c o 



c o 



produce feveral Spikes of Flowers : 

 but this Sort will not live in the 

 open Air in England, therefore mould 

 be placed in the Bark-ftove ; where 

 it will live thro' the Winter, and 

 produce ripe Seeds the iecond Year ; 

 and may be continued longer, if 

 defired. 



COLCHICUM, Mcadow- 

 faffron. 



The Characters are ; 



It hath a Flower confijling of one 

 Leaf, which is poped like a Crocus, 

 rifing from the Root in form of a fmall 

 Tube, and is widened gradually into 

 fix Segments : the Pointal rifes from 

 the Bottom of the Flower, ending in 

 fmall Threads, and turns to an oblong 

 triangular Fruit, divided into three 

 Cells, which are full of roundifo 

 Seeds : it hath alfo a folid bulbous 

 Root, which is cover d with a mem- 

 branous Skin. 



The Specie s are; 



t. Colchicum commune. C. B. 

 Common Meadow-fiffron. 



2. Colchicum Anvlicum alhum. 

 Bark. Englijh white Meadow-faf- 

 fron. 



3. Colchicum pleno fore. C. B. 

 The double -flowered Meadow-faf- 

 fron. 



4. Colchicum fioribus f itillarise 

 infiar teffellatis, Joliis planis. M. H. 

 Meadow-faffron with Flowers che- 

 quer'd like thofe of the Fritillaria, 

 and fmooch Leaves. 



5. ColChicum Chionenfe, foribns 

 fritillaria? infiar tcfj'ellatis, folris un- 

 dulatis. M.H. Meadow -faftron with 

 chequer'd Flowers, and wav'dLeaves, 

 commonly call'd, Colchicum Cbio. 



6. Colchicum lati folium <vari- 

 egatum. C. B. Broad ftrip'd-leav'd 

 Meadow-faffron. 



7. Colchicum vernum Hifpani- 

 eum. C. B. Spring flowering Mea- 

 ^ovy-fafrron, 



8. Colchicum eandidum tnultiflo- 

 rum. C. B. Many-flower M white 

 Meadow-faffron. 



The firft of thefe Species is found 

 in moift Meadows in feveral Parts 

 of England, particularly 'mWarwick- 

 fhire. The fecond is a Variety of 

 the firft, from which it only differs 

 in the Colour of the Flower. The 

 third Sort alfo originally came from 

 the firit ; but is preferv'd in Gar- 

 dens, for the Doublenefs of its Flow- 

 ers. The fourth Sort is a Stranger 

 to our Ifland, and is fuppos'd to have 

 been brought from the Levant, with 

 the fifth Sort; which differs from 

 the fourth, in having the green 

 Leaves very much waved on the 

 Edges. The Root of one of thefe 

 two Species is thought to be the Pier- 

 modactyl of the Shops. The feventh 

 Sort hath fine broad variegated green 

 Leaves, for which it is greatly 

 efteem'd. The eighth Sort is valu- 

 able for producing its Flowers early 

 in the Spring. This is by Dr. Lin- 

 naeus placed with Bulbocodium. . 



Thefe are all very pretty Varieties 

 for a Flower-garden, moil of them 

 producing their Flowers in Autumn, 

 when few other Plants are in Beauty. 

 The Flowers come up, and are 

 blown, fome time before the green 

 Leaves appear ; and are therefore, 

 by fome, called Naked Ladies. The 

 green Leaves come up in Winter, 

 and in Spring are extended to a great 

 Length : in May the green Leaves 

 begin to decay ; foon after which 

 time, h the proper Seafon to tranf- 

 plant their Roots ; for if they are 

 fuffered to remain in the Ground till 

 An guff, they will fend forth frefh 

 Fibres ; after which time it will be 

 too late to remove them. The Roots 

 may be kept above-ground until 

 the Middle of Auguft j at which 

 time, ifitchev are not planted, they 



will 



