Flora, seu, De florum cultura, or, A complete florilege, furnished with all requisites belonging to a florist by John Rea, Gent.

Crocus verus.

THe true Saffron springeth up with many long narrow leaves, and after them the flowers, in form like the former, of a reddish purple colour; in the middle of the flowers there are some small yellow chives standing upright, which are unprofitable, as those of all the other kinds, but besides these each flower hath two, three, or four greater and longer chives hanging down upon or between the leaves, which are of a fiery red colour, and the true blades of Saffron, the which only being picked from the flowers, pressed between two papers, and after dried upon a Kiln, or otherwise, is that Saffron

commonly sold in shops: the roots are bigger than those of any other sort of Crocus, and covered with a hairy skin, easily distingui∣shed from all others.