Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Crocus => Topic started by: Janis Ruksans on March 21, 2013, 03:01:24 PM
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Whilst in Latvia still is strong frost (last night we had around minus 20 C) and is nothing to do in my greenhouses where all crocuses are again covered by glasswool sheets (regardless of blooming), I decided to search for crocuses in warmer countries – so I with few friends went to NW Turkey from where several new crocuses are recently described. Contrary to Latvia, spring in Turkey this year was early, but we successfully brought some frost there from frost hardened Central and East Europe. With our coming even in Turkey started rains and snowing at higher altitudes (300-400 m).
I named this entry – “yellow fewer” – usually this combination is used for yellow daffodil blooming time, but during our trip we really saw only flowers of yellow species. Blue & white ones finished, still not started or we simply didn’t find them in blooming stage.
Was the trip successful? I think yes, although two unusual and beautiful new-comers to large biflorus family we didn’t find, but we found most likely one new and some other nice discoveries compensated everything not seen. Our team is very international Two were from Czech Republic – Jirka likes Mediterranean nature, he is chief gardener of Pardubice city and all city parks are his garden. He is growing few plants – in pots on balcony of his apartments. Vaclav is very long-time friend and during communist era he was chief lily-breeder in former Czechoslovakia, but in free economy breeding is not profitable and he was forced to change profile – now he is importing and selling Dutch bulbs to all Czech Republic. His main interest still is lilies but he joined Cyclamen Society and is proud that in his collection are all but one wild Cyclamen species. Single exception – Cyclamen somaliensis. In Turkey he wants to see cyclamen variability in wild and their habitats. We strongly decided - nothing to collect but to follow this rule is not easy and really I secretly from others collected two samples – unusual colour form and most likely new one species – only 4 corms – 1 for herbarium, one for DNA and two for following seed crop. So I brought home only 5 corms and more than 500 pictures, a lot of impressions and habitat pictures. From other crocuses seen I had some sample in my collection before. Of course – we dug up some corms at each location – for identification purposes and corm pictures but after that replanted them back.
This case we decided to visit NW Turkey. I visited this part in 2008 together with Vaclav, our forumist Rik and famous galanthofile Colin Mason, and then we looked there mostly for snowdrops, travelled through quite low altitudes visiting by way a lot of historical monuments. Now we will go to tops and our trip starts in Izmir. It is huge city but we found reserved hotel in city centre surprisingly easy.
My main interest is Crocus lydius – just described by Erich Pasche & Co – with up to 5-6 ridges in each grove of leaf, growing exclusively on granites (3 localities), and seem to be easy foundable as the ridge isn’t very large from where it is described. It has very few but wide leaves, so there couldn’t be problems with its spotting. Day is very nice and sunny and by the way we decide to go up to snowy tops of Bozdag ridge.
Very soon we stop as on roadside is fantastic population of Anemone coronaria - with full spectrum of colours. It is not so often that you on same spot can see flowers of all shades from white to deep blue and brightest red. We saw Anemone in many localities, but nowhere so completely representing variability. On opposite side of road crazy river with nice waterfall – looks natural but slightly “corrected and bordered”.
Janis
Bozdag.JPG
Anemone coronaria - 1.JPG
Anemone coronaria - 2.JPG
Anemone coronaria - 3.JPG
Anemone coronaria - 4.JPG
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Janis, while it is a shame that winter continues so hard, we are fortunate that it gives you time to share these trips with us, thank you!
The spot of "curling" is very popular n Scotland- on television right now we can follow the Championships being held in Riga - with the temperatures you describe of minus 20, they could be curling on ice outside , never mind inside the ice- rink!
Edit : No, I'm wrong: Ian tells me that at minus 20 degrees C the ice outside would not be in good condition for game of curling ::) :-X
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We go up noting spots where to stop on way back… And then double shout – I and Vaclav in same time spotted yellow on right side of road. Of course – it could be only C. chrysanthus but approximating my eyes widens, no, no, it isn’t chrysanthus. By flower it looks very similar to C. gargaricus, but taking out of soil a pair of corms allows identify it as Crocus herbertii without any doubt. White few cm long stolones springs to sides of corm. Further checking of corm tunics confirms identification, although altitude is surprisingly low for this species – only 950 m. For both species it would be widening of area but for herbertii it is long way away from its traditional locality.
I turn my eyes up and there just where forest line changes to roadside slope a group of white crocuses. Crocus biflorus? It is not easy to climb up but it rewards. We found albino of herbertii. I never before hear that such exist, although I saw millions of herbertii on Ulu Dag – they all were very constant even in shade of yellow. But here group of pure albinoses with only slight shade of yellowish. Of course – they all derivate from single mutation just because of stoloniferous habit of this species and I don’t feel me making damage to nature when instead of replanting I’m picking up one corm.
Janis
Crocus herbertii -1.JPG
Crocus herbertii -2.JPG
Crocus herbertii alba -1.JPG
Crocus herbertii alba -2.JPG
Crocus herbertii tunics & stolones.JPG
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Few more pictures of Crocus herbertii with habitat.
We found Crocus chrysanthus blooming here, too. It is late for this species and flowers are damaged by bad weather, but they are invariably with brown back of petals. We spot only few plants but all seem to be identical. We are driving up and up and stopping from time to time to picture more and more C. herbertii on openings between forest. More and more C. chrysanthus appear on our way up and still all are invariably with brownish back of petals. Laying down for closeup pictures I push my eyes up – there I spot something unusual – it is another albinos, but this case of C. chrysanthus growing side by side with C. herbertii.
Here are some snowdrops with last flowers and between them one with double number of petals. Now I will fall in “obstruction“ by all galanthofiles – I didn’t collect it but left untouched. Sorry, Colin, we decided not to collect during this trip, so I can show only picture. But in any case – by my opinion it isn’t permanent, only two stems grew up together and next season it will return to normal shape. But – who knows? There are Corydalis wendelboi in full bloom, too, an of course - everywhere blooms Scilla bifolia. We reach 1300 m altitude. Unfortunately further road is closed by strong iron gate and several roadsigns not allowing driving up. Reason very simple – road slides down during snow thawing. Of course – we could walk up but it isn’t place of Crocus lydius (main target of my trip) and time is running fast. So we make some soup (we have with us thermoses with hot water), coffee and turn in direction of Göldağ.
Janis
004 Crocus herbertii -11.JPG
005 Crocus herbertii habiat -03.JPG
008 Crocus chrysasnthus Bozdag -04.JPG
008 Crocus chrysasnthus Bozdag -06.JPG
010 Crocus chrysasnthus Bozdag albino -01.JPG
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Last pictures from Bozdag before turning to Göldağ.
Janis
011 Corydalis wendelboi -03.JPG
012 Galanthus elwesii Bozdag.JPG
013 Scilla bifolia Bozdag.JPG
014 Snowy Bozdag tops -01.JPG
014 Snowy Bozdag tops -02.JPG
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There we have discussion – on my map highest point is marked at west end of ridge, on my friends map – just opposite. Finally one view wins and after long winding by small but well kept roads between villages we reach the Göldağ. We are making several stops by the road to Goldaģ where we spot some flowers, but everywhere it is only Crocus flavus subsp. dissectus, to which I would like return its historical name - Crocus mouradii. It looks closer to C. antalyensis and its distribution area doesn’t overlap with subsp. flavus. Unfortunately both last main DNA research papers don’t compare both taxa. Gitte Petersen et all. researched subsp. flavus but Dorte Harpke et all. - subsp. dissectus.
Finally we reach Göldağ. There really are volcanic outcrops which could be habitat of Crocus lydius. We make one walking up by narrow tractor track with a lot of rubbish heaps on sides. But there are no crocuses. And altitude isn’t sufficiently high. As you can see from picture where I showed my collegues going down from our first research up by slope of Göldağ, we don’t look very happy.
Janis
014 Crocus flavus dissectus habitat -01.JPG
015 Crocus flavus dissectus -03.JPG
017 Ornithogalum sp. -03.JPG
017 Ornithogalum sp. -04.JPG
018 On rubbish heap road -02.JPG
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Next road up, although it is ground road, is passable by our car and we drive almost up to maximal altitudes. There are yellow crocuses blooming but in this case they are Crocus flavus subsp. dissectus. It blooms later and confirmed that spring here was very early and remains little hopes to find our target in flowers. We saw it in gullies where in winter collected more snow. Weather is dark and it is quite late, so flowers are closed and not easy to make good pictures. Up to now we found only subsp. dissectus and autumn blooming pulchellus in leaves.
There is growing one of most spectacular Ornithogalums - O. lanceolatum. It has very spectacular leaves, but such shape they have only in mountains, in their natural habitat. During my earlier trips I many times collected 2-3 bulbs of this very early blooming species. Everywhere my attention was attached by its curved leaves, but in garden (at least with me) they always are growing straight. Of course, it is less ornamental than in wild, but in any case worth to grow. Request for it is so great that I’m always short with it. In “Gartenwelt” I read that in Germany it sometimes is even autumn-bloomer. In Latvia it blooms as one of the first, in garden sometimes too early and is damaged by frost.
Janis
019 Crocus flavus dissectus -01.JPG
020 Ornithogalum lanceolatum -01.JPG
020 Ornithogalum lanceolatum -02.JPG
021 One of Goldaģ peaks.JPG
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It is very late and we must go to nearest city to search for hotel. By road we pass western peaks of Göldağ but they all looks formed from calkstone, so not suitable for C. lydius, growing exclusively on volcanic rocks.
We are sleeping in Akhisar. Weather forecast is very bad - heavy rains offered for second half of day, but they start in night. Following days will be even worth - Siberian cold will reach Turkey, too and even snowing is forecasted. TV shows floods and other nature disasters. In morning we start early and from time to time we meat stronger or weaker showers. Now we took rod by opposite side of peaks. The hill which we yesterday saw from highest point reached by us, is covered in clouds. We found some road to it and decide drive by it as high is possible and then walk up. But soon our attempt is stopped. Night rain filled gullies with water, small streams turned in waterfalls and we are stopped by washed out roads. This side of this hill remain unexplored. Further by asphalt road we met granite outcrops and there are plenty of crocuses in leaves, but they all are only autumn blooming C. pulchellus. It seems that from this point this species follow us everywhere.
022 Opposite side of peak.JPG
023 Roadside waterfall.JPG
024 Road damage.JPG
026 Granit outcrops.JPG
027 Crocus pulchellus habitat.JPG
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It is heavy raining and searching for crocus I became completely wet and my colleagues even push me back in car and we drive further. Again place looks very, very promising, but rain is so heavy that we make only some Turkish village pictures through car windows. So again this locality remains unexplored. We continue our road, hoping that we will not forced to return, because by map in some distance will start dirty road, not the best for such car (although it is 4 wheel driver) in such weather.
027 Turkish village -01.JPG
027 Turkish village -02.JPG
027 Turkish village -05.JPG
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In opposite of weather forecast in afternoon rain didn’t become hardier, but just opposite - it stops and even sun shines through clouds. At very nice and promising looking spot we make our daily soup. Opposite side looks ideal for crocuses - all neighbour plants of C. lydius are here, excellent volcanic base rock, but there again only pulchellus, chrysanthus and some pallasii which I’m picturing here showing its leaves and typical corm tunics.
Here we decide to walk up as high as possible and we really are going up to spot where further up going would turn in hopeless enterprise, on picture it is spot where starts only steep rock up to top from some lovering after highest point in right side. On top we found blooming C. flavus dissectus, but flowers are closed and covered by waterdrops from just passed rain. But there in deep shrub blooms Galanthus elwesii, too.
028 Excellent Crocus habitat.JPG
030 Crocus pallasii leaves -02.JPG
031 Crocus pallasii corms -01.JPG
031 The same peak -01.JPG
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Crocus flavus dissectus and Galanthus elwesii at highest point reached by me and Ibrahim - 940 m.
032 Crocus flavus dissectus -01.JPG
032 Crocus flavus dissectus -03.JPG
033 Galanthus elwesii.JPG
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Here are some snowdrops with last flowers and between them one with double number of petals. Now I will fall in “obstruction“ by all galanthofiles – I didn’t collect it but left untouched. Sorry, Colin, we decided not to collect during this trip, so I can show only picture. But in any case – by my opinion it isn’t permanent, only two stems grew up together and next season it will return to normal shape. But – who knows?
It's hard to tell from the camera angle but it looks like a snowdrop with a fused ovary, part-way towards producing two separate flowers on the same scape. A number of snowdrop cultivars have a tendency to do this. Typically such snowdrops might well be normal next season but you might see this or something similar a few times if you observe them over a decade.
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Our Czech companions started to worry - where we both disappear because going up took quite a long time + search in vicinity. But no Crocus lydius we found there. Soon asphalt ends, but dirty road turns quite good and some kilometres long driving we are in same spot where last evening stopped searching. Now we decide to go up to the highest point. Locality really looks ideal, but everywhere we found earlier seen species only C. lydius not. Sun opens flowers of C. flavus dissectus, so a pair of pictures again, and picture of Crocus pulchellus corms. All the time I’m opening my hand lens to check leaves, but always it turns only many times before seen crocuses. We passed for searching of lydius more than one and half days. We can’t use more time for it. Evening is approximating and we must hurry to next spot - where we will look for Crocus simavensis. I’m telling to myself - finding of new locality and albino of C. herbertii compensates this failure.
034 Habitat.JPG
035 Crocus pulchellus corm -01.JPG
036 Crocus flavus dissectus -01.JPG
036 Crocus flavus dissectus -03.JPG
Bye bye Goldag.JPG
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It's hard to tell from the camera angle but it looks like a snowdrop with a fused ovary, part-way towards producing two separate flowers on the same scape. A number of snowdrop cultivars have a tendency to do this. Typically such snowdrops might well be normal next season but you might see this or something similar a few times if you observe them over a decade.
Thanks, Alan. I'm not snowdrop grower, so a lot od such "secrets" are unknown to me.
Janis
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We took some smaller road over ridge to Simav and soon after pass again we saw yellow flowers (oh, how I tired from this subsp. dissectus everywhere again and again). I’m picturing it only to document growing of dissectus at this spot, when my friends tell me - Janis your knees are on C. biflorus. And really I’m staying just on almost died flowers of blue coloured crocus. It looks very interesting and just this one is the other one which I can’t withstand to collect few corms - one for herbarium, another for DNA and two for my collection. This looks very close to lydius, but corm tunics are very different. Checking in home all descriptions of biflorus group species I can’t to find any which could match with this one. Excellent end of day!
038 Crocus flavus dissectus -01.JPG
039 Crocus sp. nova -01.JPG
039 Crocus sp. nova leaves -01.JPG
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After night in Simav we are going to mountains in North direction. At present weather is quite good but around mooch dark clouds. And I can repeat again the same - only earlier everywhere seen trio - but at first spot all finished blooming. So I’m making only habitat picture and for the first time seen during this trip - Cyclamen mirabile leaves.
040 Habitat N of Simav.JPG
042 Cyclamen mirabile.JPG
043 Crocus chrysanthus -02.JPG
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We drive up and in air appear first snowflakes. There at forest side we spot first Crocus chrysanthus and it seems that side by side are growing Crocus danfordiae. Its flowers are died and not worth to picture. By leaves I identify Crocus pallasii, too. But snow becomes heavier and heavier. Everywhere are blooming Crocus chrysanthus. Phantastic views of bright yellow flowers spotting from snow. They looks completely different from earlier seen (on Bozdag). If I would be 10 years younger - certainly I would start research on this Crocus. By my opinion there are several species included, only not easy to separable visually. It would be excellent job for scientific degree. At present is only accepted that there are included a lot of different cytotypes. Here flowers are purest yellow and only very few have small brownish tongue at outer base. Snow cover becomes thicker and thicker and we must return. Crocus simavensis is growing together with Crocus chrysanthus and I suppose that at first locality we were too late, but higher up it was too early. Of course it is only speculation. So this one was the second failure of our trip.
043 Crocus chrysanthus -06.JPG
043 Crocus chrysanthus -08.JPG
044 Crocus chrysanthus -02.JPG
045 Crocus chrysanthus corm -01.JPG
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Now we are going to look for Crocus mysius. We take narrow asphalted road to top of ridge through small villages but quite soon are forced to return. Road some kilometres before pass is covered by so deep snow that driving further become dangerous. With help of our hands (pushing car) we turn it around. When we are almost back to main road we stop at small gully and there it is - of course, without flowers but by leaves and corm tunics seem to be true. One more mark on my computers crocus distribution map! Of course far better would be to see it in flowers, but spring was unusually early there - just opposite to previous season when all was in deep snow.
047 Crocus mysius -02.JPG
048 Crocus mysius corm -01.JPG
049 Crocus mysius locality -01.JPG
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By the way we try to drive up on Ulusdag. Road is quite normal but it is late and weather again became worth. Soon we are in clouds which look as fog and again more and more snow on road sides. It is too dark for spotting of crocus leaves, but in flowers are only Crocus flavus dissectus. We are forced to turn back. On road down we stop to picture nice Muscari.
049 Rd to Ulus-dag top -01.JPG
049 Rd to Ulus-dag top -02.JPG
050 Muscari sp. on Ulusdag.JPG
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Still for us left two days and two species to search. So next morning we quickly turn to North. It is quite far road to Čan where on road to Čanakkale Turkish botanist Osman Erol & Co found and described new crocus - Crocus demirizianus. Very similar and most likely identical crocus earlier was found on opposite side from Čan. Checking my notes I found that in 2008 I collected there one corm of Crocus, initially identified as pulchellus (from 5 collected pulchellus, one turned to be spring blooming “biflorus”). So now I want to recheck locality - how widespread it is there and want to compare this one with earlier plant - are they same or not? Here snow great us at much lower altitudes - from 300-400 m altitude all becomes white, but only road remains clean from snow. We are not on top mood, but approximating searched locality snow disappear.
In 2008 there were not much crocuses, I spotted only few pulchellus and some candidus, which in deeper gullies even bloomed. Now new road is built and spotting of correct place is not easy, but this was very famous for two of us locality. In 2008 we there lost Colin Mason and we were forced to call Jandarma for searching with trained dog by his footprints. Fortunately Colin 6 hours later appeared on roadside just before search dog coming. Now seeing on roadside advertisement of “Kolin Hotel” - we joke that this hotel is named in our Colins honour.
Surprisingly, but now ground is covered by Crocus candidus leaves. It is everywhere. What a great contrast with situation 5 years ago. The same I can tell about C. pulchellus, but nowhere I can spot any biflorus leaves. C. candidus is quite special crocus. It can bloom having only one leaf, and usually hasn't more than two leaves.
051 Crocus candidus -02.JPG
051 Crocus candidus -05.JPG
051 Crocus candidus corm -02.JPG
051 Crocus candidus locality -01.JPG
051 Crocus pulchellus corm -01.JPG
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There are some Fritillaria sp., Corydalis integra, Tulipa sp.(silvestris?) leaves spotted and plenty of other nature objects to picture.
052 Fritillaria sp..JPG
053 Corydalis integra -01.JPG
054 Butterfly -02.JPG
054 Colin's locality.JPG
054 Lichens on stone.JPG
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Finally we decide to go away. We again select small road through villages, but everywhere we spot only two species - pulchellus and candidus. When road becomes impassable, we turn back to main road.
055 - Best botanists - will find even minor crocus leaf.JPG
056 Crocus pulchellus locality -01.JPG
056 Crocus pulchellus locality -02.JPG
057 Crocus candidus locality -01.JPG
057 Crocus candidus locality -02.JPG
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After leaving forest zone we turn back and repeat search on other spot by main road. I’m carefully watching roadsides and one place and rock seems familiar to me. We stop there and I’m climbing up. And there it was. I qalmost didn’t note it because leaves of this crocus are very erect and strongly resemble grass. At this spot it really is growing as grass… Putting GPS records on map we found that distance between my 2008 spot and new spot is only 100 meters.
And again we go further to North - for Crocus bifloriformis earlier regarded as C. biflorus typica in Turkey. I have it, so now I want only to see its habitat - where it is growing, because my stock came from other collectors. By Erich Pasche type locality is over 900 m, although it is growing much wider and at much lower altitudes, too. There are several places which look as good for crocus, when we select one where to stop. Entering shrubs I immediately spotted crocus which by leaves undoubtedly belongs to biflorus group. Here corms lie extremely deep and in very wet (recent rains) sticky clay. It is not easy to get some corm and to make its picture some washing is needed. Corm tunics confirm that it is searched one Crocus bifloriformis although altitude is only 160 m.
058 Crocus demirizianuys corm -01.JPG
059 Crocus bifloriformis locality -01.JPG
059 Crocus bifloriformis locality -02.JPG
060 Crocus bifloriformis corm -01.JPG
061 Ibrahim checking coordinates -02.JPG
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Next morning we turn by coast back to Izmir shortly entering some small side road, because on road sides spotted again yellow flowers. There are large spot where recently forest was cut and new pine trees planted. Around is barbed wire fence, protecting plantings from goats and sheep and in same time it protects crocuses, too. In this case it is Crocus flavus type form and for me it is first time when I saw it blooming in nature. Corms lie extremely deep in sticky clay, but I’m digging out one to picture characteristic very long neck of corm tunics. In forest out of fence are only very few specimens, although forest are not thick. There are some Crocus pallasii growing, too.
062 Crocus flavus flavus -03.JPG
062 Crocus flavus flavus -05.JPG
062 Crocus flavus flavus -08.JPG
063 Crocus flavus flavus & Ibrahim -01.JPG
064 Crocus flavus flavus corm -01.JPG
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Rest of day we decide for culture - visiting Bergamo with famous ruins of Pergamon at top of hill. This is spot where Crocus nubigena is growing (at least I have one from Archibald, labelled as Pergamo ruins and from same spot is picture of nubigena used by Osman Erol for comparing with demirizianus. Ruins are very impressive, although earlier local people used marble columns from Roman time for producing of chalk. We pass there almost half a day.
066 Pergamo -19.JPG
066 Pergamo -28.JPG
066 Pergamo -34.JPG
066 Pergamo -40.JPG
066 Pergamo -41.JPG
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Road guide us to Manissa, where we pass last night and in morning start driwing to Izmir Airport. We have a lot of time, so at quite low pass we again make some side turn. For great surprise to all of us it results in one more yellow crocus. This case it is Crocus balansae - the last crocus of our trip. It was single flower, for some reason not blooming together with others much earlier, as other plants seen were with seedpods.
The last picture is the same as the first in this trip - Anemone coronaria, but this population is very uniform - all flowers are bright red with white eye.
And this is end of my report. Hope you enjoyed it, not tired for so long reading and sorry for not giving you exact localities. It is only to protect localities from comercial diggers.
Thank you for attention!
Janis
067 - Crocus balansae -01.JPG
067 - Crocus balansae -04.JPG
068 - Crocus balansae habitat -01.JPG
068 - Crocus balansae habitat -02.JPG
069 - Anemone coronaria.JPG
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Oh yes Janis & Ibrahim , a joy to see .... 8)
We went to the south of Turkey from 3 - 10 march and have a good time ...
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Fantastic report Janis and what a selection!
Your first Ornithogalum is O. refractum while the second i would think of O. beyazoglui rather then lanceolatum.
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Fantastic report Janis and what a selection!
Your first Ornithogalum is O. refractum while the second i would think of O. beyazoglui rather then lanceolatum.
Thank you, Oron, for identification. I never looked much after Ornithogalums but hope will have time for this... sometime...
Janis
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Road guide us to Manissa, where we pass last night and in morning start driwing to Izmir Airport. We have a lot of time, so at quite low pass we again make some side turn. For great surprise to all of us it results in one more yellow crocus. This case it is Crocus balansae - the last crocus of our trip. It was single flower, for some reason not blooming together with others much earlier, as other plants seen were with seedpods.
The last picture is the same as the first in this trip - Anemone coronaria, but this population is very uniform - all flowers are bright red with white eye.
And this is end of my report. Hope you enjoyed it, not tired for so long reading and sorry for not giving you exact localities. It is only to protect localities from comercial diggers.
Thank you for attention!
Janis
067 - Crocus balansae -01.JPG
067 - Crocus balansae -04.JPG
068 - Crocus balansae habitat -01.JPG
068 - Crocus balansae habitat -02.JPG
069 - Anemone coronaria.JPG
It is a marvellous writing. I have to thank you for reminding me rich flora of Turkey.We are in it, but not aware enough..
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Today I opened from winter cover crocuses in greenhouse, so I can show you two species mentioned in my report but not shown as no one flower were seen in wild.
They are
Crocus demirizianus - 2 pictures
On second picture you can see its anthers, used by Turkish botanist Osman Erol for separating it from nubigena. More pictures you can see earlier on Ibrahims entry in our Forum. His stock comes from other side of Čan, but not very far from locus classicus of C. demirizianus.
On third picture is
Crocus nubigena
Just the form from Pargama ruins just at Bergama city, used by O. Erol to compare with demirizianus.
The third species used for comparing by O. Erol is
Crocus crewei from near Denizli
Janis
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Janis, thank you for a very interesting report. It is almost as if I were there too!
Poul
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Thank you for the excellent travel report and images.
The beauty of Turkey's nature obviously still keeps so many secrets for us to detect.
Every new discovery is a surprise and cause a flurry of excitement for the enthusiast :o
Congratulations for the new findings. :)
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Such a great adventure.
I wish I could join that journey.
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Congratulations for the new findings. :)
I found that there was mentioned pale gargaricus and named var. citrinus by Herbert (cited by B. Mathew). By G. Maw samples got from Kaz Dag (earlier Mt. Gargarus) were generally lemon coloured. Of course presence of Crocus herbertii on Boz-daģ is new discovery (completely new locality even for those who regardless of DNA research and morfological differences want to regard both as same species) and our plant really can be named as white, although minor shade of yellow, more precisely - greenish - can be seen. I think that it is whitest of all ever seen in both - gargaricus and herbertii, although both species is well separable by corm tunics - very different in each.
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Crocus demirizianus
More pictures you can see earlier on Ibrahims entry in our Forum. His stock comes from other side of Čan, but not very far from locus classicus of C. demirizianus.
Janis
see here
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=9717.msg260944#msg260944 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=9717.msg260944#msg260944)
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=9717.msg260947#msg260947 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=9717.msg260947#msg260947)