230 
After the latter comes C. Salzmanni, an 
October-bloomer for which I suggest the 
name “big-cormed crocus,’ as the only 
other species that has a very large corm 
(at least in the wild) is the saffron. 
The big-cormed crocus is a vinous-lilac 
flower, feathered with purple. The bulbs 
are tolerably cheap (about $1.50 per 100) 
and I hope that this species will be more 
certain to bloom the first year in October 
than the saffron. 
The surest winter-bloomer among the 
feathered kinds is C. Jevigatus which 
might be called the “ variable winter crocus” 
or the ‘‘smooth-cormed crocus,” as either 
name would be quite designative. It is 
the only species that has a hard, leathery, 
polished corm. The flower varies from 
white to lilac and is generally suffused or 
feathered with rich purple outside. Maw 
even mentions a form that is a pure buff 
outside and I should con- 
sider this the most desirable ~~~ 
of all. This species blooms 
from the end of October to 
Christmas and often into 
late spring. 
CHOICE WHITE CROCUSES 
A pure white crocus is 
a very sweet and precious 
sight and the amateur must 
expect to pay handsomely 
for it. 
The only October white 
crocus that can be touched 
with a moderately long pole 
is the Caspian (C’.Caspius), 
which is one of the two 
great treasures introduced 
since Mr. Maw’s epoch- 
making monograph (1886). 
Mr. Bowles, upon whom 
the mantle of Mr. Maw 
seems to have fallen, was 
one of three to send a col- 
lector for it. He reported 
at Christmas time that its 
great charm is due to its 
unusually lengthy period of 
flowering. It had then 
bloomed in a frame from 
the middle of October and 
gave promise of producing 
flowers for several months 
aivene © isis mva sea mlbss 
nearly pure white, being yellowish at the 
throat. The corms cost about $15 per 100. 
The creamy white crocus (C. ochroleucus) 
is said to bloom from October to Christmas 
and it is distinguished by its conspicuous 
yellow throat. 
Formerly the largest October white was 
thought to be the Adriatic crocus (C. 
Hadriaticus) which should be three inches 
across when fully open. It is normally 
purple throated, both inside and out, but 
white and yellow-throated forms have been 
found in the wild. 
The centre of interest, however, among 
the whites is the true Marathon crocus 
(C. Marathomsius), a November-bloomer 
which Mr. Bowles says is quite the best 
Common spring-blooming crocus. 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
white-flowered autumn crocus, the flowers 
being larger and of greater substance than 
in ochroleucus or Hadriaticus, and not 
suffering so much from wetness. Mr. 
Bowles described this as a new species 
(C. miveus) but later came to the conclusion 
that it is the true old Marathonisius, which 
Maw never saw and which he was mistaken 
in considering a variety of C. Boryi. Both 
have yellow throats. 
There is an acute mystery about this 
Boryi that needs solving. I find it offered 
at the shockingly low price of sixpence 
the dozen in an Irish catalogue of t1go1, 
but I have not found it in any of the 
recent Dutch catalogues. Moreover it was 
apparently the most reliable November 
white known to Maw, though he says it 
needs a coldframe. 
scarcely _ two 
open. 
It is a small flower, 
inches across when wide 
to bloom (C. vernus and versicolor’) 
“Christmas white crocus” would be a 
good name for C. hyemalis, which is cheap 
enough across the water, but nevertheless 
has the reputation of being hard to grow 
and a “‘shy bloomer.” 
The only cheap crocuses that come 
tolerably near to white are forms of C. 
biflorus, which blooms in February and is 
commonly called the Scotch crocus. It is, 
however, native to Italy and the wild form 
has the outer petals more deeply coated 
with buff than the Scotch. The cheapest 
and most popular variety is Cloth-of-Silver, 
which is fairly white when seen in mass at 
a distance, but the outer petals are feathered 
with purple. Other forms that are cata- 
logued as whites are the var. argenteus, 
Earlier than other garden flowers, but the latest crocuses 
DEcEMBER, 1908 
which has a bluish cast outside, and 
Pestallozee, which has a yellow throat. If 
you want the pure white be sure to 
specify the variety Weldeni albus, which 
costs about four times as much as Weldeni 
albidus. 
In Weldeni, by the way, we some- 
times get a third type of marking called 
“freckling,” or “graining,” of which 
this is the only available example known 
to me. : 
There are three splendid opportunities 
here for the amateur plant breeder, because 
we have no pure white crocus that is cheap 
enough to plant by the thousand. The 
most promising chance seems to be to get 
an autumn white from nudiflorus, a 
winter white from levigatus and a spring 
white by the cheapening of biflorus, var. 
Weldeni albus. Mr. Bowles has already 
secured the first two varieties. 
, CHOICE YELLOW CROCUSES 
The earliest of all the 
' crocuses is the much- 
heralded C. Scharojani, 
for which I propose the 
name “‘ yellow summer cro- 
cus.” It has been adver- 
tised in this country as a 
November-bloomer, but it 
begins to flower by the end 
of July and its real season 
is early August. For that 
reason the enthusiasts are 
willing to pay a dollar a 
bulb for it. There is an- 
other August-bloomer (C. 
lazicus) and it also is yel- 
low, but. there is little 
likelihood of its being a 
success in cultivation. I 
dare say these bulbs ought 
to be planted in early July 
and ordered a year or so 
in advance. 
The only midwinter 
crocus among the yellows 
is C. vitellinus, which I 
shall venture to call the 
“Christmas yellow crocus,” 
a name that is all the 
more appropriate because 
the plant is native to the 
vicinity of Christ’s birth- 
place. In the Holy Land 
the blossoms keep opening from November 
to February but we shall do well if we get 
a few by the holidays in a coldframe and I 
should not expect the main crop outdoors 
near New York before early March. 
The best yellow crocus for late winter is 
C. chrysanthus, which I shall call the 
“variable yellow crocus.” It is whitish in 
the var. albidus; pale yellow in sulphureus; 
orange in superbus; feathered with brown 
in fusco-lineatus and suffused with brown 
in fusco-tinctus. But the most exciting 
form is the pale lilac variety czrulescens, 
for this is supposed to bridge the gulf 
between the yellow and purple series. I 
have searched the Old World catalogues 
in vain for a quotation on it and I doubt if 
