263 



A HISTORY OF THE SPECIES OF CROCUS. 



Croci are so confined to peculiar localities, that a species may be 

 easily so lost. 



Sp. 19. C. intromissus. Herbert, in Bot. Reg., 1845. 

 Misc. 2. 



C. cormo pyriformi, tunicis pallide purpureo-brunneis (ut in sativo) vaginaceis 

 fibris submollibus tenuibus parallelis superne reticulate confluentibus 

 duabus pariter fere ad cormi basim tertia interna parum supra affix is, 

 foliaceis similibus dimidiatis vel spirae modo connatis, apice multifido 

 complanato submolli, exteriore medio cormo vel supra caeteris grada- 

 tim altius affixis, foliis quatuor brevibus. 



Native of Syria. 



Whether this unique bulb, dug up unnoticed on the calcareous 

 mountains near Damascus in company with C. Damascenus, in 

 1845, is or is not a smooth-leaved variety of C. sativus, I cannot 

 say. The plant by its coats, which in that climate do not soon 

 perish, Mas certainly not less than eight years old, and had pro- 

 duced no offsets ; whereas C. sativus increases by offsets super- 

 abundantly. That habit may however have perhaps arisen from 

 long cultivation by offsets, and consequent sterility. The gentle- 

 man who procured the bulbs was not aware that two species grew 

 where they were found ; and the flowers of Damascenus and 

 sativus could not be confounded. The bulb, carefully potted 

 and plunged in a sand-bed with other Croci, became very weak 

 the first season. It was planted in a border with other rare 

 species of the genus the next autumn, but it rotted without vege- 

 tating. It must be sought for again on the calcareous hills near 

 Damascus. 



Sp. 20. C.medius. Balbi, Add. Fl. Pedem. el., p. 83. Bot. 

 Reg., 1845, 37, f. 5. Bot. Mag., 3871, p. 4. Bertol. 

 descr. 9. Gay, B. F. 1827, pp. 8 and 29. 



C. tun. tenuiter demum cribrose reticulatis, vaginacea interiore prope basim 

 foliaceis summo cormo affixis, spatha longe exserta subviridescente 

 ebracteata, tubo prselongo exserto livide purpurascente, limbo plus 

 miniis saturate violaceo intus ad basim stellate radiato biunciali, sepalis, 

 petala superantibus extus ad basim 5-striatis, antheris luteis, stigmatibus 

 multifidis, foliis laevibus hysterantbiis cum stria alba lsete viridibus 

 erectis e latioribus, capsula nuda, seminibus modicis rufobadiis sub- 

 rotundis, raphe non corrugata, chalaza circulari depressa interduui me- 

 dio apiculata. Flore autumnali. 



Native of the eastern part of Liguria, in meadows ; also of 

 the mountains del jBracco, in western Liguria, near Laigueglia 

 and Tinda. 



This Crocus, which, after some years' failure, I obtained 

 through the kind assistance of Sir Augustus Foster, from the 

 mountain pastures of Ligurian Yarese, is a great acquisition to 



