THLE CROCUS. 161 
species, the leaves distinctly marked with a central white 
line. Crocus boryanus, tlowerme in autumn, white with 
yellow throat with a stain of purple outside. Crocus pul- 
chellus, flowering in autumn, pearly blue with dark pencil 
lines, the throat orange-yellow. Crocus sativus, the saffron 
crocus, an autumn-flowering plant, the flowers violet 
with long tubes, sweet-scented ; requires a dry warm 
soil, or it will but rarely flower. The dried stigmas of 
this crocus constitute the genuine saffron of commerce. 
We say “genuine,” because common shop saffron, like 
restaurant soup, is made of anything that comes nearest 
to hand, several other species of crocus being pressed into 
the service, with florets of the marigold and shees of 
the flowers of the pomegranate. It is not unlikely that 
a very nice-looking sample might be made from scraped 
carrots. The matter is not of great consequence now, 
because saffron bas parted from the fame it enjoyed as 
a drug that ‘ maketh the sences more quicke and liuely, 
shaketh off heauie and drowsie sleepe, and maketh a 
man merrie.” Gerarde, from whom the foregoing is a 
quotation, figures several “ saffrons,”’ including crocuses 
and colchicums, and he reminds us that Saffron Walden 
obtains its name from the abundance of saffron-producing 
flowers in its vicinity. Finally, Crocus speciusus is a par- 
ticularly fine autumn-flowering species, with flowers of a 
rich violet colour, striped with purple lines. 
Crocuses of all kinds require a somewhat sandy and 
warm soil, but the common garden kinds will really thrive 
in almost any soil or situation. The rarer kinds, at all 
events, should have well-drained positions and a some- 
what light soil, and, generally speaking, warmth, for they 
are natives of the south of Europe and Asia Minor, and, 
