r borders as a first-class flowering subject.
Its scent loads the air for some distance around, and pleasantly reminds
one of spring flowers. Such sweet-smelling flowers are not too plentiful
in September, and I know not a better one than this amongst hardy
flowers for the late season. Its odour is fine and full; a single sprig
now by me proves almost too much for the confinement of a room. This
quality is invaluable in small flowers that can be freely cut, which,
moreover, as in this case, are otherwise suitable for bouquet work.
Propagated by cuttings and division of the suckers, taken when growth
has ceased; if put in sandy loam and a warm situation, they will become
rooted during the following spring.

Flowering period, August and September.

Colchicum Autumnale.

MEADOW SAFFRON; _Common Name_, AUTUMNAL CROCUS; _Nat.
Ord._ MELANTHACEAE.

A native bulbous perennial (see Fig. 25). The Colchicums are often
confounded with the autumn-flowering species of croci, which they much
resemble when in bloom; the similarity is the more marked by the
absence, from both, of their leaves in that season, otherwise the leaves
would prove to be the clearest mark of difference. Botanically they are
far removed from each other, being of different orders, but there is no
need to go into such distinctions, not, at any rate, in this case.

[Illustration: FIG. 25. COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE

(about one-sixth natural size.)]

The flowers are well known and they need not be described further than
by saying they are in form crocus-like, but much longer in the tubes and
of a bright mauve-purple colour. The bulbs have no resemblance to the
crocus whatever, being often four times the size of the crocus corms.
Moreover, they are pear-shaped and covered with flaky wrappers of a
chestnut brown colour; if examined, these coverings will be found, near
the neck of the bulb, to be very numerous and slack fitting, extending
above the ground, where they have the form of decayed or blackened
foliage; a singular fact in connection with the roots is, they are not
emitted from the base of the bulb, but from the side of the thickened or
ovate part, and are short and tufty. In early spring the leaves, which
are somewhat like the daffodil, but much broader and sheathed, are
quickly grown; at the same time the fruit appears. In summer the foliage
suddenly turns brown, and in the autumn nothing is seen but blackened
foliage, which is very persistent, and