266 



A HISTORY OF THE SPECIES OF CROCUS. 



Grisebach, proclaiming that he does not know in what serotinus 

 differs from sativus, shows that he has not studied this race of 

 plants. 



Sp. 17. C. Thomasianus. Herbert, in Bot. Reg., 1844, 3, 

 f.6. 



C. Thomasii. Tenor e, Memoria, fyc, 12. 



C. c. tunicis foliaceis acute apiculatis exteriore superne fibris subtiliter reti- 

 cularis inferne parallelis, apice subsetoso, proxima subsimili, involucro 

 (quatenus vidi) ad basim scaporum singulorum bracteato, spatha 

 (quatenus in culta vidi) ebracteata (teste Flor. Ital.) in indigenis brac- 

 teata involucrum subsequante vaginis breviore, tubi parte exserta, limbo 

 sesquiunciali saturate purpureo estriato venis saturatioribus laciniarum 

 basi intus hyalina, petalorum minute barbata, sepalorum laevi, filamentis 

 pallide flavescentibus minute pubescentibus vix \ udc. infra faucem tubo 

 insertis, stigmatibus truncatis indivisis odoris coccineis antheras aureas 

 vix subsequantibus limbo dimidio brevioribus, foliis angustis circ. ^ unc. 

 latis synanthiis serius excrescentibus erecto-recurvis costa dorsali vix 

 nervata canaliculis enervibus, capsula estriata, seminibus {Flor. Ital.) 

 intense violaceis. Flore autumnali. 



Native of woods in Upper Calabria on the Serra di Bruno, 

 and in Lower Calabria on the mountain delta Stella : ac- 

 cording to Tenore. 



There are two varieties : — 



1. Princeps, with the edges of the leaves and the angles of the midrib 



closely fringed. 



2. Lcevis, without any fringing hairs. 



I was indebted to the Hon. W. Fox Strangways for a bulb of 

 this autumnal Crocus, from which the figure in the Bot. Reg. 

 was made. It appears to occupy an intermediate place between 

 C. Pallasianus and Sativus, to which Cartwrightianus is also allied. 

 The flower of this plant is smaller than that of Sativus, the well- 

 known saffron Crocus, and without its conspicuous dark centre. 

 It is confined to localities in the south of Italy to which we 

 have no easy access. Its filaments are a little downy and pale 

 yellow, while those of Sativus are purple and smooth. Its throat 

 is colourless, though often tinged with yellow by the pollen, if 

 wet. 



Sp. 18. C. Sativus. Linn. — Red. Lil. 173. 

 C. autumnalis. Eng. Bot., 343. 



C. cormo e majoribus valde prolifero, t. fibris stipatis reticulate confluentibus, 

 foliaceis apice setosis exteriore infra medium c. affixa, vaginis 8-9 inte- 

 riore (rarb tubata) basi tantum inflata integra, cseteris tubatis truncatis, 

 involucro (raro tubato) acute lorato scapum amplexo, bractea brevi 

 obtusa (interdum erosa) inter seipsum et scapum, bractea longiore an- 

 gusta acuta scapo elongato breviore opposita, interdum obsoletis, spatha 

 tubata apice acuminato exserto bractea lorata acuminata sequali, bractea 

 minuta opposita interdum obsoleta, germine cylindracee oblongo albo 

 ultrasemunciali, tubo exserto superne purpureo vel purpureo-maculato, 



