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CROCUS
, a botanical genus of the natural See also:order See also:Iridaceae, containing about 70 See also:species, natives of See also:Europe, See also:North See also:Africa, and temperate See also:Asia, and especially See also:developed in the dry See also:country of See also:south-eastern Europe and western and central Asia
.
The See also:plants are admirably adapted for climates in which a See also:season favourable to growth alternates with a hot or dry season; during the latter they remain dormant beneath the ground in the See also:form of a See also:short thickened See also:stem protected by the scaly remains of the bases of last season's leaves (known botanically as a "corm")
.
At the beginning of the new season of growth, new See also:flower- and See also:leaf-bearing shoots are developed from the corm at the expense of the See also:food-stuff stored within it
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New corms are produced at the end of the season, and by these the plant is multiplied
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These crocuses of the flower See also:garden are mostly horticultural varieties of C. vernus, C. versicolor and C. aureus (Dutch crocus), the two former yielding the See also: Yellow: Large Dutch . The species of crocus are not very readily obtainable, bud' those who make a specialty of See also:hardy bulbs ought certainly to See also:search them out and grow them . They require the same culture as the more See also:familiar garden varieties; but, as some of them are See also:apt to suffer from excess of moisture, it is advisable to plant them in prepared soil in a raised See also:pit, where they are brought nearer to the See also:eye, and where they can be sheltered when necessary by glazed sashes, which, however, should not be closed except when the plants are at See also:rest, or during inclement See also:weather in order to protect the blossoms, especially in the See also:case of See also:winter flowering species . The autumn blooming kinds include many plants of very See also:great beauty . The following species are recommended: See also:Spring flowering:— Yellow: C. aureus, aureus See also:var. sulphureus, chrysanthus, Olivieri, Korolkowi, Balansae, ancyrensis, Susianus, stellaris . See also:Lilac: C . Imperati, Sieberi, etruscus, vernus, Tomasinianus, banaticus . White: C. biflorus and vars., candidus, vernus vars . Striped: C. versicolor, reticulates . Autumn flowering:— Yellow: C . Scharojani . Lilac: C. asturicus, cancellatus var., cilicicus, byzantinus (iridiflorus), longiflorus, medius, nudifforus, pulchellus, Salzmanni, sativus vars. speciosus, zonatus . White: caspius, cancellatus, hadriaticus, marathonisius . Winter flowering:—C. hyemaeis, laevigatus, vitellinus . |
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