This Medowe Saffron riseth vp very early in the yeare, that is, in the end of Ianuarie sometimes, or beginning, or at the furthest the middle of February, presently after the deepe Frosts and Snowes are past, with his flowers inclosed within three greene leaues, which opening themselues as soone almost as they are out of the ground, shew their buds for flowers within them very white oftentimes, before they open farre, and sometimes also purplish at their first appearing, which neuer shew aboue two at the most vpon one roote, and neuer rise aboue the leaues, nor the leaues much higher then they, while they last: the flower consisteth of six leaues, long and narrow, euery leafe being diuided, both at the bottome and toppe, each from other, and ioyned together onely in the middle, hauing also six chiues, tipt with yellow in the middle, euery chiue being ioyned to a leafe, of a pale red or deepe blush colour, when it hath stood a while blowne, and is a smaller flower then any Medowe Saffron, except the small Spanish kindes onely, but continueth in his beauty a good while, if the extremity of sharpe Frosts and Windes doe not spoile it: the leaues wherein these flowers are enclosed, at their first comming vp, are of a brownish greene colour, which so abide for a while, especially on the outside, but on the inside they are hollow, and of a whitish or grayish greene colour, which after the flowers are past, grow to bee of the length of a mans longest finger, and narrow withall: there riseth vp likewise in the middle of them the head or seede vessell, which is smaller and shorter, and harder then any of the former, wherein is contained small round browne seede: the roote is small, somewhat like vnto the rootes of the former, but shorter, and not hauing so long an eminence on the one side of the bottome. 19. _Colchicum vernum atropurpureum._ Purple Medowe Saffron of the Spring. The flower of this Medowe Saffron, is in the rising vp of his leaues and flowers together, and in all things else, like vnto the former, onely the flowers of this sort are at their first appearing of a deeper purple colour, and when they are blowne also are much deeper then the former, diuided in like manner, both at the bottome and toppe as the other, so that they seeme, like as if six loose leaues were ioyned in the middle part, to make one flower, and hath his small chiues tipt with yellow, cleauing in like manner to euery leafe. [Illustration: