82 HANDBOOK OK IKIOE-'E. 



describes ciRhteen and figures four garden forms, differing mainly in the 

 colouring of tlie flower. 



18. C. suAVEOLENS Bertol. Fl. Ital. i. 208 ; Bot. Mag. t. 38G4 ; 

 Sweet, Brit. Flow. GarJ. ser. 2, t. 252; Maw, Monogr. t. 15. — 

 Corm depresso-globose, |-i in. diam.; tunics of fine matted parallel 

 fibres. Basal spatlie present. Leaves 4-5, very narrow, over- 

 topping the flower, with revolute edges and a white central band. 

 Proper spatbe monophylloas, nearly or quite as long as the 

 perianth-tube. Flower fragrant; segments subacute, IJ-H in. 

 long, more or less deeply tinged with purple, the outer buff on the 

 outside, with three dark purple stripes ; throat yellow, glabrous. 

 Anthers yellow, ^ in. long; filaments yellow, pubescent. Style- 

 branches bright orange-yellow, ^ in. long, toothed at the tip. 

 Seeds bufi". 



Hab. Eome, Tuscany and Najiles. Flowers in February. Differs from 

 C. Iinperati by its monophyllous sj^athe, and style -branches only toothed a little 

 at the tip. 



19. C. BANATicus Heufifel in Flora, 1850, 255 ; Eeich. Ic. Germ, 

 t. 361, figs. 800-801 ; Maw, Mouogr. t. 24, uon Gay. C. veluchensis 

 Baker in Bot. Mag. t. 6197. C. Heuffelii Kornicke. C. Heuffelianus 

 Herb. C. vittatus Schlosser. C. exiijuus Schur. — Corm globose, 

 ^ in. diam. ; tunics of fine matted parallel fibres. Basal spathe 

 present. Leaves usually 2 to a tuft, thin, flatfish, finally \ in. 

 broad, green above, glaucous beneath, the narrow midrib showing a 

 distinct white line. Proper spathe monophyllous. Perianth-tube 

 scarcely exserted ; segments 1-1|- in. long, bright purple, never 

 striped, often furnished with a darker blotch towards the tip ; throat 

 concolorous, glabrous. Anthers orange, a little longer than the 

 white filaments. Style-branches short, orange-yellow, fringed at 

 the tip. Seeds dull fawn-brown. 



Hab. Mountains of the Banat, Hungary and Transylvania ; flowering in 

 February and March. Schur names four varieties, versicolor, concolor, niveus, 

 and pictus. Has been much confounded with C. veluchensis, which has no basal 

 spathe, and a diphyllous proper spathe. 



20. C. vERNus All. Ped. i. 84 ; Eng. Bot. t. 344 ; Jacq. Austr. 

 V. t. 36; Pted. Lil. t. 266; Reich. Exot. t. 22; Ic. Crit. t. 929-934; 

 Ic. Germ. t. 355 ; Fl. Dan. t. 2042 ; Maw, Monogr. t. 26.— Corm 

 globose, ^-1 in. diam. ; tunics of copious matted fibres, reticulated 

 upwards. Basal spathe present. Leaves 2-4 to a tuft, reaching up 

 to the flower, ^-^ in. broad, glaucous beneath, green above, with 

 reflexed edges and a distinct white central band. Proper spathe 

 monophyllous, about as long as the tube. Perianth-segments 

 1-1^ in. long in the cultivated plant, lilac or white, often striped 

 wnth purple on a white ground ; throat pubescent, never yellow. 

 Anthers lemon-yellow, exceeding the white filaments. Style- 

 branches orange-yellow, ^-^ in. long, entire or fringed at the tip. 

 Seeds reddish fawn coloured. 



Hab. Through Southern and Central Europe from the Pyrenees to Sicily 

 and the Carpathians, ascending to 5000 — 6000 ft. Here belong most of the 

 commonly cultivated lilac and white spring Crocuses. C. siculus Tineo, C. 

 jiiontauiis Hoppe, and C. alhiforus Kit. are small-flowered montane varieties, and 



