CROCUS VERSICOLOR. , 25 



Crocus versicolor is abundant between long 5 20' and 7 30' east, and lat. 43 

 10' and 45 30' north, from the mountainous district east of the Rhone, to the 

 western extremity of the French department of the Alpes Maritimes and the Italian 

 frontier. It extends northwards as far as the mountains about Grenoble, and has a 

 range of altitude from the sea level to four thousand feet. It occurs on Granmondo 

 to the north-east of Mentone, at an altitude of three thousand feet; in ascending 

 Monte Agel above Mentone, at a height of two thousand feet ; near the sea-level at 

 Cape St. Martin, west of Mentone; on Monte Aguglia, near Monaco; Monte Gros; 

 Monte Vinagrie (Vinaigrier, Vinagrion), east of Nice; St. Rocco, Nice; Frejus ; 

 Grasse; Toulon; Moriere, near Toulon; Cuculle near Rabon, Hautes Alpes; meadows 

 near the castle above Embrun; Galegere above Embrun; Draguignan; Bois de 

 Poste, above Esparron, Provence; upper end of the Gouthiere valley; mountains of 

 Vaucluse; and at Comboire, near Grenoble. The record of its occurrence in Dal- 

 matia is probably erroneous, as it is not elsewhere transgressive beyond the com- 

 pact and limited area it occupies in the south western Alps. Crocus versicolor is 

 almost the only feathered species in which the markings on the outer surface of the 

 inner whorl of segments are nearly similar to the markings on the outer segments, 

 and the coating of buff on the outer surface of the outer segments of the other allied 

 Italian species, does not occur in it. There are few species that present so great a 

 variety of flower-colouring, ranging from white through lilac to deep purple; the 

 flowers being either self-coloured, or externally marked to a greater or less degree 

 with purple featherings and veinings: indeed, it is difficult to find two flowers 

 precisely alike even in the same habitat. 



C. versicolor was one of the few species known to the early cultivators; and from 

 its free-flowering habit and variety of colouring was an old horticultural favourite. 

 Sabine, in the year 1830, described, at p. 457 of the seventh volume of The Trans- 

 actions of the Horticultural Society of London, eighteen named horticultural varieties. 

 It is beyond the scope of this work to refer to them in detail. 



REFERENCES TO PLATE XVI. 



Fig. 1. Flowering-state, March, actual size. 



Fig. 1. a, b, e, and d. Outer surface of segments, actual size. 



Fig. 2. With matured leaves and capsule, July 16th, actual size. 



Fig. 3. Diagrammatic dissection of scape, ovary, and spathes, actual size. 



Fig. 4. Stamens and Pistil, magnified two-fold. 



Fig. 5. Pollen Grain, magnified one hundred and fifty-fold. 



Fig. 6. Stigmata, magnified six-fold. 



Fig. 7. Section of leaf, magnified six-fold. 



Fig. 8. Conn tunics, magnified two-fold: e, cap;/, main tunic: g, base of corn,. 



Fig. 9. Seed, magnified six-fold. 



