188 The Meadow Saffron. 



The Meadow Saffron. 



This is a genus of the class Hexandria, order Trigynia. Its 

 characters are : — corolla six-parted, with a rooted bulb ; capsules 

 three, connected, inflated. Specific character : — leaves flat, lance- 

 olate, erect. Lindley observes, that since both the asphodel and 

 lily tribes are generally harmless, it becomes highly important 

 that all possibility of confounding them with a poisonous order 

 which they in some respects resemble, should be guarded against. 

 Meadow Saffron, white hellebore, and some other plants, have a 

 structure very analogous to theirs. A calyx and corolla, each of 

 three leaves, of simple form and texture, half a dozen stamens, 

 and a superior three-celled ovary, also characterize, in part, the 

 natural order called the Colchicum tribe, to which these plants 

 belong. Colchicum itself is very like a crocus in flower, but its 

 superior ovary prevents its being confounded with the tribe in 

 which the crocus is included. 'J'he species of melanthium and 

 helonias are so similar in appearance to many of the Asphodel 

 tribe, they would no doubt be referred to the latter by a young 

 botanist. They, however, Meadow Saffron, and all the rest of 

 the colchicum tribe, may be recognized at once by three marks. 

 In the first place they have no bulbs, but in their stead a solid 

 knob or subterranean stem ; secondly, their anthers are turned 

 away from the stigma, splitting and emitting their pollen on the 

 side next the petals ; and lastly, the three carpels out of which 

 the three-celled ovary is constructed, are separated at their points, 

 so that there are three styles instead of only one. These signs 

 must be trusted to in the determination of the colchicum tribe; 

 they may appear slight, and you may wonder why such trifling 

 distinctions should serve to distinguish poisonous from whole- 

 some tribes ; but with considerations of the causes of such a 

 fact we have no concern ; all that it imports us to know, is, that 

 Providence has distinguished them by such minute marks, and 

 has thus provided man with safe and unerring guides, if he will 

 but learn how to follow them. Phillips observes, that Shak- 

 speare says in his play of Cymbeline : 



One that's sick of the gout had rather 

 Groan <=o in perplexity, than be cured 

 By the sure physician, Death. 



