278 



A HISTORY OF THE SPECIES OF CROCUS. 



basi fibris setosis tenuibus radiatis persistente, foliacea exteriore longe 

 et tenuiter usque ad basim prope fundum affixam reticulata (in obso- 

 letis demuni cribrosa) interioribus omnibus parvulis in ipso vertice 

 sitis, vagina interiore acuta exserta, tubo subterraneo, foliis 3-4 angus- 

 tis laavibus hysteranthiis, scapis successivis, genuine albido, spatha vix 

 inclusa bracteam tubum involventem non tubatam parura superante, 

 perianthii tubo 1| unc. exserto saturate purpura sexstriato limbo 

 plus minus griseo-ccerulescente fauce lsevi pallida, petalis sepala extus 

 plumeo-3-striata vix cequantibus, stylo albicante, stigmatibus profunde 

 furcatis erectis, filamentis albis laavibus circ. § unc. longis, antheris 

 pallide luteis § unc. apice curvato stigmata superantibus, capsula 

 longa superne purpura striata et suffusa, seminibus purpureo-rufis ob- 

 longo-ovatis, raphe producta concolore. Flore autumnali. 



Native of the dry limestone mountains near Damascus. 



I am indebted for the knowledge and possession of this pJant 

 to S. Cartwright, Esq., and the vice-consul at Damascus. The 

 bulbs were taken up in February and May, and it is said that 

 the Arabs cook them and eat them. It is evidently allied to 

 C. reticulatus, v. variegatus, of Dalmatia, Trieste, and the Cri- 

 mea, and var. albicans of Odessa, Wallachia, and Podolta ; but 

 they are vernal, and this plant produces its flowers in autumn 

 before the leaf. It is a weak plant, but very neat, though the 

 flower is not large. When the first bulb flowered in September, 

 I suspected that it must be out of course ; but in the following 

 autumn two of the bulbs in a pot flowered in October, and after 

 the fine summer of this year, 1846, the bulbs which I have in a 

 S. border are either in or coming into flower, without leaves, 

 Sept. 29. It is, therefore, decidedly autumnal. 



Sp. 31. Fleischer ianus. Gay, B. F., p. 219 (1827). 



C. c. tun. vaginacea interiore crassa serius mere fibrosa fibris tenacibus subti- 

 libus seriebus parallelis rectis bifariam intertextis, foliaceis subtiliter 

 reticulatim nervatis nunquam cribrosis, nonnullis connatis, exteriore 

 medio cormo vel altius affixa, bractea tubata, perianthii tubo superne 

 fuscescente, limbi laciniis angustis acutis albis, petalis ad basim sepalis 

 tota longitudine fusco-purpureo striatis fauce intus breviter saturate 

 lutea lsevi, filamentis laavibus lutescentibus, stigmatibus profunde mul- 

 tifidis tenuibus rectis saturate coccineis antheras aureas superantibus, 

 fioribus vernis 3-4 successivis, foliis prsecurrentibus angustis laavibus 

 florendi tempore suberectis perianthium superantibus. 



Found on the limestone hills of Smyrna. 



This Crocus, which is very remarkable from the fine fibres of 

 its old coats, which persist for many years in native specimens, 

 and are interwoven in longitudinal stripes to the right and left, 

 like basket-work, grows on the hippurite limestone near Smyrna. 

 I succeeded, through the help of my friend Mr. Cartwright, 

 who so long and ably filled the chief consulate at Constantinople, 

 in obtaining a few live bulbs of it, but they are still too weak to 

 flower. The first year's search produced me only a blue Tricho- 



