Crocus March 2018

[Janis Ruksans]

Here you can see 2 colour forms of Crocus isauricus sensu HKEP from Sertavul pass in Turkey
and then 2 pictures of C. lyciotauricus
The ;last is unidentified crocus sam,ple from Tendurek gecidi (pass) in NE Turkey, by flower strongly resembling Crocus aerius, although growin in some distance to E from its traditional area. Later (at harvesting time) will check its tunics.

[Maggi Young]

Another beauty from SW Turkey, known only from one isolated hilltop is Crocus fauseri - here 3 pictures of it

 And today is the 80th Birthday of that wonderful plantsman, Otto Fauser!  We send him every good wish for many happy returns of the day!

[Janis Ruksans]

Now it is very cloudy, crocus flowers stay closed so still some pictures maid 2 days ago. Just started snowing.
It is a little difficult to be the single one who now enter pictures of crocuses. For you crocus season already ended but here it started. Next Sunday we will have open door day.
The first two pictures is of Crocus nubigena from Lesvos Island - note deep purple zone deep in flower.
Next picture is Crocus seisumsiana
Then unidentified species from N of Akseki (not my own collection, so details of locality unknown)
and as last another unidentified from ruins of Termesos near Antalya

[Janis Ruksans]

In this entry only 3 pictures.
The first one is from meadow near Yaylaalan. I identified it as similar to C. mawii, but H. Kerndorff wrote me that it is not mawii according DNA but not informed me, what it really is. I sent quite many samples for DNA checking, but not always got reply and sometimes results seem quite strange, not responding with morphological features and distribution area of the species according DNA.
Next is Crocus stevensii - very good, easy identifiable species originally collected by late Jim Archibald and Norman Stevens.
As last in this entry Crocus yataganensis from HKEP.

[Janis Ruksans]

And now puzzle (mystery)
Crocus from Goldaģ was identified by me and by Ibrahim as very close to Crocus mysius. WE searched on Goldaģ for C. lydius published by HKEP. We worked there 2 days. Found annulate crocuses at 3 localities, ecologically same as in publication of lydius, but it turned completely different. When I got DNA - it was named as simavensis aff. (as on attacherd pictures). But if it is simavensis - this mean that C./ simavensis is much more widely distributed as noted in original paper. Our locality is very distant from locus classicus, as it could be supposed by description of C. simavensis. In any case tooth on Goldag plant basal rings is not longer that 2 mm, but according original description they must be very long - 2-5 mm or longer.
About another on next entry, later.

[Janis Ruksans]

The plant which I regard as true simavensis, at least its basal rings has tooth even longer than 5 mm, only anthers seem to be slightly different than could be in simavensis, was collected at Izzettin vil. on Balikesir-Uschak roadside. Here 3 pictures of it.
Further by our road, at high altitudes of Ulus-Dag, we found another crocus, which looks very close to plants from Goldaģ, but DNA showed that it could be hybrid, what again seems very strange. Here 2 pictures of it.

[Janis Ruksans]

Today is dark, all the day some snowing but temperature is in + degrees. I maid first watering of crocuses after opening. Crocus flowers all the day remained in general closed, but this allowed to make some pictures, which usually can be seen and showing nice outlook view of closed flowers.
The first is fantastic C. crewei Chocolate Soldier
What really is C. antalyensioides yellow form - I have no idea. I suppose that it is hybrid with some of flavus. Those flowers now looks as cvijicii, but all cvijicii still didn't even show noses out of ground.
Crocus candidus is amazingly variable in wild. Here you can see variability of it, all collected out of flowers on small spot.
Crocus olivieri candidus was found by Ibrahim. It is very beautiful plant, well growing with me.
Last in this entry - new species from Turkey, will be published, may be in autumn this year.

[Janis Ruksans]

I really don't know - are crocuses from Central Asia hybridising between them. I never got any seed when I artificially crossed in  any combination C. korolkowii, alatavicus and michelsonii. But between open pollinated seedlings of korolkowii comes out amazing plants. In this entry four selections which when flowers were open were characterised as whites, but their outside is extremely variable.
The last picture is of Crocus guneri, not long ago published by Turkish botanists.

[Janis Ruksans]

In the last entry of today - 4 other seedlings of Crocus korolkowii. On last picture in background small flower of cv. Dytiscus.

[tonyg]

The cold snap, followed by the Siberian cold and snow, put the crocus season on hold here.  Now the stragglers are making up for lost time.  Here are a few from the last few days.

Crocus angustifolius - obtained from Wisley plant sales in 1992
Crocus pulchricolor - JP 91-25
Crocus vernus
Crocus vernus ? x tommasinianus

[Jacek]

Now it is very cloudy...

It is a little difficult to be the single one who now enter pictures of crocuses. For you crocus season already ended but here it started.

Sunny here and quite warm, but crocus season has not yet started here (in the garden). There were not many forumists entries in February, either.

May be you are the only person posting, but there are many readers. So - we are waiting for more. Thank you for your work.

When I started writing this short text was early morning, no crocuses were opened in the garden. But as the day was warming up the first few opened their flowers. This year winner of the Earliest Crocus Prize is Crocus tommasinianus, but others are in a hurry for the second prize. Just not to leave your crocuses so lonely I post one of the runners for the second prize.

[Jacek]

I wanted to come for the crocus days for the first time this year. There are convenient flights from Warsaw, though they are no longer as cheap as they used to be.

Unfortunately, the broken leg needs some more time to heal. May be next year.

The only problem I had preparing for the trip was finding Vecpulkas on the map. My Google Maps doesn't see it (Stalbe - yes). Finally I found it on a Latvian site – lursoft.lv  On satellite – I think I can see two greenhouses. May be it would wise to place appropriate information on rarebulbs.lv – a map or GPS co-otriates?

[Janis Ruksans]

I wanted to come for the crocus days for the first time this year. There are convenient flights from Warsaw, though they are no longer as cheap as they used to be.

Unfortunately, the broken leg needs some more time to heal. May be next year.

The only problem I had preparing for the trip was finding Vecpulkas on the map. My Google Maps doesn't see it (Stalbe - yes). Finally I found it on a Latvian site – lursoft.lv  On satellite – I think I can see two greenhouses. May be it would wise to place appropriate information on rarebulbs.lv – a map or GPS co-otriates?

Dear Jacek,
I well understand you. I had broken leg just before my lecture tour in Canada and USA, so was forced to cancel it and delay for a year. So next year you will be very welcome, only in March, 2019 I'm planing 10-14 days long mountain trip, so must discuss the time for visit.
Other important thing is that no more my nursery is in VECPULKAS (on Google Earth - Pulkas). Now it is replaced to JAUNRUJAS (on navigation - Rujas), Raiskuma pag., but the same Pargaujas nov.), I will put this on my home page. I will have the first visitors this year from UK on coming Friday and there will be many more on next Sunday.

[Jacek]

Ok, now I can see it, but again - ordinary Google Maps does not find it for me. lursoft.lv - no problem.

From satellite view I can see four greenhouses: 2 bigger and 2 smaller. Unfortunately, from satellite I cannot see crocuses

[Yann]

Crocus veluchensis 'Pearl of Rhodope', thanks to Luc G.