18. CROCUS MALYI. 



Section: Involucrati: parallelo-fibrosi (Herbert): Odontostigma; vernal (Baker J. 



Crocus Malyi, Visiani, Fl. Dalmat. Suppl. p. 181; G. Maw, Synops. Genus Crocus in Card. 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. 



Cormus f— 1 poll. (0.019—0.025 metr.) latus nee tarn altus; tunica fibris tenuibus parallelis, paullo 

 supra reticularis confecta. Vagina; quam spatha breviores. Folia glabra, quam faux ad florationem 

 breviora, ^ poll. (0.005 metr.) lata, matura pedalia. Spatha diphylla foliacea, ferme ad faucem 

 extensa. Perianthium. tuba flava; faux aurantiaca, barbata; segmenta alba, if poll. (0.044 metr.) 

 longa. Antheras aurantiaca;: filamenta aurantiaca duplicantes. Stylus ad apices antherarum fissus. 

 Stigmata aurantiaca subramosa. 



Corm oblate, three-quarters of an inch (0.019 metre) wide, and from a third of an inch (0.0084 metre) 

 to half an inch (0.013 metre) high. Tunic of fine parallel fibres, a little reticulated upwards; the 

 Cap produced into a bunch of fibrous points, half an inch (0.013 metre) above the summit of the 

 corm. Basal Tunic of fine fibres, radiating from the centre of the bottom of the corm. 



Sheathing Leaves six or seven, from half an inch (0.015 metre) to four inches (0.100 metre) in length, 

 falling short of the proper spathe. 



Proper Leaves four or five, just appearing with the flowers, and barely reaching to the throat at the 

 flowering-time, produced at the maturity of the capsule to a length of fifteen inches (0.375 metre), 

 glabrous, one-sixth to one-fifth of an inch (0.0042—0.0050 metre) wide; the keel concave, about a 

 fourth the width of the blade, the lateral channels wide and open, containing three low ridges. 



Basal Spathe two inches (0.050 metre) in length. Proper Spathe monophyllous or diphyllous, a second 

 ligulate bract being occasionally present, three inches (0.075 metre) in length, foliaceous, reaching 

 to the throat. 



Perianth: Tube about three inches (0.075 metre) in length from the ovary to the throat, yellow. Throat 

 bearded, orange. Segments ovato-lanceolate, an inch and a half (0.038 metre) to an inch and three- 

 quarters (0.044 metre) in length, and five-eighths of an inch (0.016 metre) broad, white, orange 

 towards the throat, and occasionally suffused externally with vinous-purple towards the throat. 



Stamens seven-eighths of an inch (0.022 metre) high, falling short of the pistil; the Anthers orange, 

 five-eighths of an inch (0.016 metre) long, and about twice as long as the orange filament. Pollen 

 Grain papillose, orange, ^ of an inch (0.00008 metre) in diameter. 



Pistil an inch and a quarter (0.032 metre) in height; the Style dividing at the level of the summit of 

 the anthers, and produced into a spreading mass of slightly-divided orange stigmata. 



Scape two inches (0.050 metre) in height at the flowering-time. 



Capsule three-quarters of an inch high and one-third of an inch broad, bearing an awn-like prolongation 

 of the remains of the proper spathe. 



Seed bright red ripening to brown, papillose, one-sixth of an inch long and one-ninth of an inch broad. 

 The chalaza, raphe, and caruncle a little darker than the body of the seed. 



