CROCUS — CROWN IMPERIAL — CUMMINGIA. 71 



flower when our gardens are filled with flowers useful 

 for cutting, more showy, and in every sense more 

 attractive. However beautiful a flower may be in its 

 grassy bed, if it cannot be made to appear beautiful as a 

 cut flower, it has but a small place in the garden. The 

 species of this class are : 



C. sativus (Saffron Crocus). — A very handsome 

 plant, with flowers of a pale purple or violet, readily dis- 

 tinguished from all the other species, by the prominence 

 of its stigmas. These stigmas, when dried, form the 

 saffron of commerce. The flowers and leaves of the 

 Saffron Crocus appear simultaneously in September. It 

 is a very ornamental species, and requires no further 

 care than planting in spring in any good garden soil, its 

 preference being for one of a sandy nature. 



C. serotinus. — A purple-flowered species from 

 the Crimea, occasionally found among the rocks by the 

 sea shore in Portugal. 



C. speciosus (Showy Crocus). — The most beauti- 

 ful of all the Crocuses, from the large size of its flowers, 

 which appear, in October, without the leaves ; the latter 

 are not protruded until the flowers are withered. The 

 withered flowers remain on the plant till the ripening of 

 the seed, which takes place the following April or May. 

 It differs from all other Crocuses, in thriving under the 

 shade of trees, and in preferring a situation near the 

 water. 



CROWN IMPERIAL. 

 See Fritillaria. 



CUMMESTGIA. 



A synonym of Conanthera. See Page 61. 



CYANELLA. 



A genus of very pretty little Cape of Good Hope 

 bulbs, with white, Ijlue, yellow and red flowers, appear- 



