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PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GABDJEN PLANTS coLCHICUM^ 



most of the summer flowers are over. 

 To obtain fine effects broad patches should 

 be planted, especially in grassy slopes, 

 lawns &c. 



Propagation is usually effected by 

 separating the offsets from the corms. 

 These may be lifted about July for the 

 purpose, but not before the leaves have 

 vdthered. Seeds may also be sown as 

 soon as ripe in pairs and wintered in a 

 cold frame, and as it is undesirable to 

 move the seedlings for 2 years, sufficient 

 space should be given to allow the seed- 

 Imgs to develop properly. The seedlings 

 may be transferred to a prepared spot in 

 the open border after this, and allowed to 

 remain until they reach the flowering 

 stage, usually 3-5 years after sowing the 

 seeds. 



C. autumnale. — This is the best known 

 species and is often met with in a wild 

 state in meadows in various parts of the 

 British Islands. It has large egg-shaped 

 corms with shining chestnut-brown scales 

 and flat lance-shaped leaves 6-10 in. long 

 produced in spring. The bright purple 

 flowers appear in succession from August 

 to October or November, having a, cup- 

 shaped perianth with a long slender tube. 

 There are numerous varieties,- such as 

 album, white; album fl. pi., v/hite, with 

 double flowers ; there is also a double 

 rose form ; viaximum, purple ; pur- 

 pureum, purple rose ; striatum, red 

 striped with white. 



Culture dc. as above. 



C. BivonsE. — A native of S. Europe, 

 with linear grooved leaves produced in 

 spring, and flowers in autumn prettily 

 chequered with white and purple. 



Culture <tc. as above. 



C. byzantinum. — A native of the 

 Levant, having large roundish depressed 

 corms often producing in autumn 12-15 

 pale rose flowers larger than those of C. 

 autummale. The leaves appear in spring 

 and are broad, wavy, and plaited. There 

 is a form with finely variegated foliage. 



Culture dc. as above. 



C. montanum (0. hulhocodioiden). — A 

 native of the Mediterranean region with 

 short narrow lance-shaped or linear 

 sickle-like leaves appearing almost with 

 the lilac-purple or whitish flowers in 

 February and March. This species must 

 not be confounded with another sometimes 

 called 'montanum but properly alpinum, 



which produces its deep rosy bell-shaped 

 flowers in September and October, and its 

 leaves in February and March. 

 Culture dc. as above. 



C. Parkinsoni. — A very beautiful and 

 distmct species from Asia Minor and the 

 Greek Archipelago. It has ovate lance- 

 shaped wavy leaves produced in spring, 

 and its fine starry flowers 2 in. across 

 appear in autumn. The white broadly 

 lance-shaped segments are distinctly 

 veined and beautifully chequered and 

 barred with violet-purple. 



Culture dc. as above. 



C. Sibthorpi. — A rather rare species 

 from the Levant, but one of the finest and 

 largest. The flowers appear in September 

 and October and are of a beautiful lilac 

 colour, Ijandsomely chequered with deep 

 purple, and standing erect on stout tubes 

 about 8 in. high. 



Culture dc. as above. 



C. speciosum. — A very distinct and 

 handsome species from the Caucasus, 

 remarkable for its great size. The broad 

 elliptic sheathing leaves borne alternately 

 on the stem are about 1 ft. long and 

 2-4 in. broad, appearing in spring, throw- 

 ing the seed-capsule nearly 1 fl. above 

 the ground. The flowers appear in Sep- 

 tember and October, having oval segments 

 of a clear reddish or rosy purple varying 

 to deep crimson-purple, with a white 

 throat at the top of a very long tube. 



Culture dc. as above. 



C. umbrosum (C. arenarium uinbro- 

 sum). — A Crimean species with fleshy 

 lance-shaped leaves in spring, and rather 

 small violet-purple flowers with long tubes 

 in autumn. 



Culture dc. as above. 



C. variegatum (C Agrippinum; C. 

 chionense).—A pretty species from S.E. 

 Europe, Asia Minor &c., having large egg- 

 shaped corms and long narrow wavy leaves 

 in spring. The rosy flowers appear from 

 the end of August to October, having the 

 lance-shaped acute segments beautifully 

 chequered with purple-violet. 



Culture dc. as above. 



Other kinds of Meadow Saffron occa- 

 sionally seen are crociflorum, with purple 

 flowers in spring ; luteum, a rare Central 

 Asian species remarkable for its rich orange 

 flowers in spring ; neapolitanum, from 

 Italy, with deep purple flowers ; and 



