A HISTORY OF THE SPECIES OF CROCUS. 



269 



an English garden. Its flower is large and very conspicuous, 

 the limb being often above two inches long, and appears in York- 

 shire in September, or at the very beginning of October, com- 

 mencing in general just as C. Pyrenaeus and speciosus are going 

 out of bloom, or even before they are passed away. It is quite 

 hardy, and ripens its seed in the open ground, and there is a 

 good deal of variety amongst the seedlings. It forms a link be- 

 tween C. sativus and Byzantinus, having been, however, named 

 medius, as if intermediate between sativus and Pyrenaeus, the 

 last of which is not reticulate. Its flower has a general resem- 

 blance to that of Pyrenaeus, but is easily distinguished by an 

 internal star of dark lines. 



Sp. 21. C. Clusianus. Bot. Reg., 1845, 37, f. 8. Misc. 

 1843, p. 32. Gay, B. F. 25, 220. 

 C. montanus, 1. Clusius. 



C. tun. interiore membranacea peritura fibris inferne parallelis ad basim 

 persistentibus, foliaceis reticulatis circ. § U nc. apiculatis exteriore 

 fibris inferne parallelis infra medium proxima tenuiore supra medium 

 cseteris summo cormo affixa, involucro 1-3 floro, spatha \ unc. libera 

 bracteam tubum involventem a?quante, tubo { unc. vel ultra libero, 

 fauce intus pallida infra petala minute barbata extus pallide livido- 

 lutescente, limbo circiter vel ultra unciali dilute vel plus minus satu- 

 rate violaceo, basi interdum extus striata, filamentis laevibus albis circ. 

 £ vix infra faucem insertis, antlieris luteis ^ unc. stigmata pluri- 

 fida sequantibus, stylo subcoccineo 3-4-fido crasso erecto, foliis 4-6 

 angustis synanthiis. Flore autumnali. 



Found in calcareous places in Portugal ; rare near Lisbon, 

 more common about Cintra. 



This Crocus was first noticed by Clusius, whose description 

 has been erroneously applied to C. serotinus of the Spanish pine- 

 forests. It was recognised by M. Gay, who described it imper- 

 fectly from dry specimens. Perceiving that there were some 

 small cretaceous tracts near Lisbon, and larger near Cintra, I 

 suspected that this species would be found thereon ; and accord- 

 ingly they were discovered, plentiful at Cintra, rarer near Lisbon. 

 It flowers in September, or early in October, sometimes producing 

 three flowers from one involucre, which is unusual. It has the 

 feathery stigmas of C. Pyrenaeus and medius. The plants were 

 obtained for me by the kindness of F. N. Hodgson, Esq., of Man- 

 chester, and his brother ajt Lisbon. Having recovered from the 

 effects of their journey, they began to flower in 1836 ; at Spofforth 

 in September, 1846. 



Sp. 22. C. Byzantinus. Parkinson, Paradisus, 168. Ker, 

 Bot. Mag., 1111, p. 2 (1808) ; Bot. Reg., 1847, 4, f. 5. 

 C. Banaticus, Gay, B. F. 25, 220 (1831). 



