Crocus December 2010

[Oron Peri]

Came back from a two weeks trip to Jordan last Saturday after leading a group from the AGS,
We haven't seen many autumnal bulbs as this year is extremely dry.
Last time it rained in Jordan was Early March 2010.
Very few  Crocus in flower, still not ones one see every day.
C. pallasii ssp. haussknechtii grows in semidesert conditions at high altitudes [above 1500m] with typical shorter inner petals before opening.

One of my favorites, C. hermoneus ssp palaestinus, growing at about 900-1000m
around Amman, unfortunately risking extinction due to massive construction throughout its habitats.

[Armin]

Oron,
thanks for the images from the wild.
I'm amazed repeated times how the croci can flower under such semi-dessert conditions. Great nuts!

[Oron Peri]

Crocus species nova,

This is a species i have already shown here a year ago.
It is a stable intermediate form between hermoneus and cancellatus.
Large population can be found in the S Golan Heights [Syrian teritory occupied by Israel].
When i described this form i got information that it has also been seen around Ajloun in Jordan.
This time i have menaged to find a population in that area and it is the same one.
Same flowers, little variation, and same typical corm.

[tonyg]

Thanks for showing us these wild crocuses.  When I give my crocus lecture I include a picture of your species nova and tell the story of your finding it.  Will it be described as Crocus perii 

[I.S.]

  Oron, very nice crocus pictures from wild and thank you very much for sharing your knowledge on these bulbs. I also will put to my own archive this intermediate crocus, as a new find of you!
  And I want to ask also about 'Crocus naqabensis' from Jordan?
I have only this information;
Crocus naqabensis differs from the closely related to C. pallasii by having reduced tunics that are not forming a neck, white glabrous throat and chromosome number 2n=14
 Maybe you have seen any sample of this crocus?

[I.S.]

   And  on your new find, even the end of floreson there is no sign of leaves but on the second picture (fron Isr.) there are quite long leaves!
Is it might be cause of altitute?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Wonderful photos and most interesting information Oron !
Thanks for showing !

[Maggi Young]

  And  on your new find, even the end of floreson there is no sign of leaves but on the second picture (fron Isr.) there are quite long leaves!
Is it might be cause of altitute?

Ibrahim, I was going to ask the same question, thank you!
 A lovely crocus, Oron.

[Oron Peri]

Thanks all for the comments and suggestion for a name

Ibrahim and Maggi,

This species generally doesn't have leaves when in flower, they appear by the end of flowering time.
The last photo was taken last year which had good early rains, as a result some of the plants were with well developed leaves, as you can see other plants as well are in an advanced growing stage.

Regarding C. naqabensis, it is still a sort of mystery to me as i have been to the area where it should grow: Ras - A- Naqab but found only C. pallasii hausknechtii.
Another person from the Crocus group  went there a few times, same thing.
I don't say it doesn't exist only that there isn't any report since it was described years ago, any way I'm still looking for it....

[BULBISSIME]

Thank's Oron for this pictures.
The C. hermoneus palaestinus picture is stuning 
I think there is still a lot to learn about this genus with so many variations, natural hybrids,....

[Oron Peri]

Many of my autumnal Crocus are just starting  to flower this year after a very long and hot summer, here are few from this morning.
The aleppicus is a rare form growing in restrict coastal area of N. Israel in my opinion it is much closer to C. veneris than to aleppicus.

C[1]. aleppicus - Coastal form
C[1]. cambessedesii
C[1]. cartwrigthianus Crete
laevigathus
C[2]. ochroleucus
moabiticus
C[1]. moabiticus

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Nice display Oron !  Makes a change to all this white out here... 
Amazing how late they are in your area !

[tonyg]

Lovely to see them Oron.  The coastal C aleppicus is quite unlike the forms we cultivate here and in flower quite different from the C veneris that I have grown.  What features make you think it is closer to C veneris?  Could this be another new taxon?
The C moabiticus give me hope that my plants might be true.  Certainly the flowers are very alike.  I must make a proper study of the leaves and corm to confirm.

[Oron Peri]

Thanks Luc..here it is a bit cloudy today... 

Lovely to see them Oron.  The coastal C aleppicus is quite unlike the forms we cultivate here and in flower quite different from the C veneris that I have grown.  What features make you think it is closer to C veneris?  Could this be another new taxon?
The C moabiticus give me hope that my plants might be true.  Certainly the flowers are very alike.  I must make a proper study of the leaves and corm to confirm.

Tony, look at the second moabiticus, you can see the typical white, thorny cloves at the tip of the leaves, typical to this species. cartwigthianus doesn't have this feature.

[Oron Peri]

Regarding the aleppicus coastal form,
the photo from this morning is a particularly dark/striped form.
Generally this form has small sized flowers, thinner petals, much smaller then the ones  of the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights populations.
The habitat is completely different, coastal form is at sea level as C. veneris, most flowers are white but often tinged purplish.
It may well be  a new taxon, but as i already have two new taxons in mind I'm afraid it would seems I'm inventing new taxons each season...

these photos are better for comparison.