Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Crocus => Topic started by: Janis Ruksans on October 03, 2018, 08:42:53 AM
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The 1st October came with nice sunny day, I even thought that started Indian Summer, but in late evening again came clouds, but we had last evening glass of wine sitting outside. Crocuses in greenhouse bloomed as crazy. On the first picture in front blooms C. niveus acquisitions and farther by bed comes Spanish autumn bloomers. On second picture in front are crocuses forming speciosus alliance.
When I have surplus corms of some crocuses I'm giving those to my wife and she plants them in open garden - mostly between peonies and hostas. Here on the second pair of pictures is one of the best cultivars raised by me and well usable for outside garden here - it is hybrid between Crocus ilgazensis and some of C. pulchellus samples, named by me 'Fantasy'. Pollination was done by bees, and it is excellent grower and increaser, so I had many corms for my wife. They were planted in autumn, 2017. Really I raised two varieties very well growing outside - it is already mentioned 'Fantasy' and spring blooming 'Yalta'.
On the last picture is cultivar from speciosus group (most likely C. armeniensis) 'Artabir'. I'm not sure about name, but in this case it is not so important, as it is not for sale. It is planted between peonies.
Yesterday actually was very important for me day - I FINISHED REPLANTING OF MY BULB COLLECTION - the last planted in greenhouse ground were mine wild tulip hybrids - mostly between vvedenskyi, kaufmanniana, fosteriana, greigii and some other wild species from Central Asia.
So now started paperwork - preparing of planting books, writing of papers etc. There are some new crocus species in preparation, too.
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It is cloudy and rainy at this moment - so I went inside to prepair some pictures from the last 2 days.
Again I will start with gilanicus and F 2 seedlings of autranii x gilanicus. Now I specially pictured both from side to show how inseparable they are from outer view, only some yellow from basal spots shine through flower segments of F-2 seedling.
I have two albinos found in wild between Crocus speciosus sensu lato. One of them is typical speciosus albino from forest near Ijevan in Armenia, another is from C. bolensis from heights of Abant in N Turkey. This year both are not so pure white as before - they are slightly bluish, may be will whiten with blooming, but may be it is effect of very hot summer. Unfortunately the third albino of C. puringii was lost. The old Dutch white speciosus is glistening white this season.
And the last picture in this entry is Crocus aleppicus. It is typical form, but there will come two new species of this group. I was ready to publish them, but stepped off for not to intercross with HKEP researches. Our interrelations even without this are not on the best status...
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Still some of Crocus vallicola are blooming - here very typical form with long "tails" on top of flower segments.
Very beautiful - milky white - are flowers of Crocus kotschyanus Albus.
This Crocus longiflorus corm was sent to me by Erich Pasche under name of C. siculus.
But this crocus from C. speciosus group comes from Iran, from Ulang Pass, where it grows on open meadow together with Tulipa ulophylla. At lower altitudes under shade of shrubs and trees is growing C. zubovii. This is the first blooming of this acquisition with me, so about its name - is it zubovii or something different - too early to judge. I decided to add here picture of neighbour of this crocus - pictured in May, 2008.
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your raised beds looks like a crocuses highway ;)
The cross autranii x gilanicus is interesting, does the second generation keep the stripes?
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One flower of the first Crocus goulimyi sown 2014 is a Harlequin-type. :)
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F-2 is extremely variable, the striped is just F-2 seedling, Yann. F-1 looks just as autranii.
As I already noted, this year are extremely high number of individuals with semi double flowers. Here 4 more of such plants:
Crocus cartwrightianus Michael
Crocus mazziaricus from Pelloponesse, Greece
Crocus pumilus from Crete
Crocus archibaldiorum from HKEP
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ok. does the heat trigger double flowering? i've already read that in a book.
Here it's slowly wake up in the garden and greenhouse, i found this nudiflorus in my tulips "field"
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The second virus infected crocus this autumn - Turkish so named C. mazziaricus - the corm was received last autumn from famous German grower.
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indeed, however beautiful as a van gogh painting ;)
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Crocus pulchellus gradually taking over a large part of my front garden
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Finishing of replanting season give me some time before paperwork will start for sorting and naming of autumn crocus pictures. I'm going through files +/- in chronological order - so there will be pictures from around week ago up to current date. There will be many entries and I hope you will enjoy those from my "crocus highway".
One of the most spectacular from speciosus group is crocus named by me C. elegans, but as I used this on subsp. status it was renamed by Ingo Schneider as C. brachyphilus.
Crocus cancellatus BATM-383 is oner of the smallest cancellatus s.l. collected in Central Turkey where it grows on pure calkstone - ground there was white as chalk. It is very spectacular and really the smallest between all cancellatus.
Crocus cancellatus VISA-0408 was collected in Jordania by Arnis Seisums.
Crocus cartwrightianus CEH-613 is very variable. Here white form but in background you can see lilac toned plant.
The last in this entry is Crocus damascenus from Iran - 17IRS-087
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Crocus hadriaticus is widely distributed Greece. On the first picture seedling, on next one of the best forms from vil. Papigo in NW Greece.
Crocus hakkariensis still is little known and I long searched for it. Up to last it was known only from E Turkey, region where travelling now is not easy, but very recently I found it in Iran and here you can see blooming of just Iranian sample.
This crocus lycius with purest white flowers and something elongated flower segments comes from Tuzla Beli, where together are growing 5-6 crocus species.
Crocus mathewii this year didn't bloom well with me - flowers are smaller than could be, comes out very irregulary and are not making "flower carpet" as usually. Today I destroyed pot which I suspected virus-infected (I'm always destroying even plants where I'm not sure about infection but for some reason I don't like shape of flower - better delete 10 healthy than left one ill). I didn't picture destroyed plants, but when I took out them from pot I saw very perfect rooting and otherwise. excellent growth. On picture healthy stock from locus classicus.
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Now several samples of Crocus kotschyanus s.l. Under this name at least 2 species are hidden - one with 2n=8 another with 2n=10.
Plants on the first picture came from Gothenburg and was collected as karduchorum near Lake Van. It almost certainly isn't karduchorum, but is it kotschyanus or hybrid - I don't know. By flower they resembles kotschyanus, although flowers are very small, comparing with other kotschyanus.
C. kotschyanus from Gezbeli gec. seems has the largest flowers between all kotschyanus
And as last are 3 gatherings originally collected in S Turkey by Kerndorff and Pasche.
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Two more kotschyanus
The first is from Hatay, near Syrian border.
The second is another "karduchorum" from Gothenburg. What it really is - I have no idea. Most likely another hybrid or another form of kotschyanus leucopharynx? I'm really confused with this.
Next two mazziaricus comes from small micro population on Peloponnesus where only blue striped individuals were observed
The last certainly needs own name, but still grown under label "mazziaricus" - it comes from NE part of Greece.
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Crocus pulchellus gradually taking over a large part of my front garden
Looking good Roma !
Excellent excuse not to have to maw the lawn by the way ! :P
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Yesterday was very nice weather and very nervous day. We had elections of our Parliament. So inly few hours in greenhouse were passed, then visiting of Municipality for voting and we all together went to district city for dinner. Up to 2 o'clock in night I was sitting at TV screen watching counting and prognosis about results, interviews with party leaders. Results are far better as I suspected. Former government felt, My party will be 2nd by size from 7 parties represented. Not easy forming of coalition, but we all hope for better...
Returning to crocuses - now I'm showing some of speciosus, where you clearly can see the differences between species. The first are 2 species with deep yellow throat - such are two - xantholaimos and mine sakariensis. Both are separable by position of stigma - in xantholaimos it is mostly hidden between anthers, rarely ending around tips, but in sakariensis it well exceeds tips of anthers. Of course xantholaimos is high altitude plant,. but sakariensis is growing at low altitudes.
Crocus bolensis and typical speciosus (not pictured here) - both has pure white throat, but again - in speciosus it is well exposed over anthers, but bolensis hided between them. Something similar is ilgazensis, but its stigma is much less branched, it is distinctly smaller plant and bloom,s much earlier.
The last "speciosus" pictured in this entry comes from very high altitudes in NW Iran, where it grows together with C. gilanicus and it is distinctly stoloniferous species.
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Crocus serotinus from
Facinas/Andalucia Elvas/Potugal
Gerd
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Since I thought that it will not be any more and then the autumn crocuses (C. banaticus) shot up like mushrooms overnight :-)
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Oner of mine autumn blooming favourites with white flowers is Crocus asumaniae white form.
Such rarely can be found between usually pale lilac typical asumaniae.
Another white bloomer is Crocus boryi with milk-white flowers.
More and more species start blooming - yesterday first tiny flowers opened C. cambessedesii
Albino of Crocus kotschyanus is quite difficult. I several times almost lost it and then stock again grew up to few corms and all the time I'm looking on it with suspicious eyes - is it virus free or infected? If it wouldn't be so beautiful...
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Crocus banaticus albus
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1957/44251741005_06131bd458_o_d.jpg)
Crocus speciosus
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1909/30224976967_ef4f75f313_o_d.jpg)
Crocus speciosus -image of a plant with 5 sepals and 5 petals.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1978/30224977177_b3957a8a49_o_d.jpg)
Crocus cappadocicus
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1936/45114525432_5fe552e6a7_o_d.jpg)
Crocus niveus -first time flowering from Marcus Harvey seed sown in 2014.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1938/30224977337_ec84ae4cb3_o_d.jpg)
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Crocus speciosus -image of a plant with 5 sepals and 5 petals.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1978/30224977177_b3957a8a49_o_d.jpg)
It more looks as C. xantholaimos, not speciosus - note the throat colour (in speciosus must be white) and position of stigma - it is between anthers, not significantly overtopping them. The right hand plant has longer stigma, but such plants occasionally occur between xantholaimos even in wild, but return to "normal" length in next season.
Janis
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Also some pictures from me from the sunny Saturday.
I am not quite sure wether both seed raised Crocus asumaniae are this species. The seed was from different sources.
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
Crocus boryi
[attachimg=3]
Crocus cartwrightianus ex Evia
[attachimg=4]
Crocus goulimyi leucanthus
[attachimg=5]
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Crocus hadriaticus albus
[attachimg=1]
Crocus kotschyanus
[attachimg=2]
Crocus pulchellus from Chios
[attachimg=3]
Probably Crocus pulchellus x speciosus found in a pot with Ophrys
[attachimg=4]
Crocus salzmannii
[attachimg=5]
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It more looks as C. xantholaimos, not speciosus - note the throat colour (in speciosus must be white) and position of stigma - it is between anthers, not significantly overtopping them. The right hand plant has longer stigma, but such plants occasionally occur between xantholaimos even in wild, but return to "normal" length in next season.
Janis
Many thanks Janis.
Now that you point this out I can clearly see the difference. I will change the label.
I probably have a few others that I have mis-labelled and also “old stock” which now have new names.
Nice plants and images Stefan. I wish that I could grow more crocus in the open garden.
Your 2nd image of “asumaniae” looks similar to the plants I grow under this name. I’m not sure about the first image -perhaps Janis can offer an opinion.
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Nice plants and images Stefan. I wish that I could grow more crocus in the open garden.
Your 2nd image of “asumaniae” looks similar to the plants I grow under this name. I’m not sure about the first image -perhaps Janis can offer an opinion.
The second is correct and true. The first - I'm doubtful.
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Janis, Steve, Stefan thanks for showing all these lovely Crocus!
A sunny morning after a rainy night:
Crocus nudiflorus
Crocus caspius
Crocus serotinus
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Crocus banaticus.
The colour on the ones in shade is not correct. They are not that blue.
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Crocus nerimaniae. There is a colour blotch one one of the petals. I do not hope it is the first sign of virus.
Crocus gilanicus. There is almost no variations in the seedlings.
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Two colour variants of Crocus mathewii.
One of my favorites: Crocus vallicola
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Crocus hakkariensis
Crocus dispathaceus - 6 flowers from one large corm!
Crocus melantherus
Crocus salzmani erectophyllus
Crocus cartwrightianus albus? I got this many years ago under that name. It is reliable in the garden, but had never set seeds.
Poul
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October is luckily dry here. Autumn crocuses mushroomed overnight.
1. Crocus kotschyanus
[attachimg=1]
2. Crocus kotschyanus ssp. leucopharynx
[attachimg=2]
3. Crocus specious album
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
4. Crocus banaticus
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Crocus banaticus.
The colour on the ones in shade is not correct. They are not that blue.
Very like yours banaticus with white stigma.
Janis
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Crocus nerimaniae. There is a colour blotch one one of the petals. I do not hope it is the first sign of virus.
Crocus gilanicus. There is almost no variations in the seedlings.
Re: nerimaniae - it looks more as mechanical damage. But nerimaniae is species which is catching viruses extremely easy. In wild difficulty to find healthy looking plant. For me it took 3 generations before I got virus-free stock. My recommendation - hand pollinate and saw seeds every year - then you always will have healthy plants.
Janis
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This week is easy for me - repotting finished, tulips planted on beds, planting books ready... But I can't start something new - feel myself empty and need some rest before new computer season. Today watered my pots - almost 8 hours and then took off wilted flowers. Long and tidy process. But now some more pictures.
On the first are blooming of seedlings where I crossed two forms of C. cartwrightianus - 'Albus' and 'Purple Eye'.
As usually - from Crocus caspius the first blooming start white flowering plants.
Nicely blooms Crocus goulimyi and its selection 'Pink Wonder' - spotted in Peloponnesus by my stepdaughter Liga.
And as last in this entry hybrid between Crocus hadriaticus and C. sativus cashmerianus made by Dirk, although I'm not sure that it is real hybrid between those because sativus is sterile and I got very similar seedlings from open pollinated C. hadriaticus (see next entry).
Janis
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As I wrote shortly before - the first is some hybrid (most likely) of Crocus hadriaticus. There are 3 pots with seedlings and all are identical, what is normal for F-1 generation if you hybridise pure species. If they wouldn't be hybrids - there would be some splitting, because Crocus hadriaticus is quite variable. Splitting would appear in F-2 generation, too. F-2 seedlings of Dirk's supposed hybrid with sativus cashmirianus didn't split, as it would be normal for F-2 generation.
Crocus haussknechtii WHIR-202 - comes from Iran, but Crocus hermoneus ILOP-011 - from Mt. Hermon in Israel. Here they peacefully grow side by side.
Again I'm returning to Crocus karduchorum SASA-102 - here you can see - each is different. Pity, I never saw this species blooming in wild, so can judge about its variability. All my stocks comes from other collectors and growers and from Gothenburg BG.
Crocus lycius TULA-005 comes from western border of its area and I grew it at first as mazziaricus aff., but when looked more carefully - understood that it still is lycius although with longer and narrower segments and very white.
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Now some C. mazziaricus and its relatives which certainly belong to different species. The first is true, very typical, collected only 2 years ago and it is its first blooming and... two plants were dug out as virus infected. I don't think that they got virus in my collection, infection came from wild. Only one positive thing in this process - I checked their roots - rooting is perfect, rich and abundant, so soil mix must be good as well.
As I wrote before - this year I planted my corms much deeper than usually, so taking out infected plants is not easy, but I use special "dandelion digger" bought many years ago in Northern Ireland - long and very narrow tool.
Next three pictures are from Turkish so named "mazziaricus".
And the last in this entry - my first flower of Crocus nerimaniae this season. Now there are 5 flowers and all were inter-pollinated.
Janis
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All those beautiful Crocus pumilus individuals were collected on Crete, near Psychro village at Cave of Zeus. The first two represents unusually yellowish toned individuals. There is one with dark stripes over yellow background. The last two shows more traditionally coloured individuals from same locality. Beautiful collection - but this autumn all flowers of Crocus pumilus are huge, much larger than ever before seen in this species. On last picture is Crocus laevigatus flower - unusually small, smaller than in pumilus, although must be vice-verse. But another feature separating both species remained - plants from Crete (C. pumilus) are odorless or even a little bit stinky, whilst laevigatus are with very sweet odour. Of course such size of flowers for pumilus isn't usual, normally it is much smaller than laevigatus. I grow it for more than 15 years, but never before observed such phenomenon.
Janis
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The second is correct and true. The first - I'm doubtful.
Thanks Janis and Steve, Crocus asumaniae was written on the seed bag. What else could it be?
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Nice collection Poul. I can't reply to a special post as they are all nice. It seems you like the same as I do.
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In this entry I will start with another "yellow" pumilus - this case with striped back of flower segments and next in this entry is another Cretan - Crocus oreocreticus.
Then 3 pictures of Crocus niveus - common view of collection and then most widespread bluish form and at end pure white after which it got the name "niveus".
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This entry I will start with one of best autumn bloomers - Crocus mathewii although this year it blooms with me sparsely and with smaller flowers, so very few good pictures can be made.
Then follows some relatives of C. mathewii - all for some time had common name C. pallasii. If the true Crocus pallasii from by flower is very similar to Greek continental crocuses from this group, E Aegean plants are very different.
Here at first C. pallasii from type locality (Crimea, Ukraine) and its albino form.
The fourth picture is so named "pallasii" (seem to be C. macedonicus, but I didn't check its other features, to be sure about naming) from continental Greece. It was grown up from seeds collected somewhere in Greece by my great Australian friend Marcus Harvey during one of his last trips to Greece. It is the first blooming of this acquisition in my collection.
And the last picture is the so named "pallasii"from Samos Island. It will be soon published by Greek student working on Crocuses.
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Yesterday some Crocuses opened and also some further questions.
Crocus hadriaticus from Enos, Kefallonia
[attachimg=1]
This one I have bought as Crocus hadriaticus but I think it is Crocus sativus. The flowers kept slightly open during night.
[attachimg=2]
The next ones are seed raised as Crocus thomasi. The right one should be Crocus hadriaticus but the left one? Both flowers closed last evening.
[attachimg=3]
The fourth is sown as a spring flowering Crocus and is maybe Crocus thomasi?
[attachimg=4]
At least Crocus pallasii from Chios is clear. At least what the plants are but maybe another new Name will come as Janis has just written for Samos.
[attachimg=5]
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Some further Crocus from yesterday:
Crocus cambessedesii
[attachimg=1]
Crocus cartwrightianus from Siros, flowers closed in the first night after opening
[attachimg=2]
Crocus laevigatus from Ikaria
[attachimg=3]
Crocus Zephyr
[attachimg=4]
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Yesterday some Crocuses opened and also some further questions.
The first hadriaticus - true, pure species
2nd picture - certainly not sativus, looks something like pallasii, only stigmatic branches are too long. C. hadriaticus very easy hybridise and I have huge spectrum between seedlings even after hand-pollination, but without isolation (the same relates to C. thomasii, too).
3rd pict. - the left seem to be sterile hybrid (look on anthers), the right could be hadriaticus
4th - is thomasii
5th - can be Chios form of pallasii.
Correct identification only by flowers isn't possible - must be seen leaves - glabrous or ciliated as well as throat, and, of course corm tunics.
Janis
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Some further Crocus from yesterday:
Crocus cartwrightianus from Siros, flowers closed in the first night after opening
Here is cool, cloudy and wet (rainy) morning and most of cartwrightianus are almost closed, especially cultivars raised by Antoine Hoog (Michael, Marcel, especially Anabella). Only some of wild gatherings are open, but even between those only few stay fully open, some are half-closed.
Janis
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Thanks Janis for your very helpful comment.
My Crocus cartwrightianus from Evia remained open during the last nights and days und suffered because of the rain. So I did not take a picture.
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Between Crocus laevigatus can be found some yellow toned individuals, too. Here one of such: paler than pumilus from Crete but in bud quite well toned. Of course they all pales with blooming.
The best of Crocus mathewii of course is cultivar 'Brian Mathew'
Crocus mazziaricus from near Moni Romnou belongs to true, typical C. mazziaricus. It is growing very close to Lefkada Island - locus classicus for this species and is practically inseparable.
Yesterday was culmination of autumn blooming, so here 2 pictures of some parts from my raised beds - on the first collection of Crocus kotschyanus forms, on the second - on the left side in front C. serotinus sensu lato, further C. niveus, on right side C. turcicus gatherings.
Janis
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Crocus bolensis -quite an impressive flower when fully open.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1907/44251740595_02daa56e21_o_d.jpg)
Crocus mathewii
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1974/44251741695_625e14f1a7_o_d.jpg)
Crocus cartwrightianus
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1953/30224978647_92a69c5e3d_o_d.jpg)
Crocus nerimaniae
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1905/30224978517_a600a6f6bf_o_d.jpg)
Crocus oreocreticus
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1917/30224976177_73575a3026_o_d.jpg)
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On the first picture Crocus kotschyanus leucopharynx from Dirk - excellent bloomer here.
Following four are pictures of some crocus from Crocus pallasii group growing in Turkey in Europe. I still hadn't time to check its identity.
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In this entry 2 more of Crocus pallasii sensu lato - this case from Chios Island.
So named Crocus polyanthus from Talish never was officially published. It something approximates C. archibaldiorum but I can't judge about its taxonomic status without DNA checking (not available at present for me).
Then two rarely seen representatives of Crocus pulchellus. The first is from Athos peninsula in Greece - locality where are growing two very local and extremely rare species - C. vaclavii and C. athous as well as still unidentified species from C. cancellatus group, C. chrysanthus and C. olivieri. Note the position and branching of stigma in this flower. Is it permanent or only seasonal variation, will show future. Actually Athos peninsula is very rich in very rare and local endemic species
On the last picture more traditionally looking pulchellus from Bulgaria.
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It is quite a pleasure to read through the forum after some time of absence.
Great autuum crocus images from all and exiting diary from Janis. Thank you.
My highlights today after 10 mm rainfall from storm 'Fabienne':
2 seedlings in meadow: C. kotschyanus & C. pulchellus :D
C. speciosus and C. albus albus in the raised beds; more noses visible :)
C. speciosus hybrid sown as C. armeniensis autuum 2015...flowered in the 3rd year. :)
Still it is too much dry in general, top 4-5 cm soil is moist, deeper soil is bone dry.
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After the first autumn rain grows hundreds of flowers of Crocus speciosus "Artabir". In this meadow the crocus stands more than 30 years and survived in this time some years with ploughing and cultivation with cabbage!
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After the first autumn rain grows hundreds of flowers of Crocus speciosus "Artabir". In this meadow the crocus stands more than 30 years and survived in this time some years with ploughing and cultivation with cabbage!
May be this confirms my opinion that cultivated "speciosus" forms comes from Crocus armeniensis - growing and blooming in Armenia on ploughed fields. On the last picture Zhirair and I on such field ploughed year ago.
Janis
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As I wrote shortly before - the first is some hybrid (most likely) of Crocus hadriaticus. There are 3 pots with seedlings and all are identical, what is normal for F-1 generation if you hybridise pure species. If they wouldn't be hybrids - there would be some splitting, because Crocus hadriaticus is quite variable. Splitting would appear in F-2 generation, too. F-2 seedlings of Dirk's supposed hybrid with sativus cashmirianus didn't split, as it would be normal for F-2 generation.
Crocus haussknechtii WHIR-202 - comes from Iran, but Crocus hermoneus ILOP-011 - from Mt. Hermon in Israel. Here they peacefully grow side by side.
Again I'm returning to Crocus karduchorum SASA-102 - here you can see - each is different. Pity, I never saw this species blooming in wild, so can judge about its variability. All my stocks comes from other collectors and growers and from Gothenburg BG.
Crocus lycius TULA-005 comes from western border of its area and I grew it at first as mazziaricus aff., but when looked more carefully - understood that it still is lycius although with longer and narrower segments and very white.
Janis, yes, plants from Crocus sativus are steril and have never seeds, but i think the pollen is fertil. Here two forms from F2 generation.
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and two other forms from F2 cross
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Rather attractive flowers, Dirk.
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lovely photos from all of you, here still nothing to show.
Crocus are just cracking the soil and i'm watering at 3 day intervals, no doubt it's the warmest autumn since one century ::)
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May be this confirms my opinion that cultivated "speciosus" forms comes from Crocus armeniensis - growing and blooming in Armenia on ploughed fields. On the last picture Zhirair and I on such field ploughed year ago.
Janis
Hallo Janis, thank You very much for Your comment and the informative fotos! Now I know, why the crocus have survived the plouging and cultivation some years ago! The crocus meadow as a private cultivated bed of C speciosus in the 1989 years, but in the years of the political change here I didn´t harvest the bulbs, now the are a part of my "Snowdropgarden Alex Döbrichau"! :-)
Among the mass of Crocus speciosus I found some darker coloured exemplares with blue stripes, is this also a speciosus or an other variety? They are a little bit earlier than the mass of "normal" flowers!
-Foto 1: a flower of C. speciosus in comparision the C kotschyanus.
-Foto 2: the C. speciosus meadow during autumn-sun
-Foto 3: the darker typ of speciosus from end september
-Foto 4: the same typ from above
With great interesse I look for Your wonderful and informative fotos, Greetings from Döbrichau Harald Alex
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Two different banaticus
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a few ones today: Crocus cartwrightianus, nudiflorus and tournefortii
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Here started real summer. Yesterday + 21 and was beat national record for 12th of October. Fort me horribly much to do in greenhouse - removing of died flowers to prevent Botrytis infection, which starting on flowers can kill corm, too. Checking of names, still few herbariums are needed - as I wrote before - this year I planted crocuses deeper than usually, so taking some out of pot is very difficult. Yesterday replaced one pot of C. vallicola and all new roots already came out through bottom holes of pots.
Some more crocuses of today - in this entry Crocus tournefortii from different Islands. See the colour of throat - different and quite typical for each Island. Most interesting is pure albino from Karpathos Island - collected accidentally in spring without flowers.
As bonus picture I decided to include here photo made by Dima in Abchasia - region actually occupied by Russia, where people from Baltic republics are not allowed to enter. It is crocus regarded as suworovianus by Russian botanists, but most likely it is some variant of so named scharojanii flavus, but very different from those in cultivation.
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Wow ! :o :o the scharojanii flavus is truly of exceptionnal beauty Janis !
This popped up in a pot of seedlings of Crocus hittiticus which it obviously is NOT.
I think it might be Crocus ligusticus judging by the flower.
Can anybody confirm or deny this ?? ???
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Photos from Twitter by Vivien Self of the
Farrer Medal Best in Show winning pot from today's AGS show at Harlow Carr - of Crocus banaticus 'SnowDrift' grown by Alan Furness-
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edit: was awarded best in show but not Farrer medal. :-\
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Fantastic banaticus - real showwinner!
Here few more pictures made by Dima in Abchasia - various degree of yellow and vallicola + hybrid (?) in background.
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For few days I was out of Latvia and today half as day I was taking off old flowers, making some pictures and watering. Tomorrow will follow the same - temperature still beats all records and pots dries.
In this entry at first is crocus growing 400 km East from C. mathewii - near Moca Gecidi in Turkey. It is not seedling but originally collected plant, labeled as C. pallasii aff.
Then 2 pictures of another relative of C. pallasii - now from Chios Island. This stock is named 'Homeri'.
The plant on last picture was destroyed as virus infected. I never before saw such in my collection, but this year several similar appear between various pallasii, and in one mathewii pot. In total 7 similar individuals were destroyed. I'm not sure that it is infection, so 2 pots where was planted only one corm in each and which formed such flower were replaced to another greenhouse for checking - will flowers will be similar next season too or it is only mechanical damage or temperature shock. But I'm for 99% sure that it is virus infection.
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I'm almost 100% dsure that Chios plants known as "pallasii" belongs to another, new species, but are they different from W Turkish "pallasii"I'm not so sure. To check this I pollinated Turkish "pallasii" from near Labranda with so named "pallasii" 'Homeri'.
Here you can see seedlings from this cross.
On the last picture is C. kofudagensis crossed with 'Homeri'.
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The plant on last picture was destroyed as virus infected. I never before saw such in my collection, but this year several similar appear between various pallasii, and in one mathewii pot. In total 7 similar individuals were destroyed. I'm not sure that it is infection, so 2 pots where was planted only one corm in each and which formed such flower were replaced to another greenhouse for checking - will flowers will be similar next season too or it is only mechanical damage or temperature shock. But I'm for 99% sure that it is virus infection.
I have had flowers such as these on Crocus goulimyi and Crocus kotschyanus this autumn - in more than one pot of each. Some were recent seedlings, not 'old stock'. I have been removing them as virus has been a problem here :-( I've seen such occasionally in past years but this year - many. Maybe it's the strange weather making deformed flowers but .....
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Wow ! :o :o the scharojanii flavus is truly of exceptionnal beauty Janis !
This popped up in a pot of seedlings of Crocus hittiticus which it obviously is NOT.
I think it might be Crocus ligusticus judging by the flower.
Can anybody confirm or deny this ?? ???
Yes - I think you are right. The corms are reticulated so similar to hittiticus ..... or maybe all the seedlings are ligusticus?
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I have had flowers such as these on Crocus goulimyi and Crocus kotschyanus this autumn - in more than one pot of each. Some were recent seedlings, not 'old stock'. I have been removing them as virus has been a problem here :-( I've seen such occasionally in past years but this year - many. Maybe it's the strange weather making deformed flowers but .....
Yes, with me few were just seedling pots at their first blooming after planting out from pot where they were sawn, and I had minimal virus problems before. So I'm still not sure that it is virus. The deformation something resembles symptoms of viruses transfered through soil by some so named "free living nematodes", but my substrates are sterile and changed every year, so possibility of presence of such nematodes is very minimal. But for safety I destroyed all suspicious plants - really replaced out of collection was only two pots for checking of plants next autumn.
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Regardless of very poorly looking corms this season, few Crocus banaticus even bloomed. Here picture of such, not the best form, but at least it blooms and was pollinated to get some seeds for restoring stock, if most will be lost :'( (I hope will alive :D)
On next picture is new species from Israel. I was ready to publish it, when got information that it is in processing by HKEP, so for not to make our interrelations even more worse (they already are not bright...), I decided to step back. For me it is not so important, I'm not working on "Project" money and I'm paying everything by myself, not using European tax-payers money. So - one or few more or less - for me is not important. For similar and other reasons I cancelled publication of some 6-7 or even more new species from Balcans, Turkey, Jordan...
The last three pictures show you enormous variability of Crocus cartwrightianus. The first two are from Naxos Island and the third is cultivar 'Purple Heart'
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In this entry two of Crocus speciosus sensu lato (in the widest concept) from Iran. Crocuses related to Crocus speciosus are growing along all S coast of Caspian Sea - starting from Talish and ending at E corner of Caspian Sea. But really it is distributed much wider - starting from Greece, along both coasts of Black Sea (Crimea and to East), throughout Turkey along Mediterranean and inside, as well as along Black Sea, too.
From Iran at present two species are published - Crocus archibaldiorum from West and C. zubovii from East, but there are a lot of interesting populations between those two. Here I will present two of them.
The first was observed quite high in mountains (alt. 2300 m) where it was growing on open meadows together with Crocus gilanicus (the last more in shrubs). It surprised me by the length of stolones. There were very few plants with seedpods, mostly they multiplied just by stolones, may be for heavy grazing of meadows? On the first picture you can see such stoloniferous plant, pictured in mountains. Next shows its flowers. When you will observe both flower-pictures - you will see that in one stigma is distinctly below tips of anthers, in another well overtopping them.
The last two represents at much lower altitude growing sample - only 1200 m, growing in forest. It was the most abundantly multiplying by cormlets in wild plant ever seen by me. Usually I observed with no one or not more than 2-3 cormlets. Here again pictured wild plants, at this case I had my notebook in pocket so was possible to use some measuring - gridlines are 5 mm.
Just the highland'sample (and many others, too - between them Crocus youngiorum) put in my brain doubt about Kerndorff's theory about importance of position of stigma in flower for identification in cases when it is variable - some percentage of plants has stigmatic branches positioned below tips of anthers, some are equal and some overtops. Kerndorff even counts special index showing average position of stigma for each species. Although I used this in my monograph, too, now I'm quite doubtful about its value. My observations shows that position of stigma varies depending from age of flower and between seasons. This autumn I planted 50 pots with 1 corm in each (5 biflorus group species, 10 pots from each) for careful measuring of position of stigma regarding anthers and how it is kept/changing during blooming.
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Yes - I think you are right. The corms are reticulated so similar to hittiticus ..... or maybe all the seedlings are ligusticus?
Thanks Tony !
Actually I did already have a hittiticus flowering in the same pot last year. I suppose/hope it was a stray seed !
Thx for the help.
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Photos from Twitter by Vivien Self of the Farrer Medal Best in Show winning pot from today's AGS show at Harlow Carr - of Crocus banaticus 'SnowDrift' grown by Alan Furness-
(Attachment Link)
(Attachment Link)
edit: was awarded best in show but not Farrer medal. :-\
Really admirably grown! Unfortunately, my specimen died, as did ´First Snow´. From others I learned, that they lost their occasionally appearing white seedlings. Are the white forms of Crocus banaticus more difficult than the coloured ones?
Today I noticed a lonely growing chance seedling of crocus in a border, which may be my first hybrid between Crocus speciosus and pulchellus?
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Really admirably grown! Unfortunately, my specimen died, as did ´First Snow´. From others I learned, that they lost their occasionally appearing white seedlings. Are the white forms of Crocus banaticus more difficult than the coloured ones?
Today I noticed a lonely growing chance seedling of crocus in a border, which may be my first hybrid between Crocus speciosus and pulchellus?
At first about seedling - I don't think that pulchellus blood is involved. Usually those hybrids has white anthers. It more resembles C. xantholaimos, if you had such in your collection.
White banaticus are not more difficult than blue ones, 'First Snow' here is even more easy. I think that common mistake is keeping too wet during summer rest. Seeing banaticus in wild growing under huge beach-trees (Fagus silvatica), I understood that in summer corms are in completely dry conditions. Around month ago (see September forum) I found two whites where my used potting mix were deposited. Both perfectly bloomed in absolutely dry soil under large oak (Quercus) and different shrubs (some Salix). When I was sawing seeds of white banaticus, most of seedlings were blue, but few were white.
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Thank You for Your information! Possibly I kept my white Crocus banaticus too wet in summer, indeed.
As I never grew Crocus xantholaimos, the seedling shown is most likely one of the larger group of Cr. speciosus growing nearby, which is very uniform and most likely the variety ´Artabir´. What puzzled me are the white filaments I didn´t notice with my other Crocus speciosus.
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Thank You for Your information! Possibly I kept my white Crocus banaticus too wet in summer, indeed.
As I never grew Crocus xantholaimos, the seedling shown is most likely one of the larger group of Cr. speciosus growing nearby, which is very uniform and most likely the variety ´Artabir´. What puzzled me are the white filaments I didn´t notice with my other Crocus speciosus.
C. speciosus sensu lato has whitish to light or pale yellow filaments. I suppose that Artabir is derived from C. armeniensis.
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Sorry, I´m no specialist regarding crocus, nor a keen collector. The few varieties of Crocus speciosus I grow show anthers and filaments as yellow as those You presented yesterday. It´s great that You share Your vast knowledge here! Many thanks!
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Crocus specious. Not at all rare but a real delight this very warm October.
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Yes Oleg, they are nice, easy and spread around in the garden.
Some flowers also from my garden.
Crocus pulchellus from Ossa village
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Crocus speciosus Artabir
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Crocus Zephyr
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Crocus banaticus
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Crocus hadriaticus
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Crocus hadriaticus ex Enos, Kefallonia
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pale Crocus macedonicus from Ossa village
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Crocus melantherus
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Last ones for today:
Crocus mathewii
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Crocus goulimy leucanthus
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Sorry, I´m no specialist regarding crocus, nor a keen collector. The few varieties of Crocus speciosus I grow show anthers and filaments as yellow as those You presented yesterday. It´s great that You share Your vast knowledge here! Many thanks!
Well, I have to correct myself - on the Crocus speciosus varieties I grow the pollen made the filaments look yellow, but they are exactly as Janis described. The odd thing is that my seedling shows no pollen, so that anthers + filaments appear white.
Beautiful pictures, sokol, especially Cr. mathewii and hadriaticus with their big contrasting base!
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Yes Oleg, they are nice, easy and spread around in the garden.
Some flowers also from my garden.
Stefan, your Crocus are really nice too!
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Crocus goulimyi grows happily in my rock garden.
The white one bought as Crocus caspius.
Crocus longiflorus from Malta
Crocus pulchellus from Chios
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Crocus robertianus
Crocus sativus liked the hot summer
Crocus ochroleucus
Crocus banaticus with dark stigma
Crocus nudiflorus with white stigma
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Nice Crocus Poul, especially Crocus banaticus and nudiflorus with These interesting stigma.
I still miss many Crocus here, especially gilanicus and vallicola.
Crocus laevigatus is starting now and there are many others that hopefully come soon:
from Eretria, Evia
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from Pendeli, Attiki
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from Ikaria
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Nice Crocus Poul, especially Crocus banaticus and nudiflorus with These interesting stigma.
I still miss many Crocus here, especially gilanicus and vallicola.
Thanks Stefan,
Seedlings from banaticus have many interesting variations.
There is less variation in nudiflorus, and here the variation is mostly seen in the stigma. It could be more or less branched as (shown below) or rarely white instead of the normal orange colour.
It is also a strange season here. Vallicola is flowering over a long period, starting months ago, and still one pot is not flowering yet. On the other hand Crocus ochroleucus is flowering now. Normally they flower much later - often in the end of November.
Poul
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Now started quiet season.Yesterday I planted few newcomers for my bulb collection. The most welcome was Gymnospermium smirnowii - extremely rare in nature - known only from very few spots in Lagodechi national park in Georgia. Another was Fritillaria dagana - species which I had and grew very successfully for many years and then suddenly all stock was lost. Those plants came from Moscow, University BG. Now left only watering of pots and their cleaning from died flowers. Hot week made crocus blooming much shorter than usually and so every day few hours goes for checking of names, pollinating, taking off old flowers and still for few herbariums. On the first picture you can see my greenhouse filled with pots and if something new will come before winter will start - there left place only on floor where some boxes with some stocks of Paeonia, Symplocarpus, Cyclamen kusnetzovii etc. already are deposited. On the 2nd picture my wife pictured how I'm taking off old flowers. It is very important for Crocuses, but especially for Colchicums and cyclamens. Flower remnants very easy catch Penicillium or Fusarium nivale infection and it goes down up to corms and tubers, killing them. When weather is dry as now - no problems, but tomorrow will return cool and moist days. So must be very careful.
Returning to plants blooming now - the first picture is hybrid between C. boryi and tournefortii. I got it from Dirk, but I don't know, is it hybridized by him or comes from Crete where both occasionally hybridises.
Next are two plants from Middle East - typical Crocus aleppicus, this sample comes from Syria and was collected there when it was peaceful country.
The last picture shows plant regarded as "aleppicus" for long time before Oron noted that it is very different not only by morphology, but mostly just by ecology and habitat - growing near sea instead of highlands. I wanted to publish it and to name after Oron, when got information that it is prepared for publishing by Kerndorff, Pasche and ? - for not to make interrelations between HK and me more worse (is it at all still possible?), I decided to step back. So I hope that it will receive new name already this year.
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I just got new article about Crocus phylogeny: "Phylogeny of the saffron-crocus species group, Crocus series Crocus (Iridaceae)" published in "Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Volume 127, October 2018, Pages 891-897". This research finally ended all speculations about ancient parentage of Crocus sativus, confirming that it derived from single species - Crocus cartwrightianus and no other species are involved in its parentage.
For me most joyful was that this research confirmed that mine species Crocus kofudagensis is really different and even quite distant from closest relative - Crocus assumaniae. It really enjoyed me, because I based its description only on morphology and some my correspondents put its status under doubt. The cited research confirmed that I was right. It is not difficult to grow, but if you want multiply it from seeds - hand pollination and isolation from other related species is obligatory as it easy hybridises with other species and seedlings shows enormous variability.
But in this entry I want to show you enormous(!) variability of Crocus cartwrightianus. All plants pictured here were originally collected in spring, out of flowers on Island of Naxos (Greece). Of course my favourite from those is the plant with yellowish flowers (at start of blooming)- the first picture. Unfortunately yellowish colour soon fades to white. On last picture two colour forms - both from Naxos.
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Very nice forms from Naxos, Janis. The tepals are uniformly narrower than with my seed raised plants from Siros and Evia.
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I have some cartwrightianus from Evia and there are vary variable width of flower segments.
From the article cited in former entry for me didn't came clear - are the plants from Crete regarded as +/- different or conspecific. I'm not geneticist and my knowledge for reading of phylogenetic trees is very primitive. But I understood that Crocus cartwrightianus genetically is very variable. So in my collection all samples still will remain labeled as "Crocus cartwrightianus". But here I'm showing some variability of Crocus cartwrightianus on Crete. For not return to this species again, I want to note, that cv. of cartwrightianus 'Marcel', 'Michel' and especially 'Anabelle' most likely are hybrids because their flowers more or less close in evenings, whilst pure cartwrightianus stay open day and night.
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Thanks Janis, very interesting to see the variability.
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Close relative to C. cartwrightianus is C. oreocreticus. I was growing plants from seeds collected on Crete by Marcus Harvey who sent me some hundred seeds collected near Cave of Zeus. All my attempts to find it in wild failed up to last autumn when I finally were on correct spot in correct time. Unfortunately day was very foggy, rainy and was impossible to get good pictures.
Another species of same group but more distant is mine Crocus macedonicus - visually (by flower) practically inseparable from Crocus pallasii (type species from Crimea) but having different chromosome number. Typical C. pallasii has short tunic's neck and is very leafy, macedonicus has very long neck and less numerous leaves. Here pictured plant from locus classicus of C. macedonicus. The last picture shows plant labeled by me as macedonicus, too. It comes from Kumanovo in Northern Macedonia and has long tunic's neck and up to 9 leaves, so I had no doubt about identification, but last research included plants reported from apr. same locality as C. pallasii. That surprises me because Kumanovo isn't very distant from locus classicus of macedonicus. May be some mistake in research or some mix of labels? Mine or researchers of phylogeny? This remain mystery for me.
And the last result of this research is confirming that C. dispathaceus, C. turcicus and C. haussknechtii are really distinct species and must be regarded as such and not as subspecies of C. pallasii. This didn't exclude that under those names more species are hidden and research in this direction is continued by Turkish botanists.
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Thanks Janis for telling the results of this research. For me it is also doubtful that the Greek and Macedonian plants should be different species. However a mistake could also be happened with the Greek plants and all are just Crocus pallasii.
Crocus macedonicus ex Ossa
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Crocus thomasii
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Crocus longiflorus
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Variety in Crocus laevigatus
ex CEH612
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ex Eretria, Evia
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anywhere from Evia, big flowers
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ex Ikaria
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ex Neapoli, Malvasia peninsula
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a 4 years old bulb obtain from the seedex, Crocus goulimyi
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Thanks Janis for telling the results of this research. For me it is also doubtful that the Greek and Macedonian plants should be different species. However a mistake could also be happened with the Greek plants and all are just Crocus pallasii.
Mistake with plants from Greece is impossible - to Gatersleben for DNA were sent plants directly from wild. Really I was surprised that they were not described and published already before me because it was for long well known that they has different diploid chromosome number - pallasii has 2n=14 but macedonicus - 2n=16. This alone shows that there are two different species included.
Regarding plants from N. Macedonia I'm not so sure, because I observed only cultivated stock got from Gothenburg and originally collected near Kumanovo long ago (1988), so some mislabeling could occur during cultivation and due two "Macedonia". Randelovich et al. (2007) found that plants from other point but in surroundings of the same Kumanovo has 2n=14, so they must be pallasii. I don't know just which stock from Kumanovo was used for DNA. Really it could be quite logical as North Macedonia is separated from Greek Macedonia by high mountain ridges, so both species are well isolated geographically. I will check more carefully morphology of mine Kumanovo plants, may be I misidentified them. In any case in Greece starting from Vertisko Ridge in North in direction to S of Larissa were observed only C. macedonicus, so it is possible that appearing of C. macedonicus in Northern Macedonia could be wrong statement and must be corrected in my book.
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Tonight temperature dropped to +1 C only and during day is not promised more than +10. High temperatures of last week raised quick shortening of flower life and many hours every day were used for cleaning of wilted flowers. Now beds looks much less floriferous and there are much less to do in greenhouse. So I can work on pictures.
Returning to Crocus pallasii I here again enter one picture of "pallasii" from Turkey in Europe. Unfortunately this population was not included in research about species from saffron crocus group. The observed population is very spectacular and I hope that Turkish botanists who continue researching of C. pallasii s. l. will solve problems with taxonomy of this crocus.
On next picture is another "pallasii" from Chios. That one I really regard as different one and I think this question will be solved by Greek researchers who works now on Crocuses from E Aegean Islands.
Next 2 pictures shows Crocus pumilus from Crete - the first is from Omalos Plain - very typical pumilus with very small flowers both in wild and in cultivation.
The second in this pair comes from near vil. Psychro on Lasithi plain. In wild it was the same as on Omalos with very small flowers. But in cultivation it really shocked me, forming incredibly large blooms - twice as large as in wild. On wild were collected some 20 flowers and all are conserved in my herbarium, so size always can be checked. There were some very special colour forms, but by size all were very tiny and uniform. On picture form with yellowish shaded flowers.
So I even started to doubt about correctness of labels or identification as in the first moment flowers looked even larger than flowers of C. laevigatus. C. laevigatus this year started blooming later and don't look very "happy" with me. Later flower size rise up and overpassed size of pumilus from Psychro. The other feature - odour of flowers remained typical for all samples from Crete (scentless) and from Peloponnesus (fragrant). So I put side by side (the last picture) 3 flowers - from left pumilus from Omalos, in middle pumilus from Lasithi (cultivated) and as last laevigatus from Peloponnesus.
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In this entry are 3 autumn blooming species with annulate corm tunics and with black colour in anthers (not always).
The first is Crocus nerimaniae from Turkey, yesterday I tuck off the last flower of it, but all blooms were carefully hand pollinated to get seeds of this very beautiful species.
Then Crocus melantherus from Peloponnesus. It didn't blooms well this season. Flowers comes out irregularly and remain with short tube, although roots when I checked one such pot are perfect and well developed. So only one picture was made. It has yellow or more or less black colour in anthers, but in general it is very good grower here.
The last two pictures represent Crocus wattiorum with very special shape of fully open flowers- now is culmination of its flowering and again flowers are hand-pollinated. This species surprised me. I had two stocks of it - one I got from Erich Pasche (HKEP-9548) and another came from P.& P. Watt, after whom is named this species. They are growing at very S of Turkey on rocks of Mediterranean W from Antalya and were not very happy in enormously wet and cold summer of 2017. No one corm (and were planted at least 60 corms) of stock HKEP-9548 came up this spring (actually some formed weak leaves and shoots) and all turned rotten at harvesting timer. In the same time corms from PPW stock grew well and although were not of top size (as I would like) now perfectly blooms with me (were potted 64 corms). What is the reason of so different fate of two stocks pots of which were placed side by side in the greenhouse, planted in the same day and got the same watering, fertilizing etc. - remains mystery for me. Both were grown with me for at least 10 years (PPW stock for 12 years) and both started with 3 corms from each.
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The last entry this morning will show you two species. The first is 3 pictures is of Crocus caspius. It is amazing species with very long blooming. Most interesting is that first always came out white flowers and each next flower from same corm has more and more bluish shaded flower segments.
The fourth picture shows Crocus hellenicus from near Varnakovo. It is most beautiful of C. hellenicus grown by me, but I never saw its blooming in wild. Both my stocks came from other growers (one from UK, another from Gothenburg). By flower it very resembles another beauty from Turkey - Crocus brachiphylus (or C. elegans, as I named it) from N of Akseki.
Crocus from Varnakovo is very different from plants of C. hellenicus growing in N of Greece - at Vicos Canyon. But I didn't see Varnakovo population in wild, so I can't judge about its variability. For comparing here is attached picture of C. hellenicus, pictured on edge of yaila near Vicos Canyon 6 years ago.
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In the meantime, some more specimen of the odd crocus shown on # 72 popped up. The fresh opened flowers show more clearly that anthers and pollen are white, though look somewhat reduced in comparison with my Cr. speciosus and pulchellus.
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a new one, Crocus hyemalis on the garden table 8)
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Tonight we had first real frost - at sunrise temperature here dropped to minus 1 C. Most of crocuses already finished blooming, but the latest ones are starting to show shoots. Some blooms very long forming up to 6-7 flowers from one shoot coming out one after other. One of the longest blooming "speciosus" crocuses is C. xantholaimos. On the picture anthers already dried and shrivelled, so giving impression that stigmatic branches are overpassing them, although at start of blooming they were level with tips, then stigma grew up slightly overpassing anthers. This is not wild stock, but baught from Antoine Hoog.
Next 2 pictures show Crocus tournefortii from Naxos Island. On Naxos at least 3 autumn blooming crocuses are growing - laevigatus, cartwrightianus (marvellous forms of which I showed shortly before, and this autumn the last came up C. tournefortii). On the 4th picture is tournefortii from Crete - again late bloomer this season.
And the last show's Crocus veneris from Cyprus.
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Still some "speciosus" left - flowers of those were cleaned off yesterday. At first are typical speciosus - forest species from Georgia and Armenia - on picture plants collected deep in shrubs near church of Gremi, next is albino from forest at Ijevan in Armenia. This was shown before at start of blooming when the colour was distinctly bluish, but now it faded to white.
For comparing - C. armeniensis - from ploughed open field, never entering shrubs or forest and forming largest flowers between all known to me "speciosus".
The last two here is unidentified "speciosus" fro Turkey. At first from Ak-dag, along road from Elmali to Fethiye - something resembling C. ilgazensis, but growing in SW Turkey, whilst ilgazensis is plant of very North of Turkey.
The last comes from Kütahya - another from Western part of Turkey, but much more to North. It was collected by J. Persson from Gothenburg BG and kindly shared with me.
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To finish with so large group of "speciosus" crocuses this autumn, in this entry the first three pictures show you 3 different gatherings of Crocus archibaldiorum growing in Iran at SW corner of Caspian Sea, and then C. zubovii - from SE corner. You can easy sea the differences. The last picture is another Iranian "speciosus", but collected between former two - on the remote road where our group stopped to eat large watermelon, bought on roadside. The crocus was found on narrow cattle pass, in brick hard clay, stamped hard by sheep and cow legs. It had very small corms with huge number of cormlets at base.
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a few ones among many i missed this week, already faded
Crocus aleppicus from Oron's seeds OP213-048 - Sown 10-2015
Crocus goulimyi from Tony Goode - 9-96
Crocus thomasii from Kurt Vickery seeds - Sown 11/2015
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Last week I rarely visited greenhouse - only to pick up died flowers. All the time were passed at computer and books, preparing 2 new species for publication (this case not crocuses).
Today, before coming of new hot wave was quite cold, sunny weather and in greenhouse, where only top (ion roof) windows are open was nicer and comfortable working, so again many pictures were prepared.
I start with new species, which I hope soon will be published by HKEP & al. from Israel. Un to now bloomed only individuals with pure white back of flower segments, now striped flowers joined.
Crocus boryi mostly are pure white, but sometimes there occur some striped individuals.
This cancellatus most likely is type form, but identification still isn't finished. It was collected in Syria, shortly before there started civil-war.
And the last is seedling of Crocus banaticus Snowdrift - they mostly are lilac.
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In this entry I'm returning to Crocus cartwrightianus. The first picture is the yellowish from Naxos. I think it already blooming for more than 2 weeks. On this picture you can see 4 flowers from corm, but at least 3-4 already are taken off but one more bud shows its nose out. One of the most floriferous crocuses, only one of my new species (still in preparing for publication) can compete with it.
Next is Cretan form of cartwrightianus. Recent genetic researches showed that genetically this Crocus cartwrightianus is quite variable, but to be named? Too little still is known.
Cultivar of Crocus cartwrightianus 'Halloween' is very nice, but seem to be hybrid. It didn't open so widely as are doing wild forms.
Another unusual Greek crocus is C. goulimyi - here its form with striped flowers, named 'Agia Sophia'.
An last in this entry is true C. clusii - collected in Portugal and by all features well responding to description of this species.
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Almost all species from Crocus speciosus group already finished blooming. The latest of them this season are C. xantholaimos, were few flowers still keep shape, but may be last day; similar is sakariensis, but the "champion"in this relation is Crocus hellenicus from Varnakovo. It is one of my favourites, so I again want to show it here.
Very special is the first picture of Crocus hakkariensis shown in this forum. You could tell - nothing special, but in this case it is very special, because it is the first finding of it in Iran, so Iranian Crocus flora got one more species, not new one at all, but new for Iran.
One from the next two pictures certainly is new species. Both are at present labeled as C. hermoneus, but one is from Golan Heights in Israel, another from Jordan. You can see how different both are, but there are other more hidden features separating both, too.
And the last is another "new" from Golan Heights in Israel.
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And in the last entry of today - variability of Crocus laevigatus - different forms from different places.
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On Greek Island of Naxos side are growing four autumn blooming crocus species. At some places even three of them are side by side.
Very special is Crocus laevigatus - there are forms blooming in autumn (late) and some starts blooming only in spring. On attached picture form blooming just now.
Not so often on Naxos but widely on continental Greece and especially on Peloponnesus is growing C. mazziaricus.
On many islands you can find Crocus tournefortii. Usually the base colour and design on each island is quite constant and different between islands. Naxos is exception of this common rule - next two pictures show you this.
The fourth species is cartwrightianus, but that I already showed yesterday and before - very variable there.
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In this entry three blue-flowering species. The largest flowers has C. ligusticus from borderlands between France and Italy. Its flowers are incredibly large - here 2 samples of it - XXL is the largest. In commerce it often is named C. medius and there is offered clone 'Millesimo' - I several times bought it from various sources and always got only virus infected plants. Flowers of this cultivar are smaller, too - is it for infection or naturally smaller, I don't know as I never saw healthy 'Millesimo'.
From S of Italy and Sicily comes one of the most fragrant crocuses - Crocus longiflorus.
The 3rd blue is C. nudiflorus from Spain - it is distinctly stoloniferous species and most vigorous grower from all those three and can be grown here even outside.
The last picture is from Greece - one more acquisition of C. melantherus.
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May be last entry today. Non stop sitting at computer all the first half of day with correction in manuscripts, reply to mails - my eyes tired and cries for some rest. The first two pictures is C. ochroleucus from Israel. Quite uniform species, not very easy, but growth with me. I mostly like the albino 'Dalton White' but it still didn't start blooming. Hope it is OK.
I don't know from where comes this very dark pallasii. It is clone selected by my friend Vaclav Jošt from some of plants collected together, but Vaclav was very lucky with this one.
The last brought disappointment for me, although I was ready for this. It is pulchellus from Chios. I for 3 times visited Chios searching for spring blooming biflorus crocuses reported by some amateur as found on Chios and listed between materials for Greek Flora Atlas by Arne Strid. Having very exact localities this spring I finally found on those spots some crocuses with annulate tunics out of flowers, but even in situ I was sure that they belongs to C. puchellus. But I still hoped... Pity, now blooming of them confirmed - only C. pulchellus.
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2371 Crocus biflorus ssp biflorus 2726
2372 Crocus biflorus ssp nubigena 2727 Lesvos Samos Ikaria
2373 Crocus cancellatus ssp mazzioaricus 2728 Samos
2374 Crocus candidus 2729 Lesvos
2375 Crocus chrysanthus 2730 Chios
2376 Crocus flavus ssp dissectus 2731
2377 Crocus fleischeri 2732 Chios
2378 Crocus gargaricus 2733
2379 Crocus olivieri ssp balansae 2734 Chios Samos
2380 Crocus olivieri ssp olivieri 2735 Chios
2381 Crocus pallasii ssp pallasii 2736 Lesvos
2382 Crocus pulchellus 2737
Here're the last repository i got from Athens university.
biflorus isn't listed on Chios
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Yann, working on crocuses I used complete list of all publications, herbariums about Crocuses in Greece, provided to me by Arne Strid, author of Atlas of the Aegean Flora. Here the line about biflorus + Chios:
IRIDACEAE Crocus biflorus Mill. Nomos: Chiou Eparchia: Chiou Island: Chios Locality: Chalandra and Nea Potamia. Lat.: 38°32'N Long.: 25°57'E Lit: Sfikas (1995i: 8) Phy: EAe Status: L Note: Based on report and photo by P. Saliaris, 23.11. 1994.
Arne sent me copy of the original publication of P. Saliaris and I visited all points where it was reported by Saliaris. Photo seem to be correct, but not plants. Seams that Saliaris simply used photo from somewhere to illustrate his publication. At this moment I can't find - where is hidden copy of Saliaris report.
Other locality:
IRIDACEAE Crocus biflorus Mill. subsp biflorus Nomos: Chiou Eparchia: Chiou Mountain: Pelineo Island: Chios Locality: Between the chapel of Zoodochos Pigi and the summit. Rocky limestone slopes. Alt.: 1050-1250 m Lat.: 38°33'N Long.: 26°00'E Coll: Strid no. 56513 2009-04-16 Phy: EAe Status: P Note: Planted at Göteborg Botanical Garden.
was wrongly identified pulchellus, collected out of flowers. At this point is only C. olivieri and C. fleischeri - visited 3 times and I suppose no one sq. m. was not checked as the locality isn't large, but difficult to climb.
I checked all points and found only pulchellus. Attached are 4 pictures. The first shows Zoodochos Pigi, next two road up (on the 3rd picture is visible the roof fragment from Chapel at very top - on picture seems that it is not the highest point, but it is optical illusion); the last picture - Chapel at very top of Mt. Pelineo. Not so many spots, where crocuses could grow.
Data from Athens University is long out of date:
2371 Crocus biflorus ssp biflorus 2726 - really C. rhodensis
Crocus biflorus ssp nubigena 2727 Ikaria - Crocus harveyi
Crocus biflorus ssp nubigena 2727 Samos - Crocus seisumsiana
Crocus biflorus ssp nubigena 2727 Karpathos - Crocus ruksansii
Crocus biflorus ssp nubigena 2727 Lesvos - Crocus nubigena
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Interesting i only have one contact there and the file he send me is from 2012, with minor updates in 2014.
I met him in 2008 or 2009 during an orchids congress but didn't know he wrote about Crocus.