Jersey Crocus (Romulea Columnae, S. & M.)

The habitat of this plant is sandy pastures or other places, dry sandy soil. The habit is that of other bulbous plants, the corm being sheathed, egg-shaped, as large as a pea. The radical leaves are linear, channelled above, slender, bent back, thread-like, flattened at the margin. The scape is solitary, i-flowered, somewhat drooping, with a spathe longer than the tube. The perianth is petaloid, regular, with 6 segments, which are spreading. The flowers are green outside, white inside, with purple stripes, with a yellow claw. The flower-stalk is curved in fruit. The stamens are epigynous on the throat of the tube, longer than the style, with free, hairy stalks. The linear stigma is divided into 2 lobes nearly to the base. The capsule is egg-shaped, and the seeds are nearly round, with a leathery coat. The plant is 4 in. high. It flowers in March, up till May, and is a herbaceous perennial, in danger of being not long hence entirely exterminated.

Purple Crocus (Crocus Vernus, All. = Albiflorus, Kit.)

The habitat of this plant is fields and meadows. The plant is of the usual bulbous habit. The corm is broad and flattened, with net-like fibres in the tubular sheath, torn, and dirty-brown. The scape is enveloped in the latter. The leaves are formed with the flowers. The flowers are white or purple. The spathe is simple. The throat of the corolla has a fringe of hairs. The stigmas are orange, toothed, 3-lobed, the lobes wedge-shaped, erect, jagged. The anthers are pale bright yellow. The capsule is large, the seeds small and red. The plant is 3-6 in. in height, and flowers from March till May, being a herbaceous perennial geophyte.