260 



A HISTORY OF THE SPECIES OF CROCUS. 



Laving obtained, having flowered on the 16th of March, 1847, 

 has shown, I think, the propriety of grouping Versicolor and the 

 following Italian sorts together as different forms of one Crocus 

 sub-apenninus. C. insularis, forced in my room at Manchester, 

 had the anthers taken out and was set with pollen of the rare 

 white variety of C. Imperatonius. One of the seedlings so 

 obtained has flowered. It has taken from Imperatonius yellow 

 into the throat, but pale, as in many varieties of C. versicolor. 

 It has a bract within the spathe, not however tubular, like that 

 of the male parent, but nearly lorate, and approaching to that of 

 Versicolor. The colour is very pale lilac, streaked on the out- 

 side. 



Sp. 8. C. Imperatonius. Bot. Mag., 3871, p. 2. 

 C. Imperati. Tenor e, Bot. lleg., 1993. 



C. c. tun. vaginaceis exterioribus membranaceis, interiore fibris parall. 

 superne et rariiis inferne confluentibus, foliacea exteriore crassa intus 

 glabra extus confertim confluenter parallelo-fibrosa circiter vel infra 

 medium cormum affixa, involucro scapos infra arete amplexo 2-floro, 

 germine striato, spatha bracteam tubatam acuminatam aequante, fauce 

 lsevi aurantiaca, stigmatibus antheras intense luteas superantibus 

 cuneiformibus crenulato-incisis, foliis 4-6 hyperanthiis marginibus 

 revolutis sesquilineam vel infra latis, tubo 1-3-unc. superne albo striato, 

 limbo conspicuo intus saturate violaceo, sepalis extus pallide stramineis 

 plumose tristriatis, petalis basi tautum tristriatis, capsula 6-striata, 

 seminibus pallide badiis demum brunneis raphe et chalaza rugosis. 

 Flore verno. 



Found at an elevation of 6000 feet on Monte Pollino in Cala- 

 bria, in other places in the South of Italy, and in the islands off 

 the Coast. 



This fine Crocus is a native of lofty mountains in the south of 

 Italy, producing its leaves before the flowers, which with us do 

 not appear till spring. It is tolerably hardy, and handsomer 

 than Versicolor, to which it is nearly allied ; but is easily dis- 

 tinguishable both by the bulb-coats, the flower, and the tubular 

 bract. This species varies with flowers striped and white. 



Sect. 4. Subreticbxati. Bulb-coats partly reticulate. 

 Sp. 9. C. suaveolens. Bertoloni, Bot. Mag., 3864. 



C. c. tun. vagin. interiore prope basim affixa fibris parallelis superne reti- 

 culate confluentibus, foliacea exteriore supra medium cormum affixa 

 pallidiore incisonotata, involucro bifloro spatha breviore tubato apicu- 

 lato, spatha tubata acuta ebracteata hyalina, tubo albicante ad faucem 

 leevem aurantio-maculato, sepalis extus stramineis tristriatis, petalis 

 ad basim 5-striatis, stigmatibus truncatis odoratis antheras superantibus, 

 antheris filamenta duplo superantibus aureis, foliis lsevibus canaliculis 

 enervibus, capsula [quatenus vidi] estriata. 



A native of the Campagna of Rome, and the Valle oV Inferno 



