I'm going to assume that "purple" refers to deep violet -- the color of the darker Dutch crocuses -- rather than bluish red or pale colors that we might call "lavender." Given that, the shiny violet of big crocuses is also found in some forms of Crocus vernus, the ancestor of those large selections, which is not so showy but less prone to flop over in bad weather, since its tube is shorter. My favorite is one I bought under the name 'Haarlem Gem'; Antoine Hoog told me it is not that clone (which has grayish outer segments), but just a good form of C. vernus ssp. vernus. Similar colors can be found in the normally paler C. tommasinianus, the rich violets being available in clones such as 'Whitewell Purple'. I share Mary Sue's enthusiasm for the gleaming, large-flowered Brodiaea elegans. Dichelostemma congesta can also be a rich color, though not always. I have seen a plant said to be the natural hybrid Dichelostemma x venusta that had flowers of deep red-violet. (Lately we have seen the Dutch selection 'Pink Diamond' introduced and said to be this same cross, but I doubt this, having heard the story of its introduction from the original collector; I suspect 'Pink Diamond' is either a variant of D. ida-maia, or a hybrid of that species and D. volubile.) I think the best "purple" in the bulbous irises is to be seen in selections of Iris latifolia, the "English" iris (it actually comes from Spain). It resembles "Dutch" (hybrids of Spanish species) irises in form but flowers later and is more winter-hardy. Many selections of Reticulata iris species and hybrids are available, most of them in the blue-violet range but some more red-violet, such as 'George'. Many fritillarias are described as violet or purple, but the color is not bright, so although I love the plants I wouldn't offer them as shining examples of color. The modifiers "dusky," "brownish," and "muddy" are often used along with "purple" for these flowers. And let's not forget the genus Allium, which offers many showy species, especially from Central Asia, in bright violet. Most of them are tall plants for the border. There are purple Alstroemerias, most of which are quite tender. The one I grow is A. phillippii, and it is truly gorgeous -- a small plant with large flowers of lavender boldly streaked in deep violet -- but I have to remember to pull the pot out of the frame and carry it into the greenhouse when deep frost threatens. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA