Janis in Greece- November 2014

[Janis Ruksans]

Together with Liga and my Czech friends we are now in Greece – looking for some Crocus localities and their distribution (I and Liga) – travelling and picturing nature – my Czech friends.
The first spot visited by me for 5th or even 6th time is on road from Nafpaktos to Lidorikis. I have two acquisitions of Crocus hellenicus from two spots – one from meadow 22 km from Nafpaktos, grown in Gothenburg BG and another from Britain – collected near Varnakovo Monastery growing in moth. Both really identical, but I wanted to see it in nature, but again no one I saw. As always –there were plenty of C. robertianus – lighter or darker blue to almost white. Crocus robertianus is growing in well shaded spots, in small openings between spiny shrubs and inside. I found it in autumn by flowers, in spring by leaves, but never saw any speciosus there. Most likely not the best time. Most likely I came too early. Not exact data of collecting time in Materials of Greek Flora listed, but it can change great from season to season. This was the first case when I saw there C. hadriaticus. This clump was spotted by Liga just on roadside. And it was growing lower by steep slope, too. The day was very foggy and rainy, so flowers are closed or damaged.
Together with Liga and my Czech friends we are now in Greece – looking for some Crocus localities and their distribution (I and Liga) – travelling and picturing nature – my Czech friends.
The first spot visited by me for 5th or even 6th time is on road from Nafpaktos to Lidorikis. I have two acquisitions of Crocus hellenicus from two spots – one from meadow 22 km from Nafpaktos, grown in Gothenburg BG and another from Britain – collected near Varnakovo Monastery growing in moth. Both really identical, but I wanted to see it nature, but again no one I saw. As always –there were plenty of C. robertianus – lighter or darker blue to almost white. Crocus robertianus is growing in well shaded spots, in small openings between spiny shrubs and inside. I found it in autumn by flowers, in spring by leaves, but never saw any speciosus there. Most likely not the best time. Most likely I came too early. Not exact data of collecting time in Materials of Greek Flora listed, but it can change great from season to season. This was the first case when I saw there C. hadriaticus. This clump was spotted by Liga just on roadside. And it was growing lower by steep slope, too. The day was very foggy and rainy, so flowers are closed or damaged.

[Janis Ruksans]

After unsuccessful try to find Crocus hellenicus we followed our road to North – to Vikos Canyon – the another from 3 known localities where Crocus hellenicus was found and from where I described it as different species. It is so fantastic place that I needed to show it to my friends and Liga, and there is excellent hotel with fantastic kitchen and excellent house wine.
Crocus hellenicus was registered there from several spots – from Monodendri (where we stay for two nights) and from surroundings of Papingo. Crocus hellenicus here grow in grass on edge of yaila, just in half shaded spots where yaila borders with surrounding forest. Monodendri is the highest altitude where C. hellenicus was observed and now I saw only 9 specimens (last time much more), confirming that I again came too early in season.
Fortunately weather improved and we had nice day there exploring historical monuments – arched stone bridges. In afternoon we drove to Papingo. By the way – Vikos Canyon is registered in Guiness Record Book as deepest and narrowest canyon in the world – depth reach 900 – 1100 meters (depends from source where you are looking).

[Tony Willis]

Janis

a really interesting report as usual. I have been to both areas several times and the Vikos Gorge is superb.

Edit by maggi : this next part of the post refers back to the main Crocus November thread  and this message : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=12424.msg316006#msg316006

As to Crocus robertianus mine come from the Lidoriki area and whilst I do not know the exact elevation feel it is quite low. For the past couple of years I have kept my C robertianus frost free both the main plants and the seedlings. This has certainly seem of benefit to them.

I wonder if this is what you have called Crocus hellenicus? I collected it several years ago.

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis

a really interesting report as usual. I have been to both areas several times and the Vikos Gorge is superb.

Edit by maggi : this next part of the post refers back to the main Crocus November thread  and this message : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=12424.msg316006#msg316006

As to Crocus robertianus mine come from the Lidoriki area and whilst I do not know the exact elevation feel it is quite low. For the past couple of years I have kept my C robertianus frost free both the main plants and the seedlings. This has certainly seem of benefit to them.

I wonder if this is what you have called Crocus hellenicus? I collected it several years ago.

It looks very typical C. hellenicus
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

We returned from Greece after very long and very tiresome travel with long hours in Airports between transfers. Avekening at 5 o'clock in morning I was in home only at midnight. Then followed few days with collection in own greenhouses - taking off old flowers, preparing a lot of herbariums and samples for DNA research by request of collegues working with crocuses (and some for myself, too). Only now I can return to travel report.

In this entry I show you some of nature and human made monuments at Vikos Canyon. The region is famous for its stone bridges made by local rich-mans for easier getting to markets. Bridges are named by people who financed project. At one of stops between small hilltops at wetter spot Vaclav spotted Colchicum – most likely C. autumnale, but flowers were mostly damaged by last days rains. Here the best plant seen. There other plants growing everywhere is Cyclamen hederifolium and Prospero (Scilla) autumnale.  On second picture – Liga and Jirka coming up from Canyon by narrow stone paved street at Monodendri.

[Tim Ingram]

Exquisetely constructed bridge - I'm just imagining the weight in those central sections that hold the whole thing together. Really enjoy hearing about plants searched for in their natural habitat - it gives the garden so much more connection to the real world. I would certainly like to learn how to grow crocus rather better...

[Janis Ruksans]

Papingo is situated much lower in mountains than Monodendri, so no hope to see there Crocus hellenicus although it was recorded from vicinity. Road there is winding up and down by very steep slopes, sometimes very narrow with very sharp turns. But our coming there is rewarded by fantastic meadows of Crocus hadriaticus. Here it was so dwarf comparing with earlier seen that at first moment I was even confused with naming and only opening corm and seeing all features I understood that it is common hadriaticus. May be seasonal variety? May be dwarf population, but plants were very nice and compact. On road back we spotted several other points where it grew and looked more traditionally. I collected few of those “dwarfs” hoping that they will keep this habitat in cultivation, too. Next morning we will turn back to South – in direction to Lefkada Island from where is described Crocus mazziaricus. I must to see how look typical plant as I don’t believe that plants known as “mazziaricus” throughout in Greece and in Turkey can be the same species. Of course DNA search is essential, so I need material from type locality which is just Lefkada Island joined with mainland Greece by underwater tunnel.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

On road down from Papingo we maid roadside stop where pictured some more Crocus hadriaticus and very typical Sternbergia sicula. I can't accept merging of S. sicula with S. lutea and S. greuteriana. They are far different.

[Janis Ruksans]

Another point of my interest there is Moni Romvou – small mountain monastery in surroundings of which is the third known locality for Crocus hellenicus in Greece. There are three disjunct localities of Crocus hellenicus starting in Nafpaktos, then mountains around Moni Romvou and most northern – Vikos Canyon tops. As plants from N and S end are identical, the middle population must be the same but I want to see it. But… again its location is situiated too low in mountains. Autumn crocus blooming starts in opposite order than spring bloomers – they start from highest altitudes and then go lower. As at highest spot they only started, it means that at lower altitudes still week or two are needed for first flowers.
To find Moni Romvou is not easy. From 5 maps of this region it was shown only on one. It helped to me find its position on Geogle Earth and I made printout of road guiding there. Of course navigation didn’t show such small point although roads around it I can see. At confusion spots I compared picture from Google Earth with navigator screen and for great surprise found the searched Monastery. There was road higher in mountains to small remote village but that was passable only by tractor. Searching all possible localities around monastery we found no one speciosus but quite many C. hadriaticus. Not as abundantly and not so spectacular as at Papingo, but nice enough. At one plant I stopped slightly wondering about its stigma colour and dividing, but passed it without more careful checking. A few minutes later I wanted return, but not more find it. Another bulbous plant (really corm) blooming here is Colchicum cupanii. It is not very easy in cultivation as it forms leaves in autumn which are very susceptible to Botrytis. You must very carefully remove all parts of old flower to protect leaves and corm from infection and rot.

[Janis Ruksans]

Driving back, down from mountains, we suddenly spotted large population of blooming white crocus. Of course we stopped there – and it again was very typical Crocus mazziaricus which turned identical with that from Lefkados – white, with pale yellow many but shallowly branched stigma. Short visit to forested part of Lefkados confirmed that both are morphologically identical. I made herbarium, collected some corms and we hurried back to Peloponnesus, crossing sea by elegant bridge (pay-bridge ~ 13,- Euro per limousine).

[Janis Ruksans]

On Peloponess I want to show to my friends beautiful nature and monuments around Stemnitsa and we select scenic road guiding there through Trapeza. After horrible winding by narrow streets of Kalavrita finally we turned to correct road and soon started paradise of Crocus mazziaricus. It was everywhere – on meadows, forest edges, roadside slips, in shrubs etc. etc. More variable in colours than on Lefkada – here more plants with slightly blue shade and stigmatic branches occasionally are red. No one such was seen on Lefkada and around Moni Romvou. But in any case dominates forms with white flowers and with pale yellow stigmatic branches. By the way we visit very impressive cave lakes – unfortunately it is dry season and only some water is in lakes and no one waterfall at our visit works – too little water. But in early spring and in rainy periods view must be very impressive.

[Janis Ruksans]

At next stop one more Crocus species is added to „seen” list. Really we stopped to picture Sternbergia sicula marvellously blooming on roadside and were unpleasantly surprised by horrible odour surrounding us. We supposed that it is from goats wandering around, but approximating Sternbergias saw the source of “odour” – it was Biarum tenuifolium blooming side by side with Sternbergia. And then I remembered my first visit together with Guna to Acropolis, where we supposed that horrible odour comes from thousands of tourists who instead of toilet used slopes of Acropolis hill. There the source was the same – thousands of Biarum tenuifolium. As around were blooming white crocuses I pictured few C. mazziaricus, but seeing one smaller plant I was nicely surprised by beautiful Crocus melantherus which just started to bloom.

[Janis Ruksans]

Two more pictures of Crocus melantherus

[Janis Ruksans]

The weather again changes and becomes foggy and rainy. Beforte dramatical changes we again stop at spot where is greatest density of Crocus mazziaricus ever seen by me. Hotel at Dimitsana which I used several times is closed, so we make short stop at my most loved Crocus melantherus locality. On this locality 3 crocus species grow together. At my first visit there with Liga we saw only Crocus melantherus but plenty and it was single spot where we seen it during all trip. Two years later I went there with my wife Guna and we saw only Crocus boryi and very abundantly again.  Again a year later with another my daughter Ilze and her husband we saw both – C. boryi and C. melantherus, but now there were Crocus melantherus, C. boryi and C. mazziaricus. Not much but present. We didn’t look long – it was so foggy and wet and started to turn dark but we had 2 and half hours of fast driving ahead up to Monemvasia, where my friends wanted to see Cyclamen graecum.

[I.S.]

Janis,
Nothing is more fascinating than to see crocuses in wild!
I thank you so much for giving us to see all these beauties…