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A HISTORY OF THE SPECIES OF CROCUS. 



very blunt obovate flowers, on the Bavarian Alps, sometimes 

 assuming a blush of purple. I believe it is only found in parti- 

 cular spots on the Pyrenees, affecting the oolite or Jurassic lime- 

 stone. On the Alps it reaches above 5000 feet of altitude. I 

 have seen it both white and purple from the Tyrol. The finer 

 purple Neapolitan variety inhabits the loftiest mountains of Ca- 

 labria and Lucania, not descending lower than 5000 feet. On 

 Monte Pollino it flowers as late as June and July, reaching an 

 elevation of 6000 feet. On the TTengern Alp its flowers actu- 

 ally pierce the remaining snow in June. 



The Odessa variety, which grows on part of the Steppes, is 

 much finer, and from that stock the finest garden varieties seem 

 to be derived. The segments of the flower are so rounded and 

 concave, that the half-expanded flower is nearly spherical. They 

 are white, sometimes beautifully striped in the inside, or deep 

 purple. 



C. Heuffelianus is usually distinguished by a dark spot, like 

 two arches, near the end of each segment of the flower. It is a 

 fine species, with habits that appear to be very different from 

 those of C. vernus, as it is found in bushy places and moist 

 woods of the valleys of the Banat. and in the mountain woods of 

 the southern portion of the Banat ; whereas C. vernus occupies 

 the short sod on very lofty mountains, and C. Tomasinianus of 

 Dalmatia is found on the sunny slopes of the mountains. 



Thevar. nivigena was sent to me by Mr. Cartwright. who re- 

 ceived it from Mr. Yeames at Odessa, with an account that the 

 bulbs were taken up in flower at the commencement of March or 

 last days of February, just after the melting of the snow on the 

 Steppes. The bulbs were sent in a pot to Constantinople, and I 

 was informed that there was one dark purple, one beautifully 

 striped, and two whiter. It appeared afterwards that Mr- Cart- 

 wright had put a bulb of C. pulchellus into the pot ; and, when 

 he tool: up the roots to send them dry, had forgotten it, which 

 proved to be the only live bulb marked dark purple, and understood 

 to have had a dark purple vernal flower ; from its bulb-coats 

 I described it as probably a very dark variety of C. annulatus 

 Adamicus, whereas the bulb was C. pulchellus, and the specimen 

 sent to Mr. Cartwright a dark purple, C. vernus. I believe C. 

 vernus is nearly confined to the Jurassic mountains or oolite. I 

 found a solitary weak bulb of C. vernus, and also a weak plant 

 of Anemone hepatica, and one of Lilium martagon, on the rocks 

 near Chiavenna, which had evidently grown from seeds blown off 

 the Jurassic summits, and seemed unable to thrive and propagate 

 themselves where they were. 



C. longiflorus of the Swiss Flora is only a variety of C. vernus 

 found on Mount Pilate and some other Alps. 



