252 



A HISTORY OF THE SPECIES OF CROCUS. 



the parallel fibres become confluent, and subreticulate where the 

 parallel fibres become decidedly reticulate upwards. 



The great mass of Croci have golden anthers ; the milk-white 

 anthers of none had been noticed before I described them ; but, 

 although that feature is one of the strongest in a genus of which 

 the style yields the high-coloured saffron, the number of white- 

 anthered species is too small to have made it a useful primary 

 division. There is a family of reticulate involucrate autumnal 

 Croci with truncate fragrant stigmas, and the annulate mem- 

 branaceous naked spring Croci have also truncate fragrant stigmas. 

 There is also an autumnal family with feathery scentless stigmas, 

 but with various bulb-coats, and again a number of Croci with 

 variable and uncertain stigmas more or less cut, so that the 

 feature would not have served for a distinct sectional limitation, 

 even if it had not been too fleeting for use. The species with 

 similar stigmas are, however, brought together in my ar- 

 rangement ; that classification being, observe, subordinate to the 

 different structure of the bulb-coat by which the species may be 

 recognised at all seasons. The eight first species of involucrate 

 reticulate Croci form a kindred family of autumnal species with 

 a truncate fragrant style. Those who like to break down sub- 

 divisions may unite them as local varieties of one Crocus fra- 

 grans, with again several local subvarieties ; but there is diversity 

 even in their style, pendulous or erect, and a similar truncate 

 fragrant style is found in the vernal annulate species. I there- 

 fore consider myself right in not confounding them. 



The bulb-coats of Croci are the remains of the base of the 

 sheaths that envelop the leaves, and of the leaves themselves. 

 The former I call the vaginaceous coats — from vagina, a sheath ; 

 the latter the foliaceous coats. The outer sheath-coats are gene- 

 rally perishable, but often leave a small persistent base ; the 

 inner one is generally durable. The outer foliaceous coat is 

 usually a conspicuous one, attached in different species at various 

 parts of the corm or chesnutlike substance of this sort of tuber, 

 which is commonly, but improperly, called a bulb. The root- 

 fibres issue from a particular zone or space between the insertion 

 of two coats ; not, however, in all species between the same 

 coats, but always, 1 believe, below the insertion of the inner 

 vaginaceous coat. By the texture and insertion of the various 

 coats every species of Crocus may be distinguished on examina- 

 tion of the bulb. The shopkeeper readily distinguishes the 

 general aspect of the few sorts which he sells, but it requires 

 very careful and minute investigation to ascertain the certain 

 features by which all the numerous species may be recognised. 

 The difference in the colour, shape, and coating of the seeds of 



