Crocus October 2014

[Tony Willis]

Tony

Great to see your Crocus are still thriving.

The robertianus you showed are very different from those that Ruben has shown.  What do you think his might be - they are much more striped than any I saw in the wild and more than yours that look typical.

Arthur

Arthur

Not sure but I thought they might me pallasii. I know mine are correct and they have no stripes on them.

[Steve Garvie]

Some truly beautiful crocus on display here!!!

[YT]

At last, crocus season has just arrived here
2 crocuses from JJA Seeds started to bloom today.

Crocus mathewii: JJA 347.908. Turkey, Antalya, SW of Elmalı. 1000m. Open hillsides in very stony terra rossa.
Crocus serotinus ssp. salzmannii: JJA 352.006. Spain, Segovia, El Espinar. 1350m.

[art600]

YT

Beautiful plants expertly grown 

[Maggi Young]

YT

Beautiful plants expertly grown 

My opinion exactly!
And thank you, once more Tatsuo, for posting to the Archibald  pages as a record  Greatly appreciated!

[David Nicholson]

Having this morning journeyed down to the greenhouse, and got wet through to my skin in one of the tumultuous showers that are hitting us today, I found a nice surprise. This came up in a pot of Galanthus reginae-olgae grown from seed kindly sent to me by Tony Willis and sown in September 2009. The snowdrops haven't flowered yet!

I'll not waste my ability to properly identify anything right so which Crocus species could it be please?

[tonyg]

Having this morning journeyed down to the greenhouse, and got wet through to my skin in one of the tumultuous showers that are hitting us today, I found a nice surprise. This came up in a pot of Galanthus reginae-olgae grown from seed kindly sent to me by Tony Willis and sown in September 2009. The snowdrops haven't flowered yet!

I'll not waste my ability to properly identify anything right so which Crocus species could it be please?

Crocus niveus I think.

[ruben]

In flower today:
Crocus speciosus puringhiorum Ruksans nomen nudum  = now Crocus puringiorum
Crocus cartwrightianus

[David Nicholson]

Crocus niveus I think.

Thanks Tony, now you've given me the pointer I can see it.

[Thomas Huber]

Crocus robertianus : we had a discussion with some croconuts and they have a doubt this is the true crocus robertianus. Its a very interesting discussion so i post it here to hear what you're opinion. Please let me know.

Ruben, did you check the underground parts of the plant? If they look OK I don't see a reason
to doubt that it's true robertianus. The plants that I had, looked like the plants that Tony Willis
showed - but if you look carefully you will see some soft stripes on the left flower in Tony's photo.
And in the wild the flowers show incredible variation .....

[art600]

Thomas

All the specimens I have seen in the wild were like Tony Willis' plants - colour either White or Blue but no real evidence of stripes.

I agree the mystery will not be solved until we seethe corms.

[pehe]

Very nice crocus Yt and Ruben!

Today there was a little sunshine after some very wet and dull days.

1. A view from the green house.
    In the front row from the left: Crocus longiflorus, C. robertianus, C. tournefortii AH.0002
    In the back: Crocus kotschyanus leucopharynx, Galanthus Reginae Olgae, Muscari aucheri 'Autumn Glory', Sternbergia lutea
2. Crocus longiflorus
3. Crocus robertianus
4. Crocus tournefortii AH.0002
5. Crocus tournefortii

Poul

[pehe]

From my sand bed:

Crocus goulimyi and Galanthus Reginae Olgae

Poul

[Janis Ruksans]

Weather didn't improve. Cold and wet. Crocuses still stay closed. All the day passed removing old flowers and making notes. But some which I need for new species type herbariums I brought inside where flowers nicely opened and it was possible to press them.
Some surprises, too. Earlier I had hybrids between Crocus ilgazensis and pulchellus, now found others between seedlings of C. xantholaimos - again with pulchellus. But more surprisingly was finding of hybrids between seedlings of C. mathewii - with very dark flowers, without basal blotch. Still remain possibility that some ant replaced some seeds from box to box. Darkness don't allow to make better checking. Remain to hope for some sun in coming days. But few pictures I maid, too.
The first is type Crocus cancellatus from Syria - short neck of tunics, netting something fine. Originally was collected by Arnis Seisums before Civil War started there.
Another beauty originally collected by Arnis is Crocus tournefortii from Cyclades in Greece. Flowers of this species remain open in dark weather. 2 pictures
And as last today - Crocus hadriaticus PELOG-008 with very dark flower tube. Was found by my wife Guna in Pelloponess.

[Boyed]

Local crocus speciosus 'Goris', selected by me many years ago and the ones selected last year during the trip with Janis  in town of Goris (South Armenia). There were many different colour forms and variations, some bloomed this year.