CROCUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



CROCUS 



flowers wither that it is pushed above 

 ground, to ripen in the sun and air 

 by the lengthening stalk. When 

 thoroughly ripe, the seeds should be 

 sown in weU-drained pots or pans in 

 rich gritty soil. The seeds will 

 sprout the following spring, and 

 should not be disturbed for a couple 

 of years. At the end of this period 

 the young corms will be about as 

 large as peas, and may be planted 

 out in rows in an open but sheltered 

 and sunny part of the garden. Here 

 many will flower the third season, 

 some in the fourth year, and others 

 again in the fifth or even the sixth. 



Lifting Ckocuses. — If it is neces- 

 sary to lift the plants from beds or 

 borders, the best time to do so is 

 when the leaves have withered. If 

 the leaves are slow in ripening, the 

 process may be accelerated by twist- 

 ing them and tying in a bunch. The 

 corms should then be carefuUy lifted 

 with a fork, and cleaned and stored 

 away in a cool, airy place until the 

 planting season. 



The following are some of the best 

 Crocuses in cultivation : — 



O. aSrius.— A native of Asia Minor, 

 with bright lilac flowers having a 

 yellow throat, and appearing in spring 

 when the leaves are only slightly 

 developed {Bot. Mag. t. 6852, b. ; 

 Maw, Crocus, t. 58). The variety 

 major is a fine form. 



C. alatavlcus. — This comes from 

 the mountains of Siberia^ and has 

 grassy leaves a foot long, and in 

 February small white flowers with 

 a yellow throat, and freckled and 

 feathered with purple on the outside 

 {GarUnfl. t. 906; Maw, Crocus, t. 

 45). 



The variety porphyreus has the 

 three outer segments bright claret- 

 purple, and three white inner seg- 

 ments. There is also a white-flowered 

 form, coloured buff on the outside, 



O. ancyrensls. — A spring-flowering 

 species from Asia Minor, with fine 

 orange-red flowers, having an orange 

 or purple tube, some seedling forms 

 being feathered and washed with 

 brown {Maw, Crocus, t. 38). 



O. asturicus. — A pretty Spanish 

 autumnal Crocus with leaves about 

 1 ft, long, produced after the violet 

 or purple flowers. These appear 

 from September to November, and 

 are 4 to 5 ins. long, with a violet- 

 bearded throat. {Bot. Mag. sub t. 

 3998 ; Maw, Crocus, t. 7.) There are 

 several pretty forms, the best being 

 azureus, blue ; atropurpureus, dark 

 purple ; lilacinus, lilac ; pallidum, pale 

 mauve ; and purpureus, bright purple. 



O. aureus {C. lagenceflorus ; C. 

 mcesiacus ; etc.). — A beautiful old 

 Crocus, native of S.E. Europe, with 

 rich golden-yellow flowers, usually 

 produced in February {Bot. Mag. 

 tt. 652, 938, nil, 1384, 2655, 2685, 

 2986; Bed. Lil. t. 196; Maw, Crocus, 

 t. 55). 



From this species the infertile 

 common or "Dutch Yellow" Crocus 

 of gardens has descended, and also 

 numerous varieties like Aucheri, deep 

 orange ; lacteus and lacticolor, milky 

 white ; sulphureus and sidphureus 

 pallidus, sulphur or fine primrose- 

 yellow ; luteus striatum, with three 

 distinct black stripes on the back 

 of the outer segments; etc. Most 

 of the forms of C. aureus never ripen 

 seeds. 



O. Balansee. — A rare and pretty 

 little Crocus, native of Western Asia 

 Minor, and remarkable for its pear- 

 shaped corms about 1 in. broad and 

 leaves about 10 ins. long. Flowers 

 in March, 2 to 2^ ins. long, orange- 

 yellow, the outer surface feathered or 

 tinted with brown or bronze. {Maiu, 

 Crocus, t. 51.) 



O. banatlous (C. veluchensis). — ^A 

 native of South Hungary, with leaves 



167 



