284 



A HISTORY OF THE SPECIES OF CROCUS. 



been gathered near Aleppo by Russell, which has a streaked 

 flower much like that of Stellaris, and belongs, according 

 to the bulb-coats, to lagenseflori ; but I cannot hear that 

 such a plant is to be found near Aleppo, or anywhere except in 

 gardens ; and there may be some error as to the specimen. If 

 it is a genuine Syrian plant, we must look to it, though not pre- 

 cisely similar, for the parentage of those varieties. The points 

 of the anthers of all the lageneeflori are tapering from a wider 

 base, and diverge, while their base approaches the style. Their 

 seeds are of a pale purplish bay, and are easily distinguished 

 from those of any other species. I had one pod from aureus the 

 spring before last, the season having been wet and cold, with 

 white seeds. I have never seen the variety luteus (our large 

 garden yellow crocus) attempt to form seed ; it appears to be as 

 positively sterile from old age as sulphureus, &c. ; but it was 

 not cultivated in Parkinson's time, and we do not know how or 

 when it was introduced. The whole race are distinguished by the 

 parallel fibres of the outer permanent coat, which is the base of 

 the inner sheath, by the divarication of the sharp-pointed yellow 

 anthers, by the small and comparatively pale style usually shorter 

 than the anthers, and by the oblong acute capsule covered by 

 the withered but persistent spathe. 



Sp. 35. C. Suterianus. Herbert, Bot. Reg., 1845, Misc. 

 p. 5, 1847, ic. 4, f. 1, under the name of C. chrys- 

 anthus. 



C. cormo parvulo tun. praecipua dura glabra crustaceo-membranacea badia 

 a basi ad medium tenus demum parallelo-lacere incisa, proximal inte- 

 riore dura glabra integra basi regulari cormo medio circiter vel infra 

 affixa, caeteris foliaceis apiculatis duris obscuris basi dimidiata vel magis 

 imperfecta quibusdam connatis, pedunculo elongato, spathae bractea tu- 

 bum involvente non tubata, tubo aureo vel livide purpurascente limbo 

 subunciali saturate interdum subrubenter aureo rarius ad basim extus 

 livido, filamentis vix minutissime pubescentibus, antheris aureis, stylo 

 aureo lobis tenuibus recurvis saepissime profunde bifidis, stigmate incras- 

 sato indiviso, foliis infra medium dilatatis stria alba lata costa dorsali 

 et marginibus multa pube ciliatis canaliculis latis multinervibus, semi- 

 nibus sub-purpureo brunneis chalaza saturatiore apiculata mediae 

 magnitudinis vel ultra. Flore verno. 



From the mountains of Nauplia. 



This plant is nearly allied to C. lagenaeflorus, but is sufficiently 

 distinguishable. Its outer persistent coat is very hard and 

 smooth, cleft into parallel shreds at the base ; the next hard and 

 smooth, attached near the middle of the corm; the flower small, 

 of a fiery and sometimes reddish gold colour, with the tube very 

 often of a livid colour, and sometimes a livid blotch near the 

 base of each segment -of the limb. It was sent by Mr. Suter, 



