OLD-FASHIONED GARDEN FLOWERS. 



63 



It enjoys a light soil and sunny situation, and it may be 

 planted anywhere in the shrubbery or borders as a first-class 

 flowering subject. Its scent loads the air for some distance 

 around, and pleasantly reminds one of spring flowers. Such 

 sweet- smelling flowers are not too plentiful in September, and I 

 know not a better one than this amongst hardy flowers for the 

 late season. Its odour is fine and full ; a single sprig now by me 

 proves almost too much for the confinement of a room. This 

 quality is invaluable in small flowers that can be freely cut, 

 which, moreover, as in this case, are otherwise suitable for 

 bouquet work. Propagated by cuttings and division of the 

 suckers, taken when growth has ceased ; if put in sandy loam 

 and a warm situation, they will become rooted during the 

 following spring. 



Flowering period, August and September. 



Colchicum Autumnale. 



MEADOW SAFFRON; Common Name, AUTUMNAL CROCUS; 



Nat. Ord. MELANTHACE^:. 



A NATIVE bulbous perennial (see Fig. 25). The Colchicums are 

 often confounded with the autumn-flowering species of croci, 

 which they much resemble when in bloom ; the similarity is the 

 more marked by the absence, from both, of their leaves in 

 that season, otherwise the leaves would prove to be the 

 clearest mark of difference. Botanically they are far removed 

 from each other, being of different orders, 

 but there is no need to go into such distinc- 

 tions, not, at any rate, in this case. 



The flowers are well known and they need 

 not be described further than by saying they 

 are in form crocus-like, but much longer in 

 the tubes and of a bright mauve-purple 

 colour. The bulbs have no resemblance to 

 the crocus whatever, being often four times 

 the size of the crocus corms. Moreover, 

 they are pear-shaped and covered with flaky 

 wrappers of a chestnut brown colour; if 

 examined, these coverings will be found, near 

 the neck of the bulb, to be very numerous 

 and slack fitting, extending above the ground, where they have 

 the form of decayed or blackened foliage ; a singular fact in con- 

 nection with the roots is, they are not emitted from the base of 

 the bulb, but from the side of the thickened or ovate part, and are 

 short and tufty. In early spring the leaves, which are somewhat 

 like the daffodil, but much broader and sheathed, are quickly 

 grown; at the same time the fruit appears. In summer the 

 foliage suddenly turns brown, and in the autumn nothing is seen 



FIG. 25. COLCHICUM 

 AUTUMNALE (about one- 

 sixth natural size). 



