Crocus October 2017

[Maggi Young]

Autumn tasks continue in the Bulb log - lifting leaves,planting out, while more Crocus flowers open.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/logs/logdir/2017Oct181508322541BULB_LOG_4217.pdf

[Janis Ruksans]

The first half of day was cloudy and with several showers, but now is nice sunshine. But regardless of this it is quite cool, but my Czech friend just called me telling that at his place is summer - +24 C. Good fort working in garden ... but all already is done. I today finished registration of pots for planting books and remained to put all this in computer - will take several days because there are planted around 9000 pots.
So some more pictures.
There are not great difference between Crocus armeniensis  Cloudy Sky and Vahagni
Abundantly blooms Crocus caspius received from Norman Stevens
This autumn I carefully compared Crocus goulimyi leucanthus and all my white blooming C. goulimyi. There are no difference in size and single what I could note was shade of white - in so named leucanthus white is of "colder" shade, but in 'Mani White' and 'Alba' (from Brian Mathew) the white is of a little "warmer" tint. This confirmed that there are no reason to separate both.

[Janis Ruksans]

From speciosus group now are blooming Crocus hellenicus from Northern population (near Monodendri)
and so named "polyanthus" from Talish, S Azerbaijan - it so long waited for some warmth, that flowers opened far too widely
Crocus mazziaricus aff. HKEP-1449 from Attica
Crocus species nova from Denizli, Turkey  (JJJ-014)
and Crocus nudiflorus from Spain not very far from border with Portugal

[WimB]

Crocus ochroleucus in flower and a species I still have as Crocus aff. kotschyanus (don't know if it has received a species name already).

[sokol]

Two Crocusses photographed by two Greek friends today:

Crocus mazziaricus from the surroundings of Thessaloniki





and Crocus macedonicus from the Vertiskos Range




I am happy that they are already flowering as I will meet my friends there in 10 days.

[Janis Ruksans]

Two Crocuses photographed by two Greek friends today:

Crocus mazziaricus from the surroundings of Thessaloniki

and Crocus macedonicus from the Vertiskos Range

I am happy that they are already flowering as I will meet my friends there in 10 days.

I don't think that it is true mazziaricus growing near Thessaloniki, but at present there are no better name available. Actually Greek crocuses are not less puzzling than Turkish "biflorus"and others from cancellatus and pallasii groups. The same about some others, less explored at present - cvijicii, veluchensis, "atticus" group, chrysanthus. Where is borderlines, where is natural variation and where starts new species? That is the question. I'm not cytologist but I know that each individual has own DNA footprint. I think that same is in the plant world, but what is the level when we can start to think about new species?

[Janis Ruksans]

Yesterday started blooming Crocus wattiorum. This species seriously suffered last winter and formed very small corms. Actually from 5 pots only one survived without losses and root damage, but I didn't expected any bloom this autumn, so it is nice surprise.
Very nice flowers formed C. tournefortii from Skyros Island.
C. sakariensis are at top of blooming, it is easy separable from xantholaimos - both has deep yellow throat but stigmatic branches in sakariensis well overtop anthers whilst in xantholaimos they end below tips of anthers.
From C. robertianus started blooming pure white form, almost equal to spring 'Bowles' White', only flower segments are slender.
Slowly opens C. melantherus - here closed buds giving some impression about variability - all collected on small spot in spring 2016.

[Janis Ruksans]

Now C. oreocreticus is in full bloom. Those are seedlings from seeds wild collected by Marcus Harvey near Cave of Zeus on Crete.
Then nice form of Crocus cartwrightianus RN-2096 and

as last this morning - part of autumn crocus collection pictured yesterday at short moment with sun and picture in our yard coloured by autumn (picture made by my wife Guna during the same sunshine blick)

[Janis Ruksans]

Crocus ochroleucus in flower and a species I still have as Crocus aff. kotschyanus (don't know if it has received a species name already).

No, it is not yet named (Crocus aff. kotschyanus) but very special and good species. I just made herbarium of it.
C. ochroleucus with me still didn't start blooming.

[krecekB]

Hello everyone,
I do not know what it is like a crocus, it looks like crocus goulimyi but does not have leaves. Collected a few years ago on the Peloponnese.

[WimB]

No, it is not yet named (Crocus aff. kotschyanus) but very special and good species. I just made herbarium of it.

Thanks for the info, Janis...it is a good species indeed. Does very well in the open garden over here.

[WimB]

Some more Crocusses in flower...

The first flower on Crocus laevigatus SL165.

And a last pic of this year of Crocus wattiorum. With a bit of a "webbed" flower .

[David Nicholson]

Great Crocus collection Wim

[ArnoldT]

Two in flower here with our unseasonable warms temperatures.

Crocus speciosus
Carocus cartwrightianus

[Janis Ruksans]

Hello everyone,
I do not know what it is like a crocus, it looks like crocus goulimyi but does not have leaves. Collected a few years ago on the Peloponnese.

Single alternative could be blue form of niveus, although then stigma must be more divided. Of course you could identify by corms. No one other crocus has so polished corm tunics as goulimyi, very different from finely reticulated tunics of niveus. Branching of stigma can vary and is something unclear on your pictures. Just where in Pellopones you collected it?