Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Bulbs => Crocus => Topic started by: Janis Ruksans on April 03, 2018, 05:48:48 AM

Title: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Janis Ruksans on April 03, 2018, 05:48:48 AM
And now only few pictures from April
The first is seedling of marvellous Crocus aerius from Soganli pass in NE Turkey
Then very late coming up selection from Crocus reinhardii from Iran - all others finished blooming when this one came out.
Crocus reticulatus (true) from Pjatigorsk - Albino form
and another white from same group, but could be danubensis, too - still not checked what it really is - danubensis or reticulatus - growing between both species.
And last - Crocus minimus always is one of the latest bloomers.
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Yann on April 03, 2018, 10:56:45 AM
Janis you have delighted us with your last posts, such beauties shown :P
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Karaba on April 03, 2018, 02:39:07 PM
As Yann, you did a great work this spring by posting so many nice pictures of your crocuses, Thanks !

And last - Crocus minimus always is one of the latest bloomers.
This Crocus minimus from Bavella is quite strange and don't seem to be representative of the species. Crocus minimus is quite early, usualy flowering in february at low altitude. It is really rare in altitude and 1200 m (Col de Bavella) is the maximum given in Flora Gallica.
I always went to late in Corsica to find it and have only seen C. corsicus. Surprisingy, I have 2 sample of C. corsicus, one from altitude (1500 m) with big flowers, one from low altitude (200m) with small flowers and the earlier by 2 weeks is always the one from altitude.
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Janis Ruksans on April 03, 2018, 07:56:13 PM
As Yann, you did a great work this spring by posting so many nice pictures of your crocuses, Thanks !
This Crocus minimus from Bavella is quite strange and don't seem to be representative of the species. Crocus minimus is quite early, usualy flowering in february at low altitude. It is really rare in altitude and 1200 m (Col de Bavella) is the maximum given in Flora Gallica.
I always went to late in Corsica to find it and have only seen C. corsicus. Surprisingy, I have 2 sample of C. corsicus, one from altitude (1500 m) with big flowers, one from low altitude (200m) with small flowers and the earlier by 2 weeks is always the one from altitude.

Crocus minimus with me always is the latest of crocuses. Some wild collected stocks in open garden bloomed with me up to mid-May, whilst all other crocuses finished in last days of April. In greenhouse it changed a little and some forms are blooming together with highland Greek crocuses, but some always remain as the last ones. Early blooming are Dutch cultivated stocks of C. minimus.
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Karaba on April 05, 2018, 09:12:36 AM
So, the phenology of this species compared to other species looks very different in nature than in cultivation. It's like Crocus miniumus use different key to know when to bloom, or it use them in a different way. Do you know other Crocus species that have such a difference between cultivation and wild ?  I mean, not only that they are later in cultivation but that they are later, or sooner, than the other species.
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: ArnoldT on April 06, 2018, 10:14:29 PM
Two reliable returners

Crocus_kosaninii

and Crocus heuffeilanus "Dark Eyes"
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Tony Willis on April 12, 2018, 09:19:10 AM
Crocus scardicus quite late flowering
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Yann on April 12, 2018, 06:46:57 PM
this species is always fascinating.
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Tony Willis on April 13, 2018, 03:23:00 PM
Crocus pelistericus from FYROM. I do not think they have been shown before. Although not easy to see they differ in having a white tube from those on Mt Kymachalan (Voros) in Greece which have a purple tube
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: pehe on April 14, 2018, 06:36:24 AM
Crocus pelistericus from FYROM. I do not think they have been shown before. Although not easy to see they differ in having a white tube from those on Mt Kymachalan (Voros) in Greece which have a purple tube

Tony, you grow so many exciting forms of pelistericus!
These two forms are they different in other ways?

I grow two types of pelistericus, but I think both have purple tubes. However they behave different.
Type 1 on the first pic from yesterday rarely set seeds, and when they do, the seed capsule grows to about 10cm above ground. The corm makes many small offsets every year as seen on the pic. Source: Ian Young
Type 2 on the second pic has not flowered this year, so I cannot check the tube color further below. It is self fertile and set seeds easily . The seed capsule is not lifted above ground when mature, but stays close to the ground. In the 6 years I have had this form it has not divided at all. Source: Janis Ruksans.

Corms look identical on both types. Unfortunately, I do not know their origin. Maybe Ian and Janis can clarify that?

Poul
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: pehe on April 14, 2018, 08:07:26 AM
Here are a few Crocus pics from the last weeks

Crocus carpetanus
Different forms of Crocus cvijicii
Crocus cvijicii Cream of Cream
Crocus jablanicensis
Crocus minimus Bavella

Poul
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Tony Willis on April 14, 2018, 09:26:10 AM
Tony, you grow so many exciting forms of pelistericus!
These two forms are they different in other ways?

I grow two types of pelistericus, but I think both have purple tubes. However they behave different.
Type 1 on the first pic from yesterday rarely set seeds, and when they do, the seed capsule grows to about 10cm above ground. The corm makes many small offsets every year as seen on the pic. Source: Ian Young
Type 2 on the second pic has not flowered this year, so I cannot check the tube color further below. It is self fertile and set seeds easily . The seed capsule is not lifted above ground when mature, but stays close to the ground. In the 6 years I have had this form it has not divided at all. Source: Janis Ruksans.

Corms look identical on both types. Unfortunately, I do not know their origin. Maybe Ian and Janis can clarify that?

Poul

Poul no I cannot see any other differences apart from the flower colour and stigmas but these are my first two to flower (I only have three) The ones from Kymachalan which is what I think will be the source of yours are the other ones I grow. There are two forms in that one has a white stigma and the other orange. The two in flower from FYROM both have different coloured stigmas-the pale one is lemon and the dark one orange. I have no idea if this has any significance. The Kymchalan ones set seed easily but I cannot tell if they are self fertile because I pollinate them as they flower. They also form off-sets. I have found that my first C. scardicus from Pilous is self fertile. I only bought one and it set seed which is quite conclusive.
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Yann on April 14, 2018, 05:44:07 PM
Poul your minimus carpet si so beautiful, while you're showing your collection i'm repotting my autumn species and spring ones are faded.
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: pehe on April 15, 2018, 03:53:33 PM
Poul your minimus carpet si so beautiful, while you're showing your collection i'm repotting my autumn species and spring ones are faded.

Yes I like them too, and hopefully I will have many more in the comming years, as they set a lot of seeds.
Our spring is rather late this year, about 2 weeks ago we had still snow and freezing temperatures. I have just harvested the first seeds of Crocus capadocius (under glass), but no sign of dormancy yet. Isn't early that your Crocus are dormant?

Poul
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Yann on April 15, 2018, 05:40:45 PM
Mines are grown under glass that's the reason why my blooming season is so early. The greenhouse is over 4°c during winter as i grow terrestrial orchids. In the garden 90% of the crocus are faded for at least 3 weeks, first seeds buds in few of them.

In the wild minimus is already fading under 1400m, when i'll visit my family not far away the locus, i'm pretty sure i'll only see the very few survivors.

Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: GordonT on April 16, 2018, 05:32:26 PM
Help, I need to ask a favour, due to a boneheaded action by self! Seed of Crocus banaticus, and Crocus speciosus ex 'Oxonian' were being soaked prior to being sown. The bowls of seed were separated from their identifying packets for writing labels, and now I don't know which is which! Can anyone say which species would have darker seed than the other? I have found the photos of Crocus speciosus seed on the forum, but none of banaticus.

One packet of seed is quite dark brown after soaking overnight, and each seed is a bit larger than the seeds from the other packet (more of a reddish brown). If anyone can help sort this out for me, I'd be in your debt. Just goes to show- be sure to have enough coffee on the morning to clear the cobwebs! ;D
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Maggi Young on April 16, 2018, 06:40:32 PM
Photos of Crocus banaticus seeds in Bulb Log 24 of 2006
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2006/140606/log.html (http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2006/140606/log.html)


[attachimg=1]
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: GordonT on April 16, 2018, 07:08:12 PM
Thank you, Maggi for the help. I will have to live with my own error until the seedlings bloom. Seeds definitely vary in size and colour depending on ripeness/date of harvest, and freshness. Time will sort things out!
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: pehe on April 19, 2018, 06:42:48 AM
You don't have to wait until they flower. The leaves are quite different of the two species. In the first year they look somewhat similar, but in the second year there is no doubt. Later today I will post some pictures of seedling leaves.

Poul
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: pehe on April 19, 2018, 08:26:14 PM
Here are some pics of Crocus banaticus and Crocus speciosus seedling leaves, which clearly shows the difference.
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: GordonT on April 19, 2018, 08:34:56 PM
Thank you, Poul. It looks to me as if speciosus has narrower leaves than banaticus. Did you donate speciosus  ex Oxonian to the seedex this past year? If so, I have you to thank for my seeds.
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: pehe on April 20, 2018, 02:01:18 PM
Yes they have much broader leaves than speciosus. A couple of years ago, I donated Ox. seeds, but not last year, which was a very bad year regarding Crocus seeds. This year is much better - a lots of seed pods and I have harvested the first seeds.

Poul
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Janis Ruksans on April 27, 2018, 09:51:19 AM
I'm far too busy to work on pictures. Still one crocus are in bloom - it is C. minimus. 2 pictures attached, but the latest form of it still not started blooming. In same time soma already are harvested - they were caspius with some late frost damage on leaves, and in few days some goulimyi forms will be ready to harvest. Were harvested the first 2 seedpods of Crocus cappadocicus.
Twice a week all are fed by late season crystalon (red) through leaves (by spraying with 0.2 % strong solution. Tomorrow will be last spray. Still are watered late comers - cvijicii, veluchensis, autranii, vallicola, scardicus, pelistericus. Weather still very cool and wet. In full bloom are tulips - wild species and my own hybrids, but Alliums only show flower heads between leaves.
In the last picture - view from Latvian TV where my wife Guna presents her new book - PHLOXES (in Latvian) - on screen the TV reporter, I and Guna.
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Jupiter on April 30, 2018, 02:26:49 AM
Can resident croconuts please have a look at this picture for me and suggest a possible species name? It was given to me as Crocus goulimyi, but it looks quite different from the other goulimyi I have from Otto and other trusted sources. Could it be a variant or different form of that species? Autumn flowering remember, I'm in the Southern Hemisphere.
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Otto Fauser on April 30, 2018, 04:40:57 AM
Jamus ,  your Crocus is most likely the easy and widely grown ( in Australia ) Cr. serotinus , and probably the ssp. salzmannii. From the photos you shared recently on the Forum the autumnfl. species seem to thrive in your garden . -as they do in my garden .  the most vigorous here are C. banaticus  and caspius  self sown in most unexpected spots in many hundreds  - beautiful over the last few weeks in glorious autumn sunshine .
Title: Re: Crocus April, 2018
Post by: Jupiter on April 30, 2018, 10:35:50 AM

Thank you Otto. I looked up salzmannii in my book and I think it's a good fit. I'm thrilled with the flowering of my autumn crocus this year, especially the ones in the garden. It gives me confidence to move more into the ground next summer.
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