Crocus October, 2018

[Janis Ruksans]

Yesterday was very nice weather and very nervous day. We had elections of our Parliament. So inly few hours in greenhouse were passed, then visiting of Municipality for voting and we all together went to district city for dinner. Up to 2 o'clock in night I was sitting at TV screen watching counting and prognosis about results, interviews with party leaders. Results are far better as I suspected. Former government felt, My party will be 2nd by size from 7 parties represented. Not easy forming of coalition, but we all hope for better...

Returning to crocuses - now I'm showing some of speciosus, where you clearly can see the differences between species. The first are 2 species with deep yellow throat - such are two - xantholaimos and mine sakariensis. Both are separable by position of stigma - in xantholaimos it is mostly hidden between anthers, rarely ending around tips, but in sakariensis it well exceeds tips of anthers. Of course xantholaimos is high altitude plant,. but sakariensis is growing at low altitudes.

Crocus bolensis and typical speciosus (not pictured here) - both has pure white throat, but again - in speciosus it is well exposed over anthers, but bolensis hided between them. Something similar is ilgazensis, but its stigma is much less branched, it is distinctly smaller plant and bloom,s much earlier.

The last "speciosus" pictured in this entry comes from very high altitudes in NW Iran, where it grows together with C. gilanicus and it is distinctly stoloniferous species.

[Gerdk]

Crocus serotinus from Facinas/Andalucia Elvas/Potugal

Gerd

[Catwheazle]

Since I thought that it will not be any more and then the autumn crocuses (C. banaticus) shot up like mushrooms overnight :-)

[Janis Ruksans]

Oner of mine autumn blooming favourites with white flowers is Crocus asumaniae white form.
Such rarely can be found between usually pale lilac typical asumaniae.
Another white bloomer is Crocus boryi with milk-white flowers.
More and more species start blooming - yesterday first tiny flowers opened C. cambessedesii
Albino of Crocus kotschyanus is quite difficult. I several times almost lost it and then stock again grew up to few corms and all the time I'm looking on it with suspicious eyes - is it virus free or infected? If it wouldn't be so beautiful...

[Steve Garvie]

Crocus banaticus albus


Crocus speciosus


Crocus speciosus -image of a plant with 5 sepals and 5 petals.


Crocus cappadocicus


Crocus niveus -first time flowering from Marcus Harvey seed sown in 2014.

[Janis Ruksans]

Crocus speciosus -image of a plant with 5 sepals and 5 petals.

It more looks as C. xantholaimos, not speciosus - note the throat colour (in speciosus must be white) and position of stigma - it is between anthers, not significantly overtopping them. The right hand plant has longer stigma, but such plants occasionally occur between xantholaimos even in wild, but return to "normal" length in next season.
Janis

[sokol]

Also some pictures from me from the sunny Saturday.

I am not quite sure wether both seed raised Crocus asumaniae are this species. The seed was from different sources.





Crocus boryi



Crocus cartwrightianus ex Evia



Crocus goulimyi leucanthus

[sokol]

Crocus hadriaticus albus



Crocus kotschyanus



Crocus pulchellus from Chios



Probably Crocus pulchellus x speciosus found in a pot with Ophrys



Crocus salzmannii

[Steve Garvie]

It more looks as C. xantholaimos, not speciosus - note the throat colour (in speciosus must be white) and position of stigma - it is between anthers, not significantly overtopping them. The right hand plant has longer stigma, but such plants occasionally occur between xantholaimos even in wild, but return to "normal" length in next season.
Janis

Many thanks Janis.
Now that you point this out I can clearly see the difference. I will change the label.
I probably have a few others that I have mis-labelled and also “old stock” which now have new names.

Nice plants and images Stefan. I wish that I could grow more crocus in the open garden.
Your 2nd image of “asumaniae” looks similar to the plants I grow under this name. I’m not sure about the first image -perhaps Janis can offer an opinion.

[Janis Ruksans]

Nice plants and images Stefan. I wish that I could grow more crocus in the open garden.
Your 2nd image of “asumaniae” looks similar to the plants I grow under this name. I’m not sure about the first image -perhaps Janis can offer an opinion.

The second is correct and true. The first - I'm doubtful.

[pehe]

Janis, Steve, Stefan thanks for showing all these lovely Crocus!

A sunny morning after a rainy night:

Crocus nudiflorus
Crocus caspius
Crocus serotinus

[pehe]

Crocus banaticus.
The colour on the ones in shade is not correct. They are not that blue.

[pehe]

Crocus nerimaniae. There is a colour blotch one one of the petals. I do not hope it is the first sign of virus.
Crocus gilanicus. There is almost no variations in the seedlings.

[pehe]

Two colour variants of Crocus mathewii.
One of my favorites: Crocus vallicola

[pehe]

Crocus hakkariensis
Crocus dispathaceus - 6 flowers from one large corm!
Crocus melantherus
Crocus salzmani erectophyllus
Crocus cartwrightianus albus? I got this many years ago under that name. It is reliable in the garden, but had never set seeds.

Poul