CROCUS CORSICUS. , 3q 



Crocus corsicus, up to the year 1878 had been undistinguished from C. minimus of 

 De Candolle; and some uncertainty necessarily exists as to which species is referred 

 to in the published records of habitats. C. corsicus is an abundant plant in the 

 mountain district of the northern half of Corsica, rarely occurring- lower than two 

 thousand feet, and reaching to an altitude of six thousand or seven thousand feet. 

 It ranges from south to north, between 42° and 43 north latitude, and from west 

 to east, between 8° 30' and 9° 30' east longitude; occurring on the watershed by 

 the roadside between Ajaccio and Corte; on the mountains above Corte; on Monte 

 Rotundo and Monte Pegno; on the mountains between Bastia and St. Florence; 

 above Olette, near St. Florence; on the mountain range between Bastia and Cape 

 Corso, and Torre del Seneca, Cape Corso. I have no record of its occurrence in 

 the southern half of Corsica, where its substitute is C. minimus. 



In the herbarium of Mons. Cosson, of Paris, there are, from Willkomm's Herba- 

 rium, three specimens of a Crocus which appear to be identical with this plant, 

 labelled — C. magontanus {= CambessedesiiJ from Binisarmefia, opposite Port Mahon, 

 Minorca, collected by Senor Rodriguez, on the 17th. of December, 1872. Having 

 referred one of these to Senor Rodriguez, and to Senor Carreras, of Mahon, they 

 inform me that they have no recollection of collecting such a Crocus in Minorca. 

 The remainder of Senor Rodriguez's specimens, and those in the Willkomm Herbarium 

 at Coimbra, and other herbaria, under similar labels, are without doubt C. Cambcs- 

 sedesii (C. magontanus of Rodriguez). In the spring of 1879, m company with the 

 late Rev. Harpur Crewe, I visited Minorca in the hope of re-finding the plant; but 

 a thorough search over the district of Binisarmefia failed to reward us, for we 

 found no other Crocus than Cambcsscdcsii. If any error has occurred in the misplacing 

 of labels, the specimens must have been transposed when in Mons. Willkomm's 

 possession; but he assures me that he possesses no other Corsican Crocus than 

 minimus. The evidence of the occurrence of C. corsicus in Minorca is far from 

 conclusive; but it is possible that Mons. Cosson' s specimens may have been collected 

 in Minorca, especially as several other Corsican plants occur in the island. 



C. corsicus is readily distinguished from C. minimus by its larger and paler 

 flowers; its finely reticulated corm tunic; its rich orange-scarlet pistil, which rarely 

 exceeds the height of the anthers ; and by its buff seed. The leaf-structure is also 

 totally different. It is a much more robust plant than Crocus minimus. In its native 

 habitats it commences to flower towards the end of January at the lower elevations, 

 and continues in flower up to May towards the summits of the mountains; forming 

 throughout the spring months a conspicuous feature in the Mountain Flora of the 

 north of Corsica. In April, 1870, I observed it in the greatest profusion and beauty 

 on the flanks of Monte Rotundo at an altitude of six thousand feet. 



