898 



CROCUS 



CROCUS 



A. Blooming in spring (sometimes in midwinter and 



continuing toward spring). 



B. Style-branches entire or merely toothed. 



C. Fls. yellow, at least inside (varying to whitish forms'): 



basal spathe absent. 

 D. Outer segms. striped or feathered outside. 



1. susianus, Ker. CLOTH-OF-GOLD CROCUS. Fig. 

 1114. Corm %in. diam.: Ivs. 6-8 in a tuft, reach- 

 ing to the fl., narrow-linear, with revolute edges and a 

 central band of white: upper spathe 2-lvd.: perianth- 

 segms. \]/2 in. or less long, orange-yellow, becoming 

 reflexed, the outer ones brownish or striped on the out- 

 side; anthers orange, longer than the filaments; style- 

 branches long and spreading. Crimea. B.M. 652 (adapted 

 in Fig. 1114). Blooms very early, Feb., Mar. 



2. chrysanthus, Herb, (not B.R. 33:4, fig. 1, 

 which C. Olivieri var. Suterianus). Corm small: 

 Ivs. as high as the fl., very narrow: upper spathe 2- 

 Ivd., nearly as long as perianth-tube: perianth-tube 

 2-3 times as long as the segms., the latter 1J^ in. or 

 less long, and plain orange-yellow (varying tinted or 

 striped on the outside, or even nearly white); throat 



glabrous; anthers 

 orange, twice as 

 long as the rough- 

 ened filaments; 

 style-branches 

 red-orange. Ma- 

 cedonia and Asia 

 Minor. Gn. 74, p. 

 140. Var.albidus, 

 Hort. Fls. whitish. 

 Gn.W.25:229. 



3. stellaris, 

 Haw. Supposed to 

 be a hybrid be- 

 tween C.moesiacus 

 and C. susianus, 

 and known only 

 in cult. : blooms 

 with C. nuKsiacus: 

 Ivs. only 4-6, 

 narrow-linear, 

 reflexed edges, 

 white-banded: up- 

 per spathe 2-lvd.: perianth-tube short, the segms. 

 1-1 J^ in. long, bright orange, the outer ones striped 

 and feathered with brown on the back; anthers pale 

 orange, a little longer than the filaments; style-branches 

 somewhat overtopping the anthers. Mar. 



DD. Outer segms. not striped (at least not in the specific 

 types). 



4. moesiacus, Ker (C. aiireus, Sibth. & Smith). 

 DUTCH CROCUS. Later: corm larger: Ivs. 6-8 in a tuft, 

 overtopping the fl., narrow-linear, with reflexed edges 

 and white central band: upper spathe 2-lvd., inner 

 valve very narrow or obsolete; segms. very obtuse, 

 bright yellow, 1^ in. long, one-half to a third the length 

 of the tube: anthers pale yellow, hastate at the base, 

 somewhat longer than the filaments; style-branches 

 overtopped by the anthers. Transylvania to Asia 

 Minor. B.M. 2986. Variable. A sulfur-yellow form is 

 C. sulphureus, Ker. B.M. 1384. There is a striped 

 form. B.M. 938. A cream-white form is C. Idcteus, 

 Sabine. 



5. ancyrensis, Maw. Corm Min. diam.: Ivs. 3-4, as 

 tall as the fl., very narrow: upper spathe 2-lvd.: peri- 

 anth-tube exserted; segms. bright orange-yellow, 1 in. 

 or less long, not striped nor colored outside; anthers 

 orange-yellow, much longer than the filaments; style- 

 branches red-orange. Asia Minor. Blooms early. 



6. Korolkdwii, Maw & Regel. Corm globose, 1 in. 

 diam. with matted fibers: Ivs. 8-12, very narrow, with 



1114. Crocus susianus. 



reflexed edges and a central white band: upper spathe 

 of 1 or 2 membranous valves: perianth-tube shortly 

 exserted; segms. about 1 in. long, bright orange-yellow 

 and not striped, the outer ones grayish brown on the 

 outside; anthers orange-yellow; style-branches entire 

 and orange-yellow. Turkestan, etc. Var. dytiscus, 

 Bowles, has the outer segms. deep brown outside and 

 with narrower margins of yellow. 



cc. Fls. lilac, purple or white. 



D. Basal spathe (rising directly from the corm inside the 

 Ivs.) absent. 



1. bifldrus, Mill. SCOTCH CROCUS. Corm %in. or 

 less in diam. : Ivs. 4-6, overtopping the fls., very narrow, 

 with deflexed edges and a white central band: upper 

 spathe 2-lvd.: perianth-tube exserted, the segms. 1}^ 

 in. long, purple-tinged, the outer ones 3-striped down 

 the back, the throat bearded and yellowish; anthers 

 orange, exceeding the filaments; style-branches orange- 

 red. S. and S. W. Eu. B.M. 845. Runs into many 

 forms, some of them almost white. Some of the named 

 botanical forms are: Var. argenteus, Baker (C. argen- 

 teus, Sabine. C. prsecox, Haw. C. linedtus, Jan). Less 

 robust and with only 3 or 4 Ivs. to a tuft and smaller 

 fls. more tinged with purple and the outer segms. 

 dark-striped outside. Italy. B.M. 2991 (as C. minimus. 

 Var. pusfllus, Baker (C. pusillus, Tenore). Fls. smaller 

 than in var. argenteus, paler, the 3 outer segms. striped 

 with dark purple. Italy. B.R. 1987 (var. estriatus, with 

 petals pale purple and not striped). Var. Weldenii, 

 Baker (C. Weldenii, Hoppe), with uniform slaty pur- 

 ple limb. Dalmatia. B.M. 6211. Var. Adamii, Baker 

 (C. Adamii, Gay). Limb pale purple, the outer segms. 

 1-colored or with 3 pale purple stripes. Caucasus. 

 B.M. 3868 (as C. annulatus var. Adamicus). Var. 

 nubigenus, Herb. Segms. very small and nearly white, 

 the outer ones with a broad band of purple on the back. 

 Asia Minor. Var. Pestaldzzae (C. Pestalozzse, Boiss.). 

 Small-fld., with 1-colored whitish segms. Asia Minor. 

 Var. Alexandri, Hort. (C. Alexdndri, Velen. Fls. larger 

 than in C. biflorus type; outer segms. flushed all over 

 the back with bright lilac and with a narrow margin of 

 white, or often with only feather-like stripes on white 

 grounds. B.M. 7740. 



8. sferius, Herb. (C. Sibthorpidnus var. staiiricus, 

 Herb.). Corm globose, %in. or less diam., the tunic 

 bristle-ringed at top : Ivs. 3-6 in the tuft, as high as the 

 fl., very narrow, with reflexed margins and a white 

 band: upper spathe 2-lvd.: perianth-tube little exserted; 

 segms. 1 in. or less long, unstriped, pale or dark lilac, 

 the throat yellow and glabrous; anthers orange, twice 

 the length of the slightly papillose filaments. Armenia, 

 Kurdistan. B.M. 6852B. Gn. 74, p. 212. Early. 



DD. Basal spathe present. 

 E. Throat of perianth glabrous. 



9. versicolor, Ker (C. fragrans, Haw. C. Relnwardtii, 

 Reichb.). Corm %in. or less in diam., with tunics of 

 matted parallel fibers: Ivs. 4-5, as high as the fls., 

 otherwise like the last: upper spathe 1- or 2-lvd.: 

 perianth-tube exserted; segms. \% in. long, pale or 

 dark purple, often striped and feathered with dark 

 purple; throats glabrous, whitish or yellowish; anthers 

 yellow, twice as long as the filament; style-branches, 

 orange-yellow, equaling or overtopping the anthers. 

 S. France. B.M. 1110. 



10. ban&ticus, Heuff. Corm globular, J<in. diam.: 

 Ivs. usually 2, thin and flattish, and becoming J^in. 

 broad, glaucous beneath : upper spathe 1-lvd.: perianth- 

 tube scarcely exserted; segms. 1J^ in. or less long, 

 bright purple, and never striped, but often dark- 

 blotched toward the tip; throat glabrous; anthers 

 orange, a little longer than the white filaments; style- 

 branches short, orange-yellow, somewhat fringed at the~ 

 tip. Hungary. 



