Janis R. - his Crocus in April 2014

[Janis Ruksans]

This spring for me was very rich with travels. At first I went to Holy Athos Mountain on Athos peninsula to look for mysterious Crocus athous included by Brian Mathew in synonyms of Crocus atticus. Our research confirmed that it is valid species well separable from C. atticus both by flower and corm tunics.
Next trip was to Turkey with simple target - to check features of some new crocus species - to check parameters of flowers and to make as much pictures as possible. This trip was partly successful - spring was early, trip comparatively late, but in any case our small group found some nice crocuses in bloom - sometimes the last flowers, but we found what we wanted. Only one species we didn’t find.
And the third was to Armenia. Flights from Riga to Erevan are expensive and very long by time, much easier to go there via Tbilisi (Georgia) which is situated on equal distance from Vanadzor where I will live at our forumist’s Zhirair apartments. Flight is through Kiev - unhappy Ukraine which now suffers from attacks of Russian imperialism agents. I’m a little afraid that real war can start and then passing through Ukraine will not be possible, but all is OK. Kiev Airport only is much more silent than usually it was, and mostly there are Ukrainian International Airlines plains, but at end I noted one plain of British Airways, too. But it looks that international companies minimized flights to Ukraine.
When my plane approximates Tbilisi from top all mountains looks covered by deep snow. Zhirair greets me at airport and informs that Armenia is covered by snow. It started to fell a day before my coming and stopped only this night. All around is white and cold. May be it will melt, and then we will try to get some crocuses. If not - my friend promised to collect them for me later.
On the first day we went to coldest area of Armenia but in this case it was without snow. On the way I twice asked my friend - may be better return as with each km snow level raised and raised, but really at final point it disappear. We found nice biflorus crocus with very uniform deep plain blue flowers growing on peaty soil on slip with sparse shrubs between road and fields soon after Taschir city. It was still in flowers (it is coldest area of Armenia) so I made some herbariums and collected few corms.
You can see on pictures Colchicum sp. growing side by side with crocus, nice Ornithogalum sp. (both were not collected) and habitat shot.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Two more pictures of Crocus adamii from Taschir vicinity

[Janis Ruksans]

When we returned to Vanadzor we stopped at another locality where by my friend Crocus adamii bloomed at 20th of February (this year). Now it is generally covered by snow. But on some spot without snow I found one blooming specimen for herbarium. Further we went to S faced slope where collected few crocuses out of flowers. There were only one flowering. Soil there is clay and on some spots stony clay. Here it grows on open meadow. It was not easy to spot them in grass as leaves still were short or grazed. By Zhirair on the previous locality flowers are very uniform, but near Vanadzor very variable, generally darker blue and striped but occasionally even pure white. So the first day were not lost day.
On pictures - Crocus adamii, habitat and Scilla armena and Puschkinia scilloides starting to bloom.

[Janis Ruksans]

Next day we are going to very special place - old volcano - from where is reported crocus with white flowers which in herbarium turns blue. Hope locality will be without snow. As yesterday - around were rain, snow, but Arteni Mnt. was perfect. To find crocuses were needed four hours long walking up but they were not searched "white turning lilac" but ordinary adamii type.  All was dry, heavily grazed, but there were plenty of Iris (Juno) caucasica, muscari, Colchicum, even Oncocyclus irises but no one crocus. If someone was it was several times eaten by cattle before our coming. Only at very top at bottom of last snow tongues on more shaded area were crocuses in bloom. They bloomed just below snow tongues on very peaty soil. But it was not the searched one crocus. Mount is very large, and not knowing where exactly it is growing - we were too short in time. This one will be left for next season.

[Janis Ruksans]

Our last visit is planned to Geghart where Crocus geghartii is growing, but there spring is early, so certainly no flowers will be, but I hope to find by leaves. It is not far from Yerevan but there were even more snow than at Vanadzor. But I hope it will melt although nights are very cold.
It was quite long drive from Vanadzor (3 hours in one direction) as roads in Armenia are horrible. Cars use generally only gas which is much cheaper than petrol but of very bad quality and you must refuel after each 200 km. Our driver was my friends wife who accommodated on side streets of Vanadzor which are even worth than dirty roads in mountains of E Turkey. Just her driving skills helped to our success. But she is not fast driver especially in night.
When we arrived at Geghart monastery which is located deep in large gorge and partly in caves we asked to local flower seller about crocuses (showing picture on my camera' s screen and he showed us top of gorge where mountain plain (yaila) is situated. He was selling bunches of mixed wildflowers - Corydalis, Puschkinia, Iris reticulata and occasional crocuses between them. So we tried to climb up by small and steep footpass. Immediately met with beautiful creamy coloured Corydalis angustifolius, huge Pusckinia scilloides (found 6 purest white specimens and 2 of them I collected) and plenty of crocuses but only speciosus. When we reached around third of altitude we decided return as narrow pass was partly covered by snow and became very slipper and so dangerous due huge rocks that were impassable without danger to life.

[Tony Willis]

Janis

really interesting to see,thank you.

[Janis Ruksans]

We started to think about looking for some road to yailas lower by gorge but asked to same flower seller and he told that such road is but to opposite side of gorge, so we looked for it. Alla (my friends wife) bring us up by car to around 1850 m altitude but after there were so huge boulders that driving became dangerous for car and further we walk on foot. Unfortunately started minor rain and passes were again slippery but not dangerously steep. More difficult were snowy parts as legs dropped deep in very wet snow. After some hour or more we reached first plain mostly clean from snow and almost immediately spotted first three crocuses with old pressed down flowers but long searching in vicinity yielded nothing. I decided walk up to top of gorge for going to opposite side where by words of flower seller are crocuses. It was again long walk by slippery passes through snow tongues and over streams of fast running water from melting snow. Somewhere streams were hided under snow, but my new boots were perfect. My friend left on the first plato. By road I spotted few Crocus speciosus leaves just emerging from soil but no of C. adamii type.

Opposite side was generally under deep snow with only small spots free and no crocuses on those, but then I spotted around half acre size slightly higher flat-land where snow generally were blown away and really run there as turned quite late and road back was not easy. And there they were - mostly at end of blooming. There were some beautiful flowers but by steep cattle pass on side of gorge and I calculated it as too dangerous because started new snowing and it was very slippery. Crocuses bloomed together with Iris reticulata and Puschkinia scilloides. Unfortunately soil was extremely wet and sticky clay, and crocus corms lied deep in soil between dense grasses, so collecting was extremely difficult and hard. I was successful with no more than half of attempts. All time I was thinking about long road back. When I collected few corms I run, really run back.

During my absence Zhirair found at far end of lower plato another population. There crocuses mostly were with old flowers adpressed to ground. Those without flowers (in leaves only) were with leaf tops eaten by cattle so not easy to spot and soil was the same very sticky clay. We had no more time to collect some. Altitude was around 2150 m. Not many pictures were maid due sticky clay covering palms, boots and legs up to knees. Even camera was in some clay and I lost lens cap passing shrubs (fortunately I had reserve cap was in car). But crocus was reached. In general population seem to be lighter, at first look may be basal rings are different, but I'm not sure. Main feature here was several vegetative clumps never observed in previous three populations on previous days. We returned in Vanadzor at eleven o'clock in late evening. I think this was not easier than Athos climbing although not so steep but more dangerous and longer.

[Janis Ruksans]

Some crocuses still blooming:
Crocus pelistericus
Crocus scardicus and their hybrid
Crocus x gothoburgensis

[Steve Garvie]

Superb plants Janis!!!

[Yann]

Nice report of your trips Janis, thanks for sharing

[Janis Ruksans]

Just started seed collecting - the first which ripe are just C. cappadocicus and shortly follows C. suworovianus. Replanted first six crocus pots where leaves became yellow - there corms lost roots - most likely for too late and hard frost. The new corms looks perfect although small. May be were too wet when frost came - all are from Jordania, Israel, Syria. Others looks perfect but today I'm stopping watering of most autumn bloomers from dry regions.

[Maggi Young]

From spring trips to seed collecting - a busy month, Janis!
I hope your seed harvest is a good one.