7 7 [ *33 1
C O L C H I C U M autumnale.
Meadow Saffron.
H E X A N D R I A Trigynia.
Gen. Char. Cal. a fpatha. Cor. in 6 divifions, tube
arifing from the root. Capfules 3, connected and
inflated.
Spec. Char. Leaves plane, lanceolate, and ere£t.
Syn. Colchicum autumnale. Linn. Sp. P I. 48 5 . HudJ.
FI. An. 1 5 7 . With. Bot. A rr. 379.
C. commune. R a il Syn. 3 7 3 .
S oM E meadows in Suffolk p ro d u c e th e C o lch icum, an d th a t
in b u t to o g re a t ab u n d an c e fo r th e in te re ft o f th e g ra z ie r. I t
is alfo faid to be fo u n d in v a rious p a rts o f th e n o rth a n d w e ft
o f E n g la n d . T h is fp e cimen wa s g a th e red b y W . M a tth ew , E fq.
o f B ury.
T h e p lan t be fo re us exhibits a mode o f fru c tific a tio n fcarcely
p a ra lle led among B ritifh vegetables. T h e flowers ap p ea rin g
ve ry late in a u tum n , th e im p re g n a te d g e rm en rem a in s la te n t
u n d e r g ro u n d q u ite clofe to th e b u lb till th e follow ing fp rin g ,
w h e n th e c apfule rifes above th e fu rfa c e , accompanied by feve-
ra l long u p rig h t leaves, an d th e feeds are rip en e d a b o u t J u n e ,
a fte r w h ic h th e leaves decay (fee D r . W ith e rin g ’s rem a rk s in
Bot. Arr.). W h a t th e re fo re appears to be flower-ftalk, is
o n ly th e tu b e o f th e corolla, as in th e C ro cu s. Sev e ra l flowers
a re enclofed in one m em b ran o u s fpa tha .
I ts qu a litie s agree w ith thofe o f fquills (fee W ith .) .
I f we may diffent from fu ch au th o rity as M . de Ju flieu , we
c a n n o t b u t th in k th is g en u s m ore n e a rly allied to Cro cu s th a n
to V e r a trum ( Juff. Gen. p . 4 7 ). H is a c cu ra te a c co u n t o f its
p ro p a g a tio n by ro o t may ferve to explain th a t o f bulbous p lan ts
in g e n e ra l, an d o f th e Orchidese.