Crocus February 2008

[mark smyth]

Poor things f-f-f-frozen

[Maggi Young]

They sure are frozen! Was never above 3 degrees here today..... which is why I scoffed ALL the choclate you sent me.... can't believe you expected me to RATION myself!!

[tonyg]

Mark - your Crocus corsicus looks exactly like the 'trade' form that Thomas and I grow.  Likely that a lot of other people are growing it too as mine came from P&M (as they then were) in 1988 so its been around a while.  As we have mentioned earlier it is atypical in that it has a yellow throat.  However it does not fit into imperati so I'm still calling it corsicus.

Also, Crocus angustifolius Bronze form is typically paler yellow, with pinkish maroon outer blotches, yours look a very strong yellow but it could just be the light and the tight buds that make yours look yellower!

David, I think we are talking about the same supplier that you refer to.  I had not ordered from them until 2007, the bulbs are all healthy and promise good flowers.  Unfortunately anyone who buys in and sells on stock without growing it for a year runs the risk of both being sold and selling a 'dud'.  I offered to check the corms for them last year but the only way to do this was to buy some ... by the time I received them and knew that they were not as labelled, it was too late.  Cvijicii turned out to be nice, ordinary C angustifolius.

[mark smyth]

Tony I would say my dark angustifolius is as seen. I have no label and with most of my collection I didnt keep  note of where they came from. Do you have an RHS colour chart? I can get the colours on Monday

[dominique]

Marvellous pics of your Crocus Mark. Bravo ! Some pics of sieberi not rare but nice I find. My corsicus was sent me by Botanical Garden of Wuppertal, Thomas !

[dominique]

Tony G., if sun to morrow, I'll verify the colour of the throat and I hope it without yellow !!!
Just I see I am now full member !!!! What a distinction ! I will drink CHAMPAGNE at your health, all, and cook crepes because to day is the Chandeleur day and the daylight is bigger of an hour here !!!

[David Nicholson]

David, I think we are talking about the same supplier that you refer to.  I had not ordered from them until 2007, the bulbs are all healthy and promise good flowers.  Unfortunately anyone who buys in and sells on stock without growing it for a year runs the risk of both being sold and selling a 'dud'.  I offered to check the corms for them last year but the only way to do this was to buy some ... by the time I received them and knew that they were not as labelled, it was too late.  Cvijicii turned out to be nice, ordinary C angustifolius.

Does this supplier not grow on any bulbs but simply buys in wholesale and sells on retail?

[Tony Willis]

here are a few more in flower.It looks like a rotten year for the crocus caused I think by a couple of hot weeks in April which caused them to go dormant too soon.
The angustifolius was collected in the Crimea years ago and given to me4 on a visit to germany.

The sieberi from Crete are a complete nusiancve in my sand plunge beds.

[Maggi Young]

Tony, just dig your nuisance Crocus out of your plunge beds and send them up here, I'll give them a kind, caring home

[Anthony Darby]

I second that. I have just one sieberi in flower and it is a wee cutie. Those you have are little beauties.

[David Nicholson]

The Nicholson home for waifs and strays is also open for business

[annew]

I have a question for all the croconuts. A gentleman has contacted me about my form of C. hadriaticus. This is what he said:

By the way, Brian Mathew regards C. hadriaticus chrysobelonicus as an invalid name.  I had it  under the name “forma hadriaticus” - also an invalid name. As far as I can ascertain, the correct - or at least current - name is  C. hadriaticus “Tom Blanchard”. According to the old HoogDix nursery website it was named by Michael Hoog after D. (Tom) Blanchard (presumably John Blanchard’s father) who introduced the clone. Whatever the name, if yours is the same plant as I used to grow & as pictured by Lonsdale it is certainly a very distinct clone of C. hadriaticus.

I did know about chrysobelonicus being an invalid epithet, but can anyone throw any light on the 'Tom Blanchard' bit, as I'd like to give it a name to distinguish it from the other forms. Thanks. Here are the pics I posted last (?) year.

[Maggi Young]

hHlo, Anne, yes, I remember when you first showed us this stunning plant that you mentioned you thought the name was invalid. Is this any help?   ...... from Catalogue of the Living Collections of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh:


 " Crocus hadriaticus Herb.
Status: accepted name
Iridaceae
Synonymy:
Crocus hadriaticus Herb. ssp. chrysobelonicus

RBGE accession(s)
19840832 Wild collected in Greece
19933646 Wild collected in Greece
19933653 Wild collected in Greece
19952414 Cultivated material
19992021 Cultivated from wild collection from Greece
 
162
 Crocus hadriaticus Herb. ssp. chrysobelonicus
Status: synonym
Iridaceae
Accepted name:
Crocus hadriaticus Herb. "


Full document :
http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/parent=/filename=NAMES/firstval=121/multiform=%7Cmultisite%7Cmultisite3.php/multiaddr=bb04702.rbge.org.uk?ETI%3DIridaceae


This is all i seem to find about a Tom Blanchard connection: http://www.thealpinegarden.com/thumbnailindexcrocus.htm   This is a link to John Lonsdale's site, so he may be able to help.... are you about, John??

Tony Rymer showed a crocus under the name Crocus hadriaticus var. chrysobelonicus at a Discussion weekend show at Pitlochry, so he may be able to chip in his opinion, too. Don't know if you lurk, or not, Tony? 


BULBS
By John E. Bryan
Published 2002
Timber Press
ISBN 0881925292   describes var chrysobelonicus as having " pure white flowers with no markings" (There is a pic, it seems, plate 368 )
Crocus hadriaticus is said to have" flowers, to four inches, white stained brown or purple near base; throatis yellow or white, style is three-branched, orange."

That's about as much as I have, Anne! Lonsdale to the rescue, I hope!
 

[JohnLonsdale]

As best I know, C. hadriaticus ssp. chrysobelonicus is indeed invalid.  'Tom Blanchard' is a selection of hadriaticus ssp. hadriaticus, and Anne's plant certainly looks to be C. hadriaticus ssp. hadriaticus.  I don't think she can definitively call it 'Tom Blanchard' though.  It is hard to tell but if anything it looks to be a little darker in the throat and tube, with a bit less yellow, than TB.  The flower shape also looks more globular.  Either way it is a beautiful selection of C. hadriaticus ssp. hadriaticus.

Y'all  are way ahead of us here, where it has been cold enough to keep things on track for a proper winter, everything that should be dormant, is. We've had no snow to speak of and not been really cold - so far so good!  A few crocus are twitching in the garden, a few snowdrops thinking about opening, some hellebore buds are moving, and even an Adonis amurensis is in early flower - the rest are way behind.  Fritillaria striata has filled the greenhouse with gorgeous scent - from only 4 flowers!

Just got the wings ready for the Super Bowl!

Best,

J.

[Maggi Young]

Thanks, John, I'm sure that's been a help.
Your Frit. striata  has got a bit ahead of itself, surely? Must be a fan of the Superbowl, too, I expect!!