BULBOCODIUM

(from bolbos, a bulb, and kodion, wool; referring to the woolly covering of the bulbs). O RD. Liliaceæ. T RIBE Colchiceæ. A very pretty little bulbous plant, much resembling the Crocus, from which it differs principally in having a superior ovary and six stamens. It is amongst the earliest of spring-flowering plants, the flowers preceding the foliage; and, like the majority of bulbs, delights in rich sandy loam. In such positions, they multiply rapidly from offsets. It is a good plan to take up the bulbs, divide, and replant them every second year, selecting in autumn, and renewing the soil or planting in new positions. Few plants prove more welcome in the garden, in February, than B. vernum, either in beds, patches, or ma es.