HISTORY AND LITERATURE. 



45 



Herbert's monograph describes forty-three species, thirty-eight of which are 

 now accepted as species. We must remove from specific rank C. Visianicus, which 

 was probably a form of C. longiflorus; the late Professor Visiani, after whom it 

 was named, doubted its specific distinctness. C. Pallasii and C. Thomasii must 

 be placed as varieties of C. sativus; C. damascenus is merely the blue eastern 

 form of C. cancellatus; and C. intromissus is difficult of identification. Herbert 

 describes it as a smooth-leaved variety of C. sativus; but it may possibly be identical 

 with C. Gaillardotii, more recently described by Boissier and Blanche. In ad- 

 dition to the thirty-eight Crocuses described by Herbert (which are now acknow- 

 ledged as species) he refers to seven other forms as varieties, which should be 

 placed as species. 



These are: — 



C. insularis var. major, which is C. corsicus. 

 C. reticulalus var. auritextus, which is C. susianus, Ker. 

 C. reticulatus var. ancyrensis, which is a separate species. 

 C. lagenaflorus var. syriacus, which is C. vitellinus, Wahl. 

 C. lagenaflorus var. Olivierianus, which is C. Olivieri, Gay. 

 C. lagenaflorus var. Candidas, which is C. candidus of Clarke. 

 C. veneris \ placed by Herbert as synonymous with 

 C. caspius ) C. Boryi, but now specifically separated. 



This would bring up the enumeration of species, described as species, or 

 referred to by Herbert as varieties, to forty-five or forty-six, or about twenty 

 additional to those previously described by Gay, and the earlier writers. 



From the time of Dean Herbert's History of the Species of Crocus, to the year 

 1873, when Mr. J. G. Baker wrote his Rcviciv of the Known Species of Crocus, in 

 the Gardener's Chronicle, there was no separate publication on the genus. 



From the year 1853 to 1859, M. Boissier published in his Diagnoses plantarum 

 orientalinm novarum, series 1 and 2, descriptions of several, some of 'them new, 

 species, including C. Auchcri, C. candidus (C. Fleisehcri of Gay, not C. candidus of 

 Clarke), C. Pcstalozzce, C. thcssalus (C. Sicbcri, Gay), C. hy emails, C. micranlhus, C. pe- 

 loponnesiacus, C. ochroleucus, C Sicbcri var. atticus and C. syriacus, (C. vitellinus, Wahl.) 

 C. carpetanus was described by Boissier in 1842, in Boissier and Reuter's Diagnoses 

 plantarum novarum hispanicarum. 



Descriptions of forty-four Eastern species are given in Boissier's Flora Orientalis, 

 Vol. V, p. 94 to 115. 



In Reichenbach's hones Critical, and /cones Flo/ as Germanicce, are numerous 

 figures and descriptions of Croci. 



In 1858, Professor Filippo Parlatore, in Vol. Ill, p. 218-241 of his Flora 

 Italiana, described very fully and accurately the twelve Italian species, including 



