Notes on recent changes in Crocus species' ID

[Janis Ruksans]

Excellent present for New Year came from from famous duet HKEP. Just recently in Stapfia 101 is published new article in which is defined new series - Isauri with type species Crocus isauricus. Most important that finally is defined what really is C. isauricus. Under that name many different species earlier were included. In new article two new species described - Crocus rechingeri and C. concinnus and for the first time published key for separating of crocuses from Series Isauri. For me greatest surprise was including of very distant C. tauricus in series Isauri and finding that it is the closest relative of C. abracteolus from Central S Turkey. Phylogenetically both are the closest neighbours forming pair. For me morphologically (flowers, corm tunics) it looked as more close to species from W Turkey, but as C. abracteolus it hasn't bracteole or in C. tauricus it is present only occasionally. Really the steps of nature are unpredictable.

[Corrado & Rina]

Excellent present for New Year came from from famous duet HKEP. Just recently in Stapfia 101 is published new article in which is defined new series - Isauri with type species Crocus isauricus. Most important that finally is defined what really is C. isauricus. Under that name many different species earlier were included. In new article two new species described - Crocus rechingeri and C. concinnus and for the first time published key for separating of crocuses from Series Isauri. For me greatest surprise was including of very distant C. tauricus in series Isauri and finding that it is the closest relative of C. abracteolus from Central S Turkey. Phylogenetically both are the closest neighbours forming pair. For me morphologically (flowers, corm tunics) it looked as more close to species from W Turkey, but as C. abracteolus it hasn't bracteole or in C. tauricus it is present only occasionally. Really the steps of nature are unpredictable.

Dear Janis,

Thanks a lot very interesting! Could you please share the article, e.g. a link to the article?

Regards

[Pauli]

http://www.landesmuseum.at/biophp/pdf_verk_de/chart_pdf.php?action=add&artikel=220920

And at 1,6 Euro affordable!

[Maggi Young]

This is the link to the list of Stapfia issues available :
 http://www.landesmuseum.at/datenbanken/digilit/?serienr=1     and here are all the articles available from Stapfia 101   http://www.landesmuseum.at/datenbanken/digilit/?litnr=41665

I'm having a bit of trouble getting a payment to go through at the moment. Will try again  - normally it is no problem.

[Yann]

Thanks for sharing with us these informations.
Janis fantastic photos.

[I.S.]

I just received a wonderful news for crocus  amorous.
Three new species from Iran by Janis Ruksans! Excellent trio. Quite different from the other known species by geographically and morphological.
I really congratulate him because of his effort behind of this great affair.

[I.S.]

Here are few photos by my limited informations on.
Crocus gunae from NE. Iran

[I.S.]

The another beauty is from SW Iran

Crocus iranicus

[I.S.]

The another new one is C. reinhardii

Best Wishes...
ibrahim

[Janis Ruksans]

"You crocus people pull out one new species after another out of your pockets - it is unbelievable. Resembles magician who in circus brings out one rabbit after another from his hat”
- citation from private letter.

Just few days ago I got new publication of Turkish botanists about new Crocus taxon - Crocus thracicus. It was mailed to me by Ibrahim and I waited that he will inform crocus lovers about this new species, but as he keeps silence - I decided to do this. This crocus was originally found by Ibrahim not very far from his summer house. He sent me two corms of it asking my opinion. Really it something confused me. Was not easy decide - is it really new or not. By black ends of anthers basal lobes it something resembled some albino forms of C. chrysanthus and both species in some localities meet. (Picture of occasioinal hybrid is ilustrated in paper.) But absence of ribs in leaf lateral channels pushed out idea that it could be chrysanthus.
Another alternative was C. alexandri - and really by flower both looks very similar. In original description is mentioned that alexandri has white edge around purplish back of flowers outer segments, but such is just cultivated form of 'Alexandri' - in wild really it is not expressed and I saw only very few individuals with such colour. Most are of almost same colour as new C. thracicus. Then remain only black spots at basal lobes of anthers. Is it sufficient? There are some differences how looks seeds of both species, but I didn't compared them. I will do this in coming summer. Another difference is altitude where both crocuses grow. C. alexandri is growing at much higher altitudes than C. thracicus. As Ibrahim informed me that Turkish botanists are working on its publication I stopped my research on it to avoid duplication.

There is interesting crocus in Greek Thracia found by Norman Stevens (Cambridge Bulbs) which he characterised as something intermediate between weldenii and alexandri. According data given by Norman Stevens the Greek plant strongly resembles new species. I didn't succeed to found it - there suddenly felt snow in Greek mountains when I went to search for it (I haven't exact locality).

So I suppose that this is one of those cases where final decision can be done only by comparing of DNA of both crocuses. If it will confirm that they are different - colour type of anthers, seed morphology and growing altitude could be used for separating. If not - then it will extend variability and distribution area of C. alexandri. Hope to get reply from geneticists this summer.

Pictures are made in my collection, distribution map modified from original paper - PHYTOTAXA 197 3:207-214

[Maggi Young]

Paper referred to by Janis in the previous post is :

Crocus thracicus (Iridaceae), a new species from north-western Turkey

    Sırrı Yüzbaşıoğlu
    Serdar Aslan
    Neriman Özhatay
 

Phytotaxa (Impact Factor: 1.38). 02/2015; 197(3):207-214.

ABSTRACT Crocus thracicus is described as a new species from Thrace, the European part of Turkey. The white form of this species was wrongly referred to an albino form of C. chrysanthus by Mathew in the Flora of Turkey. It grows in open stony places and in sparse Quercus sp. and Paliurus spina-christi clearings at elevations between 45–170 m. It is compared with the morphologically similar C. alexandri and C. weldenii. A description, detailed illustrations, photograps of metaphase plate, karyotype and idiogram of new species are presented. 

Crocus thracicus (Iridaceae), a new species from north-western Turkey. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272356214_Crocus_thracicus_%28Iridaceae%29_a_new_species_from_north-western_Turkey [accessed Mar 22, 2015].

[Diane Whitehead]

Will there be Crocuses edition 2?

[Maggi Young]

I wonder that myself, Diane -  but if there isn't then we're doing our best  with this forum section, the Crocus Pages on the main site , Janis' posts and IRG articles and an attempt to keep a list of new articles and papers from elsewhere up to date  and not forgetting the  fine site of İbrahim Sözen - to have as complete a Crocus resource as possible that is open to all via the net . 

[Janis Ruksans]

Will there be Crocuses edition 2?

I'm working on it, but it is not easy. When I wrote my first book I had in my collection all known but 3-5 crocus species not growable in my conditions. Now there are so many new ones described. Many I have but not all and many still are hided under aquisition numbers. Identification takes a lot of time but crocus blooming seazon is too short. Still I will need 1-2 winters to finish. Hope that retairement from nursery (now guided by my step daughter Līga and may be founding of branch under my daugters Dace guidence) will give me more free time. It certainly will be completely diferent from the first one book.
Janis

[I.S.]

Janis,
The C. tracicus has been compared with Original descriptions from Serbian flora not with Greek plant or cultivated C. alexandri. On all these descriptions and photos this white edged has been used. But this wasn’t single different between. C. alexandri has 1.5-2.5mm. and C. tracicus only 0.75-1.3mm. wide leaves, the size and shape of flowers were not same (C. alexandri has big and oblong flowers) and of course there are no speckled forms in C. alexandri while C. tracicus mostly faintly speckled. For me so they are strongly separated between.

ibrahim