252 NATURAL HISTORY 



Of all the propensities of plants none seem more strange 

 than their different periods of blossoming. Some produce 

 their flowers in the winter, or very first dawnings of spring ; 

 many when the spring is established ; some at midsummer ; 

 and some not till autumn. When we see the Hellelorus 

 foetidus and Helleborus niger blowing at Christmas, the 

 Helleborus hyemalis 1 in January, and the Helleborus viridis 

 as soon as ever it emerges out of the ground, we do not 

 wonder, because they are kindred plants that we expect 

 should keep pace the one with the other. But other con- 

 generous vegetables differ so widely in their time of flower- 

 ing, that we cannot but admire. I shall only instance at 

 present in the Crocus sativus, the vernal, and the autumnal 

 crocus, which have such an affinity, that the best botanists 

 only make them varieties of the same genus, of which there 

 is only one species ; not being able to discern any differ- 

 ence in the corolla,, or in the internal structure. Yet the 

 vernal crocus expands its flowers by the beginning of 

 March at farthest, and often in very rigorous weather ; and 

 cannot be retarded but by some violence offered : while 

 the autumnal (the Saffron) defies the influence of the spring 

 and summer, and will not blow till most plants begin to 

 fade and run to seed. This circumstance is one of the 

 wonders of the creation, little noticed, because a common 

 occurrence ; yet ought not to be overlooked on account 

 of its being familiar, since it would be as difficult to 



Selborne as a locality will be found scattered throughout Dr. Brom- 

 field's Catalogue of Hampshire Plants (op. cit. vols. iii. iv.) 



Dr. Trim en adds : " The singular parasitic Tooth wort, Laihr&a 

 squamaria, and the pretty Marsh Cinquefoil, Comarum palustre, do not 

 seem to have been recorded since Gilbert White's day for this part of 

 Hampshire. The Mezereon above noticed may have been planted in 

 the Hanger (see ' Phytologist,' vol. iii. p. 794). As an indication of 

 the advance which has been made in the knowledge of plants since 

 White's observations were penned, it may be mentioned that upon the 

 lowest computation the species of Crocus now known to botanists amount 

 to forty-seven. The three mentioned by White, Crocus sativus, C. 

 vcrnus, and C. nudiflorus, are now universally considered to be distinct 

 and well-defined species." ED. 



1 Eranthis hyemalis of recent authors. 



