Crocus to identify? Post them here....

[Janis Ruksans]

could your mystery crocus be a white form of C. goulimyi?
if has the floppy wide tepal shape distinctive of goulimyi

Rimmer

My first opinion was the same, but flower shape?

[tonyg]

I got this as Crocus caspius, but where is the yellow throat?
Is it an albino form of caspius or wrongly named? None of my books mention albino forms of Crocus caspius.

Poul

I think it is goulimyi Mani White.  Very similar to what I grow under that name.  Slightly narrower petals and a more 'starry' shape than is usual for goulimyi.  It is not caspius 

[Gerry Webster]

I'm inclined to agree with C. goulimyi but I'm doubtful about 'Mani White' which, if memory serves, has rather pointed tepals. Perhaps subsp. leucanthus (so-called)?

[Boyed]

I'm inclined to agree with C. goulimyi but I'm doubtful about 'Mani White' which, if memory serves, has rather pointed tepals. Perhaps subsp. leucanthus (so-called)?

I also think that it is not 'Mani White', as the shape not corresponds. here is my 'Mani White'

[tonyg]

I elected for Mani White as the imposter because it is the most widely available white goulimyi. Cynical perhaps but imposters are usually the cheaply available, quick increasing forms.   

Flower size and shape can vary a bit from season to season, I recently had  a conversation with someone whose one corm of vallicola lost its wispy tips this year having displayed them last year.

[Gerry Webster]

Paul Christian:

'Mani White' - £7.50.

"C. goulimyi leucantha"(!) -   £3.50

[pehe]

Thank you all for the ID!
I will re-label it as 'C. goulimyi, white form' (and keep searching for the real caspius)

Poul

[tonyg]

Paul Christian:

'Mani White' - £7.50.

"C. goulimyi leucantha"(!) -   £3.50

Doh!!  You can now see how rarely I buy crocus. 

Quick research - Mani White can be had for a lot less.  C goulimyi leucanthus is rarely offered .... might be a snip at 3.50 although in my experience seed raised leucanthus disappoint if there is any chance of hybrids with the blue forms.   Many of my seed raisings have come in blue shades, few true to type 

[Janis Ruksans]

I agree with Zhirair. It certainly isn't Mani White. Checking corm tunics will confirm is it goulimyi or not. In my collection are lot of leucanthus, this autumn they were pure white, but I have only few Mani White. I was afraid about virus infection and destroyed my main stock. May be too early?  I didn't like flower shape. Now I have small stock from Archibald.

[Gerry Webster]

Doh!!  You can now see how rarely I buy crocus. 

Quick research - Mani White can be had for a lot less.  C goulimyi leucanthus is rarely offered .... might be a snip at 3.50 although in my experience seed raised leucanthus disappoint if there is any chance of hybrids with the blue forms.   Many of my seed raisings have come in blue shades, few true to type 

Very wise Tony! Especially if you want plants that are true to name.

I presume 'Mani White' is reproduced vegetatively whereas 'leucanthus' is from seed. Mine came from JJA seed (very quickly);  all are white & look like Poul's plant.

[Gerry Webster]

Thank you all for the ID!
I will re-label it as 'C. goulimyi, white form' (and keep searching for the real caspius)

Poul

Good luck Poul! The last time I was given C. caspius they turned out to be C. hadriaticus. Seed (JJA) of C. caspius sown in 2006 shows no sign of approaching flowering size. If my experience is typical it is not surprising that C. caspius is hard to find.

[tonyg]

To my mind these are nicer than the pure white forms.

Crocus goulimyi leucanthus

[pehe]

I agree with Zhirair. It certainly isn't Mani White. Checking corm tunics will confirm is it goulimyi or not. In my collection are lot of leucanthus, this autumn they were pure white, but I have only few Mani White. I was afraid about virus infection and destroyed my main stock. May be too early?  I didn't like flower shape. Now I have small stock from Archibald.

I do normally not treat crocus like this, but here it is: Crocus 'Caspius' corms

Poul

[Janis Ruksans]

I do normally not treat crocus like this, but here it is: Crocus 'Caspius' corms

Poul

It is goulimyi

[Rimmer de Vries]

here is a pot of C. goulimyi flowering now from NARGS seed 2008-09 #882 and one is white. I don't recall this white one in past years of this pot booming. there are definitely several color variations in the seed lot all from one nice donor in Seattle.