496 Account and Description of Spring Crocuses, fyc. 



leaves are short and broad, growing upright. The blossoms 

 are very beautiful, obovate, but not large ; the tube is short, 

 thick, and striped at top with purple ; the outer petals are 

 broad, obovate, and concave, marked at the base on the out- 

 side with an obscure purple feathered spot, divided in the 

 middle by two broad white stripes running through it up the 

 petals, with a dark purple line feathered at the top, between 

 them ; the remainder of these petals are purple, with a dark 

 blotch near the top, but are terminated by a paler margin ; 

 within they are paler, and white at the base ; the inner petals 

 are somewhat smaller and paler, feathered within and with- 

 out with lilac on a lighter ground. The stigmas are orange, 

 thick and short, about equal with the anthers, which are 

 yellow. This is a Crocus of much excellence, its time of 

 flowering, its fine colour, and beautiful markings, combine to 

 render it of great value. 



54. C. vernus Neapolitanus. Flowers tolerably abun- 

 dantly, and remains perfectly in blossom into April. The 

 leaves are narrow, rather long and upright. The flowers are 

 tall, fusiform, and handsome ; the tube slightly purple at 

 top, which colour runs downwards with fine lines, and rises 

 upwards into undefined spots on the petals ; the outer petals 

 are rather long, and lanceolate, striped or rather blotched 

 with lilac within and without ; the inner petals are shorter 

 and paler, marked in a similar manner. The stigmas are pale 

 orange, small, rather longer than the anthers. I consider 

 this variety to be the one to which the name of Neapolitanus 

 properly belongs ; it is probably of Italian origin. 



55. C. vernus alpinus. A free flowering kind, opening 

 its blossoms the end of March, and continuing perfect far into 



