15. CROCUS SUAVEOLENS. 



Section: Involucrati; subreticulati (Herbert): Holostigma; vernal (Baker) 



Crocus suaveolens, Bertoloni, Desc. Zafferan Ital. No. 3; and Fl. Ital. 1, p. 208; Gay in Feruss Bull 

 Sc. Nat. xi, p. 349; and three drawings Bibl. J. D. Hooker; Tenore, F. Nap. 5, p. 314, tab. 206' 

 fig. 1; and Syll. p. 30; Sweet, Fl. Gard. Ser. ii, tab. vii, 353; Herbert in Bot. Mag. tab. 3864 : 

 Hist. Crocus, sp. 9, p. 14; from Journ. Hort. Soc. Lond. ii, p. 260; and drawing Lindl. Libr. R. 

 Hort. Soc. Lond.; Woods, Tour. Fl. p. 357; Parlat. Fl. Ital. iii, p. 231; Baker, Rev. Sp. Crocus in 

 Gard. Chron. 1873, p. 434; List Crocus in Journ. R. Hort. Soc. Lond., new ser., vol iv 1877- and 

 Syst. Indac. in Journ. Linn. Soc, Bot., vol. xvi, p. 81; G. Maw, Synops. Genus Crocus in Gard. 

 Chron., new ser., vol. xvi, p. 303; in The Garden, vol. xxi, No. 532, p. 67; and Hist. Crocus in Journ. 

 Linn. Soc, Bot., vol. xix, p. 372. 



Crocus vernus var. a, Seb. et Maur. Fl. Rom. Prod. p. 16. 



Crocus minimus, var. a. italicus, Gay in Feruss. Bull. Sc. Nat. xi, p. 370, ex parte et exclus. syn. 



Cormus oblatus, f poll. (0.019 metr.) latus; tunica fibris sub-parallelis, cum membrana commixtis Vagina; 

 quam spatha breviores. Folia glabra, £ poll. (0.0032 metr.) lata, flore subasquantia, postea 

 ad 7 vel 8 poll. (0.176—0.200 metr.) elongata. Spatha monophylla. Perianthium: faux glabra, 

 aurantiaca; segmenta angusta, acuta, circiter i\ poll. (0.032 metr.) longa; exteriora extus ochrea 

 lmeis tnbus rectis purpureis ornata; interiora purpurea. Antherae flavse, filamenta pubescentia flava 

 duphcantes. Stylus ad medias antheras fissus. Stigmata haud ramosa, dentata, flava, antheris summis 

 subaequalia. Semina ochrea. 



Corm oblate, about three-quarters of an inch (0.019 metre) broad, and half an inch (0.013 metre) high 

 Tunic membranous, interwoven with slightly reticulated, nearly parallel fibres; the Cap fibro- 

 membranous, produced upwards into very short points. Basal Tunic of short radiating fibro-membrane. 



Sheathing Leaves three or four, from half an inch (0.013 metre) to two and a half inches (0.06? metre) 

 in length, the longest slightly foliaceous, falling short of the proper spathe. 



Proper Leaves four or five, appearing with, and reaching to the level of the flowers at the flowering-time 

 and produced to a length of eight or nine inches (0.200-0.225 metre) at the maturity of the capsule,' 

 one-sixth of an inch (0.0042 metre) broad, glabrous, the lateral channels wide and open. 



Basal Spathe about an inch and a half (0.038 metre) in length. Proper Spathe monophyllous, from two 

 to two and a half inches (0.050—0.063 metre) in length, exceeding the sheathing leaves, and reachin°- 

 to within an inch of the throat ° 



