•^ January and February {j£ 



gathering the fragrant hair of the golden crocus. When 

 Pan and the nymphs passed singing through the meadows, 

 the fragrant crocus and hyacinth bloomed in the tangled 

 growth of grass. 1 It was ever the crocus of the East, Crocus 

 vernus, which was so highly esteemed, not the humbler 

 native kind. When Roman luxury was at its height, 

 crocus scent and crocus flowers were used as lavishly as 

 rose leaves. Heliogabalus bathed in saffron-water, and 

 his guests reclined on cushions stuffed with crocus petals. 



Crocuses are natives of the south and central Europe, 

 the Levant and western Asia. We do not know when they 

 were introduced, but it is quite likely that the Romans 

 brought bulbs of such favourite flowers to adorn the 

 gardens of their villas in England during the first 

 centuries of our era. In the Middle Ages, when they 

 were again introduced, the autumn- flowering C. sativus 

 was certainly known and grown in this country long before 

 the spring-flowering varieties. Croh was the Middle 

 English word for saffron. According to tradition the 

 saffron bulb was introduced into England in the reign of 

 Edward III by a pilgrim, who brought it concealed in 

 the hollow of his staff. Even in the sixteenth century 

 herbalists described the spring-flowering crocus as saffron 

 of the spring — * Saffron of the Spring with yellow 

 flowers.' 



Three hundred years ago Gerard wrote of the crocus, 

 ' It hath floures of a most perfect shining yellow colour, 

 seeming afar off to be a hot glowing coal of fire. That 

 pleasant plant was sent unto me from Robinius of Paris, 

 that painful and most curious searcher of simples.' Is 

 there any other flower which so wonderfully gives us at 



1 See Victor Hehn, Wanderings of Plants and Animals. 



2 5 



