New Crocus Year 2020

[Janis Ruksans]

Today I brought inside for pictures 2 cultivars of Crocus korolkowii selected by me from wild material collected during my 2nd Central Asian trip in valley of river Agalik, Serawschan mountain ridge. In this entry LUCKY NUMBER - again tightly closed buds, (but this case for showing outside markings) and flowers pictured 15-25 minutes after bringing in. In Agalik was the greatest variability of Crocus korolkowii seen by me and I collected there many corms which in nature very well multiplied by corm splitting. There were maid some selections and selected stocks got numbers. This one was stock number 12. I gave handful of corms (free of charge) to Dutch bulb grower Jan Pennings, who raised its stock and offered it for trade, but changed name given by me (Number Twelve) to LUCKY NUMBER, and later sold thousands of it.
The winter of 2005/06 was in first part similar to current winter and all crocuses then grown outside were in full bloom already in January, In February came black-frost - one week minus 35, another minus 20 C, and of course most of early runners were killed. Alive very few and from Crocus korolkowii the best survivor was just this one - really LUCKY NUMBER.
Note its very dark, almost blackish brown throat colour and intensively stipled outside of outer segments.

[Janis Ruksans]

The 2nd was cultivar of Crocus korolkowii MOUNTAINS GLORY. Flower outside with minimal stippling only along midrib and throat very deep yellow. The weather today was extremely dull and dark, so colours are darker and warmer than normally are. Usually Crocus korolkowii is more cold yellow, not so worm as on those pictures.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

After Janis' fireworks, here some of my (more common) firstlings 

Crocus fleischeri grown from seed.

Crocus imperati (my guess as I obtained it years ago as C. corsicus which it isn't)

Crocus korolkowii (ex Tadjikistan)

[Janis Ruksans]

Today +7 C. Sun. Flowers start opening even in greenhouse, but in this entry my greatest surprise. In 2018 we travelled with small group through Iran and at one of stops around 100 km from Kermashah we had lunch stop at altitude around 2000 m. Dima being youngest of us and most powerful ran to gentle hilltop in proximity between ploughed fields and brought to me single crocus corm found by him there. After that we more than half an hour criss-crossed this hill, searching for some more crocuses but found nothing. Really it was wonder, how this one escaped grazing. And now it showed flower bud and... it was yellow!
There are only 2 yellow crocuses known in Iran at present - Crocus almehensis far to East at west end of Kopet-Dag and quite recently published C. kurdistanicus compared with danfordiae. Checking locus classicus for C. kurdistanicus, seem that this one was collected not very far, if I correctly identified locus classicus. So most likely it is C. kurdistanicus. (of course, I identified Qorveh from Google Earth with Ghorveh in Iran Journal of Botany) and there are some other geographical discrepancies. Distance between locus classicus and 18IRS-020 is around 100 km.  Pity, only one plant at present.

[David Nicholson]

Beautiful plants Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Crocus korolkowii maid large buds even in outside garden. In greenhouse in full bloom are Crocus ancyrensis. But Iris histrio is very beautiful even before opening of flowers. This sample is from S Turkey, not far from border with Syria. In greenhouse blooms Narcissus bulbocodium - common for Brits, but unusual here in Latvia.

[Janis Ruksans]

In this entry two my selections from Crocus korolkowii open pollinated seedlings. I don't think that those could be hybrids with alatavicus or michelsonii. White seedlings occasionally appear between C. korolkowii even if it is not grown side by side with both relatives.

[Janis Ruksans]

Those two seedlings of C. korolkowii were selected and named by Lithuanian bulb grower Eugenius Dambrauskas. He suppose that those are hybrids with alatavicus and michelsonii. But I'm not so sure about this, but I keep here his opinion. Names below pictures. All they were pictured inside - on our kitchen's windowsill.

[Janis Ruksans]

Yesterdays few hours of sun almost opened some crocus flowers without bringing them inside. One of such was Crocus atticus collected just near city border of Athens. Another pictured in greenhouse was selection from Crocus gembosii 19-04 with intensively brown striped flower segments outside. But on our kitchens windowsil I forced opening of some crocuses, too. Here pictures of very beautiful species published by me - Crocus sakaltutanensis. It is so special for its very slender flowers with comparatively narrow flower segments, that was noted as different from first blooming in my collection (it was collected wild long after blooming).

[Janis Ruksans]

Another selection from Crocus gembosii with striped flowers - 19-03

[Yann]

this last one is special, all features to attract the eyes 

[Yann]

The third taxa brought inside today was very special species from C. chrysanthus sensu lato group from Bozdag Range, W Turkey. Here on the first picture - just after bringing inside with tightly closed buds and then 3 pictures starting from 15 minutes after bringing in and the last is the same crocus pictured in the wild in 2013.

I missed this form, truly unbelievable colors!!

[Janis Ruksans]

Yesterday I brought in the most unusual crocus in the world - the famous pink Crocus alatavicus and after 15 minutes it showed the proper colour and beauty.
The another has special story. Some time ago Potterton & Martin company selected from wild material collected not far from Akseki in Turkey very special crocus from C. chrysanthus group with black stigma and gave to it name 'Sunspot'. Unfortunately during growing it got some fungal and virus infection. I bought it three times, hoping to receive good quality stock, but finally destroyed all stocks, although sometimes I was a little doubtful about virus infection, but viruses can hide under good growing conditions. But I found similar one at the same locality and I crossed both, hoping to get something similar but healthy. When I pictured this one selection (label was lost) in greenhouse, with tight closed buds, I supposed that it is some of ancyrensis forms. Yesterday I brought it inside and when flowers opened, I was so pleasantly surprised for its black stigma and perfect form. I even was a little doubtful - may be it is some 'Sunspot' which escaped fireplace, but comparing with old pictures of original Sunspot, I found that flower tube in Sunspot is greyish green striped, but in this seedling it is deep purple. Now remain to hope that it will be good increaser, too.

[Janis Ruksans]

The first two pictures shows crocus species from near Tunceli, Munzur Daģlari in Turkey. From there are published two species - Crocus munzurense by Kerndorff and Pasche and Crocus youngiorum by me. Both still are not blooming, but flowers came out in another acquisition which didn't look as munzurense or youngiorum. It was collected already in 1990 by KPPZ trip from Gothenburg BG (KPPZ-217) and still is grown there and in my collection.
The last 3 pictures represents beautiful Crocus nubigena from Lesbos Island, Greece.

[Janis Ruksans]

Crocus yataganensis - last pictures from yesterday. Today new ones pictured but I was too busy watering my greenhouse. Accidentally one pot slipped out of my hands and I found that it is may be too dry. In spring crocus soil usually is very wet, so surplus water will give no damage