THE GENUS CROCUS. 



-JL. of an inch (0.00007 metre) in diameter. 

 n .,",° • , ,, c nf „ n -, nr u fooib metre") in height from the throat, shorter than, or reaching to, the 

 P ' S/1 L eT'oTtt^st Lns The ^g'e S?dividing g at the level of the middle of the anthers and short* 



produced into a compact mass of entire orange stigmata, which are generally below the lex el of 



the summit of the anthers. 

 <&»*. ahnut two inches (0.050 metre) high at the flowering-time, produced to a height of two and a 

 ^half or three inches (0.063-0.075 metre) at the maturity of the capsule; there are one or several 



scapes within each set of sheathing leaves. 

 Capsule two-thirds of an inch (0.0.7 metre) high, and one-third of an inch (0.0084 metre) broad. 

 W one-sixth of an inch (0.00+2 metre) high, and one-tenth of an inch (0.0025 metre) broad, glabrous, 



bright buff! rfpen^ng to greenish brown: the chalaza, raphe, and caruncle of a paler colour than 



the body of the seed. 



Crocus alatavicus is a native of the Ala Tau mountains and the neighbouring 

 district in eastern Turkistan, latitude 5 4° north, and longitude 88° east, occurring 

 at elevations up to seven thousand feet. Dr. Regel, in the Vllth Fasciculus of his 

 Descriptions Plantarum, records its habitats as follows:-" In pratis prope Wernoje 

 (A Re^el Fetisow), ad fluvium Almatinka minorem (A. Regel), Dschasil-kul, Bisch- 

 kopa (Kuschakewicz), in trajectu Altinimel, Karatschoki ad fluvium Hi, in angustiis 

 rivi Almatinka prope Kuldscha, et ad fluvium Borborogussun (A. Regel)", and the 

 white variety, ft alius of Regel, (ochrohucus of Baker) in meadows near Wernoje. 



The discovery of C. alatavicus in the Ala Tau mountains of Central Asia, 

 longitude 88° east, and latitude 5 4° north, extended the range of the genus thirty- 

 three degrees to the east, and five degrees to the north, of any species previously 

 known With the exception of the recently-discovered C. Korolkozvi, from the 

 neighbourhood of Samarkand, it is the only Crocus known to occur east of the 

 Caspian It flowers freely in cultivation during the latter half of February. Hor- 

 ticulturists are indebted to Dr. Regel for introducing this species to English gardens. 



REFERENCES TO PLATE XLV. 



Fig. 1. Flowering-state, February 26th, actual size. 



Fi" 2. Inner surface of segment, actual size. 



Fig. 3. Flower of var. ochroleucus (Baker), /3- «»«•' (Kegel), actual size. 



Fig 4 With matured leaves and capsule, June 6th, actual size. 



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



Figs. & 7. Stamens and Pistil, magnified two-fold. 



Fig. 8. Pollen Grain, magnified <nw hundred and fifty-fold. 



Fig. 3. Pistil, magnified six-fold. 



Fig. 10. Section of leaf, magnified twelve-fold. 



Fig. U. Conn tunic, magnified two-fold. 



Fig. 12. a & h, Seed, magnified six-fold. 



