Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Crocus => Topic started by: Paul T on April 15, 2008, 11:53:46 AM
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Howdy All,
So that we don't interfere further with the April thread for crocus with our autumn reports, I figured I'd start a Southern Hemisphere thread for our crocus. I'll put some of the pics I have already posted elsewhere into here as well as new stuff.
Attached to this are 3 crocus that I have flowering at the present (the pulchellus has just sent up another flower, nicely timed to be included here as still in flower ;D).... they are pulchellus, mathewii and pallassii ssp dispathacea.
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And now to something new......
This was purchased this year as Crocus asuminae. From what descriptions I can find it sounds about right, but I can't find any pictures of it anywhere. Does it look right to those in the know?
This picture is thanks to my wife Yvonne, who took a photo of it for me while it was open today (the first time she'd used my camera, so she did pretty well, particularly given it was in a spot that made it somewhat difficult to get as for photographing). I've seen it closed, but not during daylight hours while open, so now you've seen it as clearly as I have ::)
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Good idea, Paul!
And congratulations to Yvonne, Tanja still has to do their first shot in my garden 8)
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Thomas,
So does it look right for asuminae?
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asumaniae is a very variable species, but yours looks OK! MH?
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Thomas,
No actually, it wasn't. A small place in Victoria.
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Good thinking Paul !
We'll be watching this space ;)
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OK, I'll put these few here, though do you think we're posting enough about Crocus to warrant a whole new thread Paul?
I'd like an ID please for this one, autumn flowering of course. I've had it for many years but thought it had died in the general chaos. But yesterday a very nice flower appeared and I picked it to photograph because of its overgrown surroundings. Side on then from above. There is very pretty feathering on the INNER petals and fine stippling on the outer. The colour is about right I think and the size in the first pic (enlarged) is right too. Sorry about the poor second pic.
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I think your C. asumaniae is right Paul. Mine is the same, from Potterton and Martin (UK) in 1993 I think. I remember being disappointed by it originally, expecting something deeper coloured. But I hadn't progressed to becoming a Crocus Connossieur back then. ;D
Here is C. nudiflorus, well out now and I'm finding them everywhere around the garden and in pots of other things where they shouldn't be. Can't complain though. It seeds well and makes hundreds of little grub-like stolons.
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C. goulimyi is also coming along nicely. Got `Mani White' from Marcus this year but it's just showing a tiny tip.
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and C. serotinus ssp. salzmannii which I still know better as C. asturicus.
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Crocus caspius in a white form. Some are shaded with lavender on the outer petals.
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And this last one I had this summer from Marcus, as C. speciosus `Oxonion' but it isn't either large enough or dark enough in the flower or the stem. Very nice but not `Oxonion.'
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Lesley,
Great pics. yes, I think that we'll post enough to warrant our own thread. Unlike the northerners which will have them regularly each month during flowering time, this one I deliberately titled as the year, not the month, so we can keep on using it throughout autumn, winter and spring as they flower. I'd imagine that by the time we've done that there will be PLENTY of pics in here!! ;D
If you happen to harvest any of your weedy Crocus nudiflorus seed could I perhaps beg a couple of them? Its a species I used to grow but lost, and was going to buy at some point in time when I remembered. Saves me remembering I need it sometime in summer, as I for some reason forget to order it each year! ::)
C. goulimyi 'Mani White' is a lovely flower, much rounder than the "normal" goulimyi. I mistakenly got another one from Marcus a few years ago that wasn't 'Mani White' (he replaced it the next year of course, as he always does if there is a problem) and it too is a much rounder flower form but it is the colour of the normal species. Rather nice, although at the time it was a disappointment as it most definitely wasn't white!! I'm not sure whether it will flower or not this year, but I am sure I've got a photo of it from previous years if you're interested?
Can't help with your ID flower, but I have something a little similar (although darker flower I think) that I have no name for either. Hasn't surfaced yet, but when it does I'll put it up here for IDing too.
First flower for the season on laevigatus opened today. Was still open when I got home from work so that was nice!! ;D Haven't processed the photos as yet.
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Lovely images as usual from our Southern Hemisphere friends. Many thanks for posting.
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I bet there's enough Crocus in the Southern hemisphere to fill this thread boys and girls !
Thanks a lot for sharing them - after all there's 6 months to go before we see any autumn Crocus' out here.... ;D
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Just to show that I do read the posts about upside-down crocuses (OK to you its us thats upside-down :D) ... Lesley, I think your mystery crocus may be a form of C serotinus. I have seen similar here, including the slight flecking on the outside of the petals. Some forms of ssp salznmannii have quite prominient veining, more usually the southern forms which tend to flower before the leaves appear, but of course this behaviour varies with location and the season.
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Howdy Croco-nuts,
Apologies for the poor quality of this picture, but the light wasn't brilliant. First one of the season, in the garden rather than in the new crocus garden, so hopefully there are more to come. ;D
Crocus laevigatus
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Lesley, I'm with Tony - this unknown Crocus could be a form of serotinus ssp salzmanii.
But what do I see on some of your nudiflorus petals? I don't dare to use the "v"-word :-X
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Thanks T and T for the ID. In that case, it will be the one I imported from Van Tubergen way back in the 60s. Considering the appalling treatment and neglect it's had over many years, it must have the constitution of an ox. I'll treat it better now.
Oh Thomas! How can you do this to me? I honestly hadn't noticed the marks on the nudiflorus petals, was just so pleased with the purple patch. I'll have a good look today at that lot and others and see what's what. If it is a virus, it's not affecting the vigour at all, but I don't want it spreading to other species. The goulimyi and ser. ssp salz (Mathew gives it as salzmannii, 2 ns)are right beside the nudiflorus.
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I've found a good patch of C. nudiflorus with NO darker marks at all so have dug the lot and moved it well away from the others and the virused medius. Hope that works to keep them clean.
Here are two whites,
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Crocus pulchellus albus is new for me this season. It is quite unlike the white C. p. `Zephyr,' kindly identified for me the other day.
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This I had the year before last from Marcus and it is increasing very well in its little pot and will need to be planted out in the summer. I have it as C. hadriaticus ssp. parnassicus but Mathew doesn't mention that as such, just refers to a pure white form with white filaments and no yellow throat from Mt. Parnassus and this is the one I have. (I've checked the thoat and filaments). Some may think it's just another white crocus but to me it is extra special because it is the ONLY crocus I've come across which has a truly sweet and delicious perfume, even could be called rose-like, as distinct from the rather saffron-like scent of all others. It gave me two seed pods last year as well.
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I've never sniffed a Crocus. Should I be? I think I heard reference recently from someone else to nice perfume on one of theirs?
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I have it as C. hadriaticus ssp. parnassicus but Mathew doesn't mention that as such, just refers to a pure white form with white filaments and no yellow throat from Mt. Parnassus and this is the one I have. (I've checked the thoat and filaments). Some may think it's just another white crocus but to me it is extra special because it is the ONLY crocus I've come across which has a truly sweet and delicious perfume, even could be called rose-like, as distinct from the rather saffron-like scent of all others. It gave me two seed pods last year as well.
Lesley, ssp parnassicus was first mentioned in the Crocus update from 2001 by Brian Mathew.
1982, when he wrote his monograph, he classified no subspecies of hadriaticus.
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Here's another couple of flowers on Crocus goulimyi "Albus".
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cheers
fermi
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Paul, Maggi would tell you that you should be sniffing all your flowers! Lots of Crocus have lovely scents.
Of course some frits are stinky, but there is so often a pleasant surprise to reward the nose.
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Ian,
I'll keep it in mind. ;D
Fermi,
I have buds starting to appear on some of the different goulimyi. The named variants always seem strange to me in that the straight species shoots the flowers straight out of the ground, whereas those like 'Mani White' and another superior form to the normal species (no idea of name) set up a little bunch of leaves before the flowers appear. I always wonder why the straight species (or the form we have here in Aus as the "straight species") sends up flowers without leaves but the named ones seem to have leaves above ground before flowers appear?
I noted this evening that the Crocus mathewii has another bud up on it now (just in time for me to miss it all week at work) plus C. laevigatus (also in the new crocus garden) have a couple of buds up. The front longiflorus still has it's flower out, looking taller every day. I would imagine that a good clump of it would be absolutely stunning given the size and height of the flowers. I am SO looking forward to seeing how everything flowers once they've had a year or two in the new garden to build up size. More noses are starting to appear in various places in the new garden so there should be more flowers coming along soon from other species as well.
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Thanks Thomas. I have the 1982 edition only so hadn't caught up with the update.
Paul, my lavender goulimyi flowers with the beginnings of its leaves, not naked. Might just be a matter of different climates, yours coming a bit earlier than mine.
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Lesley,
Once they're in flower there are the beginnings of leaves present, but I've never noticed leaves well before flowering, whereas with the other varieties the leaves literally appear a week or two before the flowers push up. I can just see buds starting to appear in the middle of the leaf sets now, whereas with the straight species they're all up and in flower in a rush I find.
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Super pictures from everybody!
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A couple more new ones this autumn.
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Crocus ochroleucus `Valerie Finnis' is pristine and pure, a great improvement in substance and colour over the thin petalled, muddy white of my originals.
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Crocus niveus, lilac form. Yes, really. The inside is pure white but in bud, and looking down on it, there's the faintest flush of palest lilac. I know it varies and I believe Marcus' sale corms are from his own seed. I saw some at his place a year ago with a strong lilac colour on the outside, so I guess it's a matter of luck what you get. I'll try some more next summer.
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Nice ones Lesley.
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Lesley,
That 'Valerie Finnis' is great, isn't it? I think I might have bought that this year, but will have to check my records to confirm that. Sounds sort of familiar! ;D Too many purchases, too few remaining braincells in my case! ::)
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Gets worse the older you get Paul :(
... oops that's 2000, is the cake in the post Lesley?
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... oops that's 2000, is the cake in the post Lesley?
Over 2000 posts, eh, David? And you don't look a day over 1500 ::) :-*
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1500 is exactly what I feel today-I need a pint! ;D
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David, no cake I'm afraid unless someone else wants to fill in. I'm also deeply ashamed at having missed Maggi's 5000th but I'm trying to avoid cakes and similar things at present, trying to lose some weight before I go to Australia in Sept or no-one there will recognize me. So Maggi, I'd like a new title please, when you have time to think about it.
The C. o. Valerie Finnis were $3 (slightly over 1GDP) each. I don't know why I didn't get half a doz instead of just the one. I will do, next summer. Actually, now I think about it, I DID get more than one. I ordered 3 and they must have arrived or I'd have noticed when I potted them. The other two must still be coming. Not going out to look, it's snowing heavily today.
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here are some Crocus that I've also posted on the SH thread.
C.cancellatus ssp mazzaricus buds
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C. pulchellus grown from NARGS Seedex 2003, possibly collected or donated by Erich Pasche.
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C. niveus (white)
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C.ochroleucus, grown from seed from Marcus Harvey (Hillview Rare Plants, Tasmania)
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The slim bud of what I bought as c. speciosus albus, but which I think is C. pulchellus albus
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cheers
fermi