Crocus February - 2009

[Lesley Cox]

I'd hesitate to argue with Janis re crocuses but if the earlier one ISN'T minimus, what else could it be? I know there was some discussion about it a couple or so months ago but nothing resolved, so far as I remember. My own minimus is probably the last IN flower but not the last TO flower. I mean others start later but the minimus goes on longer, outlasting others. Surely it's not impossible that there are earlier and later clones of the one species? And what about the white minimus which some Australians have (ex Brian Mathew)? It is the earliest of any "spring" species, starting in early to mid winter.

[Gerry Webster]

The form pictured by Anne seems to correspond fairly closely  to the commercial clone of C. minimus as described by BM: "outer segments almost wholly dark purple except for the margins which are feathered purple on a yellowish ground." Anne's plant is identical to the one I used to have as C. minimus.

[Anthony Darby]

I'd hesitate to argue with Janis re crocuses but if the earlier one ISN'T minimus, what else could it be? I

Crocus 'Mickymus'?

[Lesley Cox]

Shame! Shame!

[Janis Ruksans]

Dear friends,
I apologise to those who got from me wrong crocus under name C. vernus albiflorus B. It is quite mysterious for me, at first I thought that it is blue albiflorus, such are in some of my stocks and I'm carefully marking those to build up stock with blue albiflorus. Unfortunately last two springs at crocus blooming time I was very shortly in home, most of time passing in mountains and I didn't this job. For that reason this spring I limited my travels to very early and very late spring - to check all my plantings. But long style on picture shows that it is subsp. vernus. So I suppose that mix was made by mice in bulb shed where they had great fest just on crocuses before I found what happens. Previous winter we had very limited population of mice in Latvia. Small Eagle even didn't nested as it's child main food is mice. It maid me a little sleepy up to I find unexpected crocus corms on bulb sheds floor. Opening crocus boxes I was shocked finding that some are almost empty. Of course immediately everywhere I put poisons and it stopped entertainment of mice. Mice quite often is picking corm and going with through boxes to their dinner box, sometimes loosing corm by way. Real damage I saw only late autumn when I cleaned bulb shed and found behind boxes shells of thousands of crocus corms. This winter number of mice is horrible. Every week I feed them on field and greenhouses 150(!) large pellets of poison and so all winter since November, every week!

Relating commercial Crocus minimus stock. I earlier wrote that ~30 years ago I had it and another stock grown from wild collected seeds. The great difference in that what I expected from literature and what I saw in garden comparing with wild stock raised some doubt and I dissected shoot of commercial minimus and I found that it isn't really minimus by morphology of plant, I event went to conclusion that it is mini-form of another species. Later I destroyed commercial stock and I can't to check now. Most pity that I didn't write about it in my Latvian book. Of course it must be somewhere on my field notes but to go through thousands and thousands of pages of old papers from pre-computer era - I haven't time for it now.

Relating flowering time. It can vary greatly but in general for species it is more-less between certain borders. Sometimes it can be used for separating of species. Tulipa kaufmanniana is the earliest tulip in garden, superficially almost identical Tulipa tschimganica allways blooms two weeks later. The last is high mountain plant and in nature flowers much later as spring there comes later, but planted side by side in garden both species regardless of identical spring time keeps the difference in blooming time.

Look in old Bowles Handbook - he clearly marks that minimus is the last crocus in bloom, although he suppose that his plants are highlanders. I haven't more commercial stock but all my wild forms of minimus regularly blooms when all other species finished. By pictures I saw that some of you have large stocks of commercial minimus - try to pick up one plant and check its prophyll, bract, bracteole and their dimensions. I'm afraid that I got that commercial minimus is closer to imperatii in which bract and bracteole are equal, green tipped, but in minimus bracteole is narrow or even absent. But 30 years old memories are 30 years old. Would be pleased to read about your observations.

Here outside is snowing. We had minus twenty on Sunday, now minus 2 C, weekend again offered colder.

Yours Janis

[mark smyth]

Janis you are very honest with your mistakes. Others are not.

[annew]

Thank you for that, Janis. Bowles also says of his minimus that they are very slow to increase except by seed, while the form I have increases very freely vegetatively (if you want some I have LOTS). I have looked at Bowles' diagram of the parts of a crocus, and cannot match them to the parts you mention, but I will try to dissect one of them tomorrow and measure the various parts.

[Gerry Webster]

Thank you for that, Janis. Bowles also says of his minimus that they are very slow to increase except by seed, while the form I have increases very freely vegetatively (if you want some I have LOTS). I have looked at Bowles' diagram of the parts of a crocus, and cannot match them to the parts you mention, but I will try to dissect one of them tomorrow and measure the various parts.

Anne - this diagram from Mathew may help with your dissection. I wouldn’t set too much store by Bowles’ remarks. The forms of species  selected for commercial exploitation are frequently those where  vegetative increase  is fast.

[mark smyth]

Here are some of my tommies loving today's sun. They are supposed to be sterile but they are multiplying fast. They were planted quite evenly a fe wyears ago. Later this year I plan to put all my tommies in the ground

and the unknown Crocus from my troughs. Anyone want to confirm what it is? Last year there was one but this year there are four. The outside of the petals is cream.

[Janis Ruksans]

Thank you for that, Janis. Bowles also says of his minimus that they are very slow to increase except by seed, while the form I have increases very freely vegetatively (if you want some I have LOTS). I have looked at Bowles' diagram of the parts of a crocus, and cannot match them to the parts you mention, but I will try to dissect one of them tomorrow and measure the various parts.

Thank you Anne, I would like to have a pair of corms of commercial minimus just for interest to check what it really is and to compare it with picture in my memory and it would be interesting to compare it with my wild forms, too.
My address is
Janis Ruksans, P.O. Stalbe, LV-4151 Cesis distr. Latvia.
Many tanks!
Janis

[tonyg]

Mark your white / cream outers crocus is C tommasinanus or a hybrid with Crocus vernus.  C tommasinianus often has cream or much paler outers, at least in cultivation.

[mark smyth]

Are they worth getting excited about? There are no remanents/spots and dashes of purple on the outers. I really need a sunny day to get a good photo. Thanks

[Anthony Darby]

Here are two of the three named forms of Crocus heuffelianus I grow: 'Dark Wonder' and 'Dark Eyes'. I think they are absolutely wonderful.

[Rafa]

Crocus carpetanus this evening.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Here are two of the three named forms of Crocus heuffelianus I grow: 'Dark Wonder' and 'Dark Eyes'. I think they are absolutely wonderful.

You're absolutely right Anthony !  Great colour shades !
I'm waiting (hoping) for my 'Wildlife' to flower later (out in the garden).



Rafa !
You've got me droolin' again !!