Lib. i. 
Of the Hiftorie of Plants. 
l ')9 
ipt r "‘ l in “ 
. t 4 The fmall medow Saffron hath three or foure thicke fat Ieaues narrower than an? of 
the reft. The floure appeareth in the fall of the leafe, in fhape, colour, and manner of growing like 
c common mede Saffron, but of a more reddifh purple colour, and altogether lefler. The Ieaues 
1! | /fli trane 1< a c 1C natLlre t ^ ef ' c plants, prcfently follow after the floure, and fo continue 
all the Winter and Spring, euen vntill May or Iune. Theroot is bulbous,and not -rear . it is co- 
ueredwith many blackifli red coats, and is white within. 1 
i * 5 r Jhis medow Saffron hath roots and Ieaues like to thofe of the laft defcribcd but the 
Ieaues of the fl °ureare longer and narrower, and the colour of them is white on the infid’e ^reene 
on the middle of the backe part, and the reft thereof of a certaine flelh colour . ’ D 
4 Colchicum montanum minus Hiffanicum cum flore& fern rife . 
Small Spanifh medow Saffron in floure and feed. 
f The medow Saffron of Illyria hath a great thicke and bulbous root, full offubftanceffrom 
which rilethvp a fat, thicke, and grofte ftalke, let about from the lower part to the top by equal! 
alliances, with long, thicke, and grofte Ieaues, fharpe pointed, not vnlike to theleaues of leekes - 
among which Ieaues do grow yellowifti floures likevnto the Englifh medow Saffron, but final len 
7 The Aflyrian medow Saffron hath a bulbous root, made as itwereoftwo pieces • from the 
middle cleft whereof rifeth vp a foft and tender ftalke fet with faire broad Ieaues from the middle 
to the top : among which commeth forth one Angle floure like vnto the common medow Saffron 
or the white Anemone of Matthiolus defcription. 
8 The niountaine wilde Saffron is a bafe and low plant, but in fhape altogether like the com- 
mon nicdow Saffron, but much lefler. The floures are fmaller, and ofayellow colour, which fet- 
teth forth the difference, f The Ieaues and roots (as Clufius affirmes) are more like to the Narcif- 
es; and therefore he calls this Tfitrcijfius Aittumnalis minor. The leffer Autumne Narciffe. f 
, 9 , This, whole figure we here giue you, is by Clufius called Colchicum Byzantinism Uti folium. 
, e bro , leaued Colchicum of Conftantinople. The Ieaues of this are not in forme and ma°-ni- 
tu e much vnlike to thofe of the white Hellebor, neither leflencruous, yetmoregreene.lt beares 
many floures in Autumne, fo that there come fometimes twenty from one root. Their forme and 
colour are much like the ordinarie fort, but that thefe are larger, and haue thicker ftalkes. The : 
