 beautiful Crocus is very abundant about Nottingham, being most ornamental 

 to the grassy meadows. It is also found at Mendham in Suftblk, at Inkpen, 

 Berks, and in parts of Middlesex. It has now been so long naturalized, that 

 it is regarded as one of our wild flowers, but it is not indigenous. It is said 

 to have been introduced, at Nottingham, some centuries since, by the Dutch. 

 It now also empurples several meadows near Ludlow in Shropshire ; but 

 these are believed to be the site of some old gardens. It is the Safran 

 prinfanicr of the French gardens. 



2. Least Purple Crocus (C. minimus). — Flower solitary, appearing 

 before the leaves ; spathe double ; stigma erect, longer than the stamens ; 

 corm with a membranous coat. This species, introduced from Corsica early 

 in the seventeenth century, is found on the site of an old garden in the park 

 at Barton, in Suff'olk, but is not even naturalized. The flowers are of pale 

 lilac, striped with yellow and purple. 



3. Golden Crocus {C. aureus). — Leaves and flowers appearing at the 

 same time ; spathe simple ; stigma shorter than the stamens ; segments of 

 the corolla spreading and bending backward ; corm coated with compact 

 fibres. This beautiful little Crocus is found with the last species, and, like 

 it, is the outcast of gardens. It flowers in March, its leaves appearing at 

 the same time. Several beautiful species were, several centuries since, 

 brought into this kingdom from Greece and the countries of the south of 

 Europe, where, as Homer wrote — 



"The flaming Crocus made the mountain ghnv." 



4. Saffron Crocus (C. satlvus). — Flowers appearing before the leaves; 

 spathe double ; stigma 3-cleft, hanging out of the flower ; corm clothed with 

 slender fibres. This beautiful purple Crocus difters from all the preceding species, 

 in having aromatic stigmas which have a bitter flavour. These deep orange- 

 coloured stigmas, when dried, constitute the saffron so largely used in ancient 

 cookery, and still so favourite a carminative in Eastern lands. The Crocus 



