Crocus to identify? Post them here....

[tonyg]

Could somebody id this it was bought as Crocus tournefortii 

I get a better pic if needed

It could well be correct but from the picture there is a small doubt in my mind.  If it is lilac coloured then it is C tournefortii but if white then C boryi is a possible.  It looks too large to be C laevigatus which would otherwise enter the equation.

[daveyp1970]

Tony it is white with a hint of lilac and the flower doesn't stay open at night nor in dull weather.

[Gerry Webster]

I suppose it might be C. tournefortii x boryi though plants I have had which I thought might be this hybrid have been pure white.

[Gerry Webster]

I think the only sure (?) way of distinguishing between C. tournefortii & C. boryi is by means of the hairiness of the anther filaments - hand-lens required.  The attached illustrations are from Maw.

Top: C. boryi
Bottom: C. tournefortii

I assume that intermediates are the hybrid.

[Janis Ruksans]

Could somebody id this it was bought as Crocus tournefortii 

I get a better pic if needed

Impossible by this picture.
janis

[tonyg]

Yes, Gerry is right it could be the hybrid but telling for sure is the devils own job!

I have some plants labelled as the hybrid (I and Udo have recently posted pics) which are white, and close up at night.  They are more vigorous than either parent is here, so maybe that vigour points to their being hybrids?

[Gerry Webster]

Yes, Gerry is right it could be the hybrid but telling for sure is the devils own job!

I have some plants labelled as the hybrid (I and Udo have recently posted pics) which are white, and close up at night.  They are more vigorous than either parent is here, so maybe that vigour points to their being hybrids?

I was never sure of the hybrid status of  my plants until I raised seedlings. The majority were very close to C. boryi but one  was a rather odd C. tournefortii - deep lilac blue but  feathered.

[de.da.]

Hello.
I am Daniel from Saxony, Germany.
I`m 29 years old.
Ever since this year I grabbed the Crocus fever!
I hope you can read my posts because I use google Translater too.
Since this year I have a crocus- collection with 40 varieties/ species.
Please tell me whether the species / varieties are correct.

C.speciosus`Conqueror`

also ´Conqueror´

´Conqueror´

´Conqueror´

´Conqueror´

Unfortunately, not too nice - Crocus speciosus `Albus`


Crocus pulchellus

also

also C.pulchellus

Here shout be a C. ochroleucus. But it is not... Whats that? Also C.speciosus?

Crocus sativus.
Is it normal, that they dont bloom at the first year?
What means the brown stripes at he leaves? To moist?
Thank you!!!!!!!! Daniel

PS: is `Conqueror`sterile?
When they flop over- can they make seeds?

[Armin]

Hello Daniel,

welcome on the forum. I'm glad to hear you got the crocus fever!

Reg. C. speciosus 'Conqueror': We had this topic many times in the past. We can't realy identify it.
The KAVB describes them as 'Flowers very large, deep sky blue.' Not very precise and there are no reference pictures and no registration date.
The problem C. speciosus is bred in the Netherlands by millions. The stocks are mixed, not clean. And C. speciosus is a variable plant and hybridizes easily with C. pulchellus.
So my recommendation, just feel happy with the variations.
I don't know if 'Conqueror' is sterile. Seed capsules usually appear in May provided weather and pollination was good in autuum. But you can hand pollinate them with a fine brush.

Your C. pulchellus is C. speciosus. Often C. speciosus is a substitute for short supply of C. pulchellus or simply because of mixed/unclean stocks. Not fair but reality.
Same with C. orchroleucus - often mixed with C. speciosus. Put ochroleucus corms in a sheltered, sunny place and plant it deep (-15cm) then they flower better. Otherwise only leaves. Never had success with them in my meadow.
This is also valid for C. sativus. Reasons for non-flowering can be various. Too small corms, wrong storage, laying of corms too late, frost damages in spring, wet summer season...

[Gerry Webster]

Crocus sativus.
Is it normal, that they dont bloom at the first year?.............

Daniel - feed heavily with a high potash fertiliser  (eg tomato food) & try keeping them completely dry & very hot during summer dormancy.

[de.da.]

Hello Armin and Gerry.
Thanks for your answers!
Ok but too bad that they are not real pulchellus.
I'm just happy that there is a white speciosus
How can you tell the difference between pulchellus an speciosus?
How to recognize REAL pulchellus?
My alleged pulchellus are veined not as strong, and formed several green seed spikes - speciosus had the purple bud tips.
(for Armin  : Die angeblichen pulchellus sind nicht so stark geadert und bildeten mehrere grüne Keimspitzen - die speciosus hatten lila Keimspitzen.)


I have tomato fertiliser.
When should I fertilize?
Ok- I will put the saffron-pot dry in the summer.

Following types / varieties I have.
Is there some special note (do you have special tips?)?

(Crocus pulchellus)
(Crocus ochroleucus)
Crocus sativus
Crocus speciosus `Albus`
Crocus speciosus `Conqueror`

Crocus tommasinianus `Ruby Giant`
Crocus tommasinianus `Roseus`
Crocus tommasinianus `Barr´s Purple`
Crocus sieberi `Hubert Edelsten` (C. sieberi ssp. atticus x C. sieberi ssp.sieberi)
Crocus sieberi `Firefly`
Crocus sieberi ssp.sublimis `Tricolor`
Crocus biflorus ssp.biflorus (syn.C. biflorus parkinsonii)
Crocus biflorus ssp.isauricus 'Spring Beauty'
Crocus korolkowii
Crocus angustifolius (C.susianus)
Crocus kosaninii `April View`
Crocus fleischeri
Crocus ancyrensis `Golden Bunch`
Crocus candidus `Subflavus`
Crocus flavus ssp. flavus (C.aureus)
Crocus flavus `Yellow Mamouth` (syn. 'Dutch Yellow', `Golden Yellow ',Yellow Giant`)
Crocus etruscus `Rosalind`
Crocus etruscus `Zwanenburg`
Crocus imperati ssp.imperati `De Jager`
Crocus minimus
Crocus vernus `Vanguard`
Crocus `Yalta` (Crocus vernus x C.tommasinianus)
Crocus vernus `Flower Record`
Crocus vernus `King of Striped`
Crocus vernus `Pickwick`
Crocus vernus `Remembrance´
Crocus vernus `Jean d`Arc´
Crocus vernus `Grand Maitre`
Crocus vernus `Purpurea Grandiflora`
Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl`
Crocus chrysanthus 'Prince Claus`
Crocus chrysanthus 'Fuscotinctus`
Crocus chrysanthus `Dorothy`
Crocus chrysanthus `Romance´
Crocus chrysanthus 'Snowbunting`

Thank you!

[Armin]

Daniel,

you have already a good assortment of the most popular cultivars.

Here two references of very good forms of C. pulchellus - not all are such contrasted. But always a yellow center and white anthers.
The others are C. speciosus from my garden/meadow.

[de.da.]

Armin, my pulchellus look real but they are not white anthers.
(Can you tell me the German word for "anthers"- "Staubfäden"?)
Is that the major different?
Maybe it will come true pulchellus- it bloom only 2 of 10!

What means "a good assortment of the most popular cultivars"?
"nice but nothing special"    The rare are unfortunately too expensive for me...

Are Crocuses here, where I got to watch in particular?
For me, all (who are in the pot) in a mixture of garden soil / sand / clay pebbles.

I would love to still have C.nudiflorus and C. banaticus!

But they are rare and expensive!

Dani

[Armin]

Daniel,

your translation of anthers is correct.

Please don't misunderstand 'a good assortment of the most popular cultivars' as simply 'nice but nothing special'.

Many crocus species come from extreme habitats - low land mediteranean over semi-dessert to high alpine.
Usually most of them require a wet spring followed by a dry summer rest. And always a good drainage.

Many species (spring or autuum flowering) cannot cope with our low-land continental climate and rainy summers, they simply rot. Better to grow those under glass with controled conditions.
In my instance I grow all my crocus outside, preferable in my meadow - therefore there are limits in the number of suitable species I can grow (=most popular cultivars ) and which do not suffer significantly on moist during summer dormancy or die off by sudden black frosts as happend last Februar.

A little pity is the fact that many popular cultivars are hybrids which do not set seed or only a few viable. They are propagated vegetatively in high volumes and are cheap.

Propagating crocus from seed is the most exiting because you can breed the whole bandwidth of color and form variations.
True and rare species are raised from seed and have their price as it takes years to bring them to flowering sizes.

I don't know your experiences with the crocus taxa sofar but I recommend you to study each species requirements before ordering.
Otherwise you risk to dig hundreds of Euros for the finest crocus compost.

If you follow up this forum threads and i.e. Ian's 'bulb log' on the main website you can learn a lot from the experts.
Join the crocus group and participate on the seed exchange if you like.

[Gerry Webster]

Hello Armin and Gerry.

I have tomato fertiliser.
When should I fertilize?
Ok- I will put the saffron-pot dry in the summer.

Thank you!

Daniel - I feed all crocus  with half-strength fertiliser every week when in growth. Some people feed less I believe.