CROCUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



CROCUS 



perianth is bright lilac with a rich 

 golden base, and a beardless orange 

 throat, in the centre of which are the 

 orange stamens and orange-scarlet 

 stigmata. (Bot. Mag. tt. 1043, 6036 ; 

 Maw, Crocus, t. 33.) The variety 

 versicolor varies in colour from white 

 to purple, with white and purple veins 

 and feathering, and always a rich 

 golden-yellow base. Purpureus has 

 deep purple flowers; and there are 

 several other variations. 



0. speciosus (C. multifidus).^}^ 

 handsome autumnal Crocus extends 

 from Central Europe eastwards 

 through the Crimea and Caucasus to 

 Persia, and is perhaps the finest of 

 all the autumnal species. The large 

 flowers appear at the end of September 

 and in October, and are of a beautiful 

 bright lilac or bluish-purple, striped 

 inside with deeper purple, and having 

 bright orange conspicuously fringed 

 stigmata in the centre. (Bot. Mag. t. 

 3861 ; Bot. Reg. xxv. t. 40 ; Maw, 

 Crocus, t. 64.) The variety transyl- 

 vanicus has flowers of a deeper purple- 

 lilac than the type; albus is a rare 

 white-flowered form ; and Aitchisoni 

 has larger and deeper coloured flowers 

 than the type. 



C. stellaris. This Crocus of obscure 

 origin has long been in cultivation, 

 and has been considered a hybrid 

 between C. aureus and C. Susianus, as 

 it combines the characters of these 

 species. The orange flowers are dis- 

 tinctly feathered with bronze outside. 

 They appear in early March, and 

 have never been known to mature 

 seeds. (Maw, Crocus, t. 37.) 



C. suaveolens. This fine Italian 

 species flowers in March. It has a 

 perianth-tube 3 to 4 ins. long with a 

 bright orange beardless throat, and 

 narrow, lance-shaped, lilac segments, 

 the outer surface being suffused with 

 buff and lined with purple. (Bot. 

 Mag. t. 3864 ; Maw, Crocus, t. 15.) 



O. Susianus (C. revolutus). A 

 charming species known as the " Cloth 

 of Gold Crocus." It comes from the 

 Crimea and Caucasus, and produces 

 its deep orange - yellow flowers in 

 February, variously feathered with 

 deep brown, occasionally entirely 

 orange - yellow, or evenly suffused 

 with brown. It has orange anthers 

 and filaments, and orange - scarlet 

 stigmata. (Bot. Mag. t. 652; Red. 

 Lil. t. 293 ; Maw, Crocus, t. 36.) 



C. Suterianus. A little - known 

 species from Asia Minor, with clear 

 orange-yellow flowers about March; 

 considered to be a variety of C. 

 Olivieri (Bot. Reg. 1847, t. 7 ; Maw, 

 Crocus, t. 57). 



C. Tauri, from Cilicia, has pale 

 unstriped purple flowers over an inch 

 long (Maw, Crocus, t. 61). 



C. Tommaslnianus. A pretty and 

 prolific Crocus from Dalmatia and 

 Servia, having pale sapphire lavender 

 flowers in March, the segments being 

 sometimes darker coloured at the 

 tips (Maw, Crocus, t. 25). The variety 

 atropurpureus has clear lilac flowers, 

 and pallidus has soft 1 ilac ones. There 

 are also white and amethyst forms. 



C. Tourneforti (C. Orphanidis).A. 

 charming autumn - flowering Crocus 

 from the Greek Archipelago, remark- 

 able for its large corms, and clear 

 lavender or rosy-lilac blossoms, with 

 spreading petals veined with purple, 

 and white anthers (Maio, Crocus, t. 

 47; Bot. Mag. t. 5776). Considered 

 to be a variety of C. Boryi by Mr 

 Baker. 



C. vallicola. A distinct Caucasian 

 Crocus which produces its creamy- 

 white or pale yellow flowers, veined 

 with purple and blotched with yellow 

 in the throat, in August and Sep- 

 tember (Bot. Reg. xxxiii. t. 16 ; Maw, 

 Crocus, t. 2). The variety lilacinus 

 has smaller and more heavily veined 

 flowers than the type. 



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