Crocus March 2011

[Janis Ruksans]

This morning - four still unidentified Crocus biflorus samples, the first - from Jim Archibald, others from my acquisitions.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Few more
Exceptionally early runner of Crocus atticus subsp. nivalis. One is blooming, others only shows noses out of pot.
Crocus biflorus subsp. crewei from Erich Pasche
Crocus cyprius belongs to one of the most spectacular species in series Biflori although Brian just expressed opinion that may this one must be included in subsp. range under C. biflorus. Stock comes from Rik
Crocus hartmannianus from Dirk. True to name although anthers are yellow - would like to have black anthered sample. May be someone can offer?
And as last in this entry 3 different stocks of Crocus hittiticus - The first from Jim Archibald, the second collected by myself and the third bought from Norman Stevens. Note speckled back on my stock, distinctly striped on Norman's. In all pictures you can note that inner petals are wider than outer - characteristic only to reticulatus and hittiticus.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

And the last for this morning - Crocus biflorus isauricus and its natural hybrids with chrysanthus which grow side by side on Gembos Yaila. The first picture is from plants received by Jim Archibalds wish, KPPZ - from Gothenburg's BG collection.
Janis

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Totally amazing pictures Janis !!!
All are superb and the hybrids are awesome !

[Thomas Huber]

Here's two whose labels were lost in the recent ice age.

Arnold, your second photo shows a late flowering Crocus laevigatus 'Fontenayi'
The first is not as easy to ID, could be a Crocus sieberi form, perhaps 'Violet Queen' or ssp atticus.

Wonderful photos Janis and all the others.... 

[ArnoldT]

Thomas:

Thanks I know I've had those.  After years of lost labels and relocated bulbs who knows....

[Janis Ruksans]

Every hour opens more and more flowers. Om the first picture - overall view of one spring bed during watering.
The plants on the first 3 pictures is named as biflorus adamii from Iran. But I'm not certain is it correct.
On following two you can check the variability of throat color in Crocus adanensis
This spring seriously delayed so the earliest and midseazon species blooms together - see C.alatavicus
And one more of Crocus biflorus atrospermus
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Few more pictures of my best Iranian gathering - I still didn't name it. There are two forms selected and from each are side and top views
Another beauty, which in mysterious way disappear from my records and even from planting books is this one - named biflorus 'Myddelton Cream' - would be pleased to know, who sent it to me?
Two pictures of stocks at present regarded as biflorus isauricus, but I suppose it is another, new one
And last two are two another unidentified biflorus - one I got as C. aerius as from Zigana pass, but it isn't aerius
Another comes from Malatya district, and I think that it is not taurii or munzurense (the last still not published (?) so difficult to decide.
Janis

[Kasun A]

My march crocuses,,

Crocus malyi
Crocus vernus Michaels Purple

kasun

[Janis Ruksans]

Again few yellows
Some chrysanthus with black anthers or black connective
Crocus fleischeri - the first stock with very dark brown-black throat
and as last - C. gargaricus - the first flower
Janis

[Armin]

Marvelous photos Janis and all others

[Armin]

  Armin thanks for advice I do that each week but it seems that is not enough,

Ibrahim,
the croci leaves are yellowish - if it is not too hot or dry they may suffer from lack of Fe(II) (because of your calciferous soil, high ph-value (ph >8?)?
You can fertilze them with a weak dosis of Ferrosulfat (FE(II)SO4) solved in water (10g solved in 10ltr water/qm poured in the morning). Repeat treatment every 14 days.
Basically it lowers ph-value and supports the production of chlorophyll => darker green leaves.
But be careful! Too high dosis burns the croci leaves!
In Germany this fertilizer salt it is commercially available to avoid iron deficiancy on plants and is mainly used for lawns as it also limits the growth of moss (and when swallowed kills slugs.)

[tonyg]

Janis  - a magnificent treat to see all these wonderful variants.  Thank You!

[Janis Ruksans]

Thanks Tony and others.
Now all the days are passed in greenhouse with camera in one hand, identification key's in another + paintbrush for pollination. For the forth year I'm bringing inside for controlled pollination two pots of each with 5 corms in each from CC. alatavicus, michelsonii and korolkowii. Alatavicus is pollinated in one pot with korolkowii, in another with michelsonii and so with others, too. But I still didn't receive any seed. Regardless of equal chromosome number, this seem impossible.
Yesterday brought in pots of chrysanthus with black stigmas and black anthers. For crossing used cv. Sunspot, black anthered sample from Denizli (from David Stephens)_ and my own gatherings with black stigma and with black anthers from Gembos Yaila. I want to make plant where both stigma and anthers will be yellow. Greatest hopes I'm putting just on plants from Gembos Yaila as those must be with identical chromosome number.
Now I'm showing Crocus hittiticus from Gulek Bogazi - quite dark blue colored form
Another hybrid from Gembos Yaila between chrysanthus and biflorus isauricus
Flowers of Crocus leichtlinii covers the pots surface
Then follows two pictures of so dark blue biflorus nubigena, that I even put question mark on its label
Next is much more typical nubigena and as last - very light pseudonubigena - recurved petals shows that it is too hot in greenhouse and yesterday I for the first time opened windows to lower temperature.
Today is cloudy and I hope the sprint of blooming will lower a little giving more time to think and to work on.

Ibrahim, hope horrible snowfalls reaching Turkey not damaged your collection.

Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Outside still are cloudy, so I can post few more pictures from yesterday.
At first one of the easiest in gardens biflorus - subsp. pulchricolor. On the first traditional colors but not very far from Abant I found population where many specimens were of very light color, here two pictures of one such beauty.
And in this entry two pictures of subsp. punctatus.
Janis