Crocus neglectus - a new species described from Northern Italy

[Thomas Huber]

Some months ago Dörte Harpke and her team made a new classification for the series verni.
Among many interesting news a new species from Italy (Liguria, Tuscany and Emilia-Romana)
is described.

In the last years I was able to visit the original locations and fell in love with this
wonderful species. It's much more variable than the other plants from the series verni
and, most important, it is hardy in my garden 

It also differs from the 'standard' vernus by having different chromosome number 2n=16
(instead of 2n=8 in neapolitanus, siculus and vernus/ex albiflorus,Mathew).

Here some photos from my garden:

[Thomas Huber]

Some close-ups also from my garden:

[Thomas Huber]

Some photos from the wild.

More photos from my 2010 trip are available here:
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=5314.0

[Thomas Huber]

Some more from the garden to show their variability:

[Maggi Young]

Some months ago Dörte Harpke and her team made a new classification for the series verni.
Among many interesting news a new species from Italy (Liguria, Tuscany and Emilia-Romana)
is described.

In the last years I was able to visit the original locations and fell in love with this
wonderful species. It's much more variable than the other plants from the series verni
and, most important, it is hardy in my garden 

It also differs from the 'standard' vernus by having different chromosome number 2n=16
(instead of 2n=8 in neapolitanus, siculus and vernus/ex albiflorus,Mathew).

About  the paper of Dörte Harpke and her team :
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262116840_Phylogeny_karyotype_evolution_and_taxonomy_of_Crocus_ser._Verni_%28Iridaceae%29
Phylogeny, karyotype evolution and taxonomy of Crocus ser. Verni (Iridaceae)
 
Doerte Harpke  Angelino Carta  Gordana Tomovic  Vladimir Randelovic  Novica Randelovic  Frank R. Blattner  Lorenzo Peruzzi
Plant Systematics and Evolution (Impact Factor: 1.31). 06/2014; DOI: 10.1007/s00606-014-1074-0

ABSTRACT The taxonomically complicated Crocus series Verni is characterized by high intra- and interspecific variability of karyotypes (2n = 8 to 23). With the aim to get more insights into complex karyotype evolution and to clarify the taxonomy of this group we combined morphological (twelve characters), molecular (chloroplast DNA: trnL-trnF, ndhF; nuclear DNA: ITS, pCOSAt103), and karyological analyses. Samples of different populations of C. etruscus, C. ilvensis, C. kosaninii, C. tommasinianus, C. vernus sensu lato, and C. longiflorus (series Longiflori) were analyzed. Quantitative karyotype parameters were calculated for all taxa involved based on available literature. For the taxon traditionally known as C. vernus, the analyses suggest that it should be split in five species: C. heuffelianus, C. neapolitanus, C. neglectus sp. nov., C. siculus, and C. vernus. The comparison of genome total haploid lengths suggests that in the evolution of the group polyploidization only played a role within the C. vernus species complex, where we also detected two hybridization events. In all other taxa, chromosome evolution is probably characterized by chromosome fusions and fissions, sometimes affecting the entire haploid chromosome set. Comparative cytogenetics of the group indicates that series Verni is subject to a peculiar type of unequal change in chromosome size, i.e. that not both chromosome arms gain or lose equally in DNA content. As a taxonomic consequence of our study, series Verni is newly circumscribed, now including the autumn-flowering C. longiflorus and excluding C. baytopiorum.

[mark smyth]

Hi Thomas long time no 'see'!

Fabulous new Crocus

[Tony Willis]

Thomas very lovely,yours are much more variable than mine which are all like your closeup no 4.

[Thomas Huber]

Thank you Maggi for the useful additions.

Thanks Mark - I'm still alive 

Tony, I have noticed that in some populations the plants are very uniform, like on the
photo of the crocus lawn, while in others only a few kilometers away the
variability is just incredible. Most of the plants on the close-up photos were from only
three locations ....

[WimB]

  No further comment... now I need to clean my keyboard.... 

[Maggi Young]

No further comment... now I need to clean my keyboard.... 

Me too, Wim - another mouth-watering Crocus .

I do enjoy the photos of the mass flowering in habitat - one must hope such sites remain so perfect.

[Armin]

great images Thomas, enjoyed it.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

What a return, Hubi !  Formidable Crocus !!
So difficult to choose from but close-ups 8and 9 are gorgeous !

[ruben]

Fantastic Thomas! Such a variation! I really love it!

[krisderaeymaeker]

Some photos from the wild.
More photos from my 2010 trip are available here:
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=5314.0

Just find this thread  now , but what a stunning place and indeed a very good new Crocus !
Thanks Thomas . 

[Thomas Huber]

My pleasure Kris.