CROCUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



CROCUS 



delicately feathered with purple. 

 {Maw, Crocus, t. 34.) A pretty 

 form called violaceus has violet and 

 blue flowers. 



C. Danfordlse. — A native of Asia 

 Minor, having ciliated leaves a foot 

 or more long, and pale sulphur-yellow 

 flowers in February and March, the 

 outer segments often being washed 

 with brown (Maw, Crocus, t. 63). 



C. etrusous. — An Italian Crocus 

 with narrow linear leaves having a 

 central white band. Flowers in 

 March, 2 to 3 ins. long, the tube 

 striped with lilac and the throat 

 yellow. Segments bright lilac-purple 

 inside, the three outer ones with five 

 lilac or purple stripes down the back. 

 (£ot. Marj. t. 6362 ; Maw, Crocus, t. 

 22.) 



C. Fleisoheri.— A handsome Crocus 

 from Asia Minor, with a beautifully 

 netted yellow corm and leaves about 

 1 ft. long. Flowers in early spring, 

 with a pale yellow unbearded throat, 

 and white linear lance-shaped seg- 

 ments, the outer ones being veined 

 with rich purple. (Maw, Crocus, t. 

 66.) 



0. Gaillardotl. — A little - known 

 spring - flowering Crocus from N. 

 Palestine and Syria, having pretty 

 little white flowers washed outside 

 with lilac in December and January 

 (Maw, Crocus, t. 40). 



C. sarsaricus. — A native of Bithy- 

 nia (Mt. Gargarus), having self- 

 coloured yellow-orange flowers in 

 early spring (£ot. Beg. 1847, t. 16, 1 ; 

 Maw, Crocus, t. 39). 



C. hadrlaticus. — A distinct autum- 

 nal Crocus from the Grecian Archi- 

 pelago, with leaves over 1 ft. long, 

 ciliated on the margins and keel. 

 Flowers about October, 3 to 4 ins. 

 long, with a white or purple bearded 

 throat, and ovate lance-shaped seg- 

 ments pure white or purple towards 

 the base. (Bot. Beg. 1847, t. 16, 7- 



170 



9 ; Maw, Crocus, t. 30.) The variety 

 chrysohelenicus has white flowers with 

 a yellow throat feathered at the base 

 with reddish lines {Maw, Crocus, t. 

 30, f . 3) ; and the variety Saunders- 

 ianus has beautiful white flowers 

 with a richly coloured violet base. 



O. hermoneus. — This species grows 

 wild on Mt. Hermon, at an altitude 

 of 9000 ft. It has white flowers 

 shaded and veined with pale 

 lavender, a contrast to the yellow 

 anthers and deep orange stigmata. 

 {Maw, Crocus, t. 44.) 



C. hyemalis. — A native of Palestine 

 and Syria, and remarkable for pro- 

 ducing its blossoms from November 

 to January. The perianth is white 

 veined with purple towards the base 

 and washed with yellow in the throat. 

 The tender variety Food has the. 

 outer segments of its fragrant flowers 

 streaked and suffused with purple. 

 {Maiv, Crocus, t. 43, ff. 7, 8.) 



0. Imperatl. — A very fine Italian 

 Crocus, having sweet-scented flowers 

 from January to March, lilac-purple 

 inside, the outer segments being 

 marked with three more or less 

 feathered, deep purple lines {Bot. 

 Beg. t. 1993; Maw, Crocus, t. 14.) 

 The variety albidus has white, faintly 

 striped flowers, and yellow stigmata ; 

 roseus has flowers of a clear rose ; 

 and purpureus, white outside, purple 

 inside {GarUnfi. t. 1280). 



C. Karduchorum. — An Armenian 

 Crocus, with slender grassy leaves 1 

 to 2 ins. long, those of the previous 

 year persisting until the flowering 

 period next autumn. The flowers 

 have a long unbearded perianth-tube 

 and vinous-lilac segments veined with 

 delicate purple, the anthers and stig- 

 mata being creamy white. {Maw, 

 Crocus, t. 5.) 



O. Korolkowi. — A native of Central 

 Asia, having large flattish corms, and 

 bright yellow flowers tinged outside 



