Crocus April 2019

[Janis Ruksans]

Many years ago I throw seeds of C. heuffelianus in shrubs - now they nicely bloom. Small bulblets of  Alan McMurtrie's Iris reticulata hybrids left unharvested on field where many years ago was beds with them. Now there are meadow but irises still bloom.
White heuffelianus are selfsawn seedlings of Carpathian Wonder.

[Janis Ruksans]

In greenhouse almost all crocuses finished blooming. Today I brought outside pots with abantensis, pelistericus, scardicus and cvijicii. Tomorrow will continue with veluchensis, heuffelianus and scepusinensis.
But in garden just now nicely blooms several others. Mostly some surplus or not so good quality corms which I didn't want to throw away. Blooms Crocus korolkowii Apricot - corms were just, just living when I planted them in ornamental bed - but all alive and bloom now together with sublimis tricolor, atticus and some another which name I forgot - so long ago it was planted, most likely it was some cultivar, which I didn't want to grow more.

[Janis Ruksans]

Very good article was just published confirming that cultivated saffron - Crocus sativus - originated in Greece: you can read it here:
https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1055790319300879?token=DE9BDC6E0D2E876024B053399AAAB47F2586ED647B59B773DD64D019044FEC57E42C560BD2AC3702840D630CB48ACA25

[StevenS]

Dear Croconuts,

Perhaps this question has already been asked a thousand times but so far I haven't been able to find a satisfactory answer on this forum (which of course doesn't mean it isn't 'hiding' somewhere in this fast database of knowledge).

As a relatively 'new' Crocus grower I wil start this year collecting my first seeds in order to increase my collection. The first seedpods are now ripening and I am wondering whether there is a point to collecting the seeds of Crocus varieties (not species) at all? For instance I have a C. Cartwrightianus 'Michel' with a ripe seedpod full of seeds. I have read in literature and on this forum that there can be a lot of variety within the seedlings of any particular species. In which case does the offspring of a certain Crocus variety still officially classify as that particular variety? Or is only clonal offspring of a particular Crocus variety accepted as the 'true' variety?

I have for instance C. mathewii 'Dream dancer'. If I compare the flower of mine to the flower in Ian Young's bulblog from roughly 8 years ago his clone is much darker and richer in colour than mine which has pretty, but much paler flowers. Which makes me wonder whether my plant is from clonal origin (in which case you'd expect it's flowers to be the same) or from seed (in which case this variety in paler flower colour could be explained).

Thanks all in advance for helping me with this conundrum!

[Yann]

Very good article was just publi8shed confirming that cultivated saffron - Crocus sativus - originated in Greece: you can read it here:
https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1055790319300879?token=DE9BDC6E0D2E876024B053399AAAB47F2586ED647B59B773DD64D019044FEC57E42C560BD2AC3702840D630CB48ACA25

interesting!

[Jupiter]

A few autumn flowering Crocus starting here in Adelaide South Australia with lots of noses up with weeks ahead should be full of flowers.

1. Crocus xantholaimos x pulchellus
2. C. pulchellus 'Albus'
3. C. banaticus

[Maggi Young]

A treat to see the  Southern hemisphere  autumn flowers  begin as  our  northern Spring  crocus  finish.  Thanks, Jamus!

[Jupiter]

Thanks Maggi, I'm very pleased to see them after the awful summer we've just endured. One of the hottest and driest on record and torture every day of it. Now we are waiting for decent rain, which usually comes around Easter, notably anzac day.

[Janis Ruksans]

Dear Croconuts,

Perhaps this question has already been asked a thousand times but so far I haven't been able to find a satisfactory answer on this forum (which of course doesn't mean it isn't 'hiding' somewhere in this fast database of knowledge).

As a relatively 'new' Crocus grower I wil start this year collecting my first seeds in order to increase my collection. The first seedpods are now ripening and I am wondering whether there is a point to collecting the seeds of Crocus varieties (not species) at all? For instance I have a C. Cartwrightianus 'Michel' with a ripe seedpod full of seeds. I have read in literature and on this forum that there can be a lot of variety within the seedlings of any particular species. In which case does the offspring of a certain Crocus variety still officially classify as that particular variety? Or is only clonal offspring of a particular Crocus variety accepted as the 'true' variety?

I have for instance C. mathewii 'Dream dancer'. If I compare the flower of mine to the flower in Ian Young's bulblog from roughly 8 years ago his clone is much darker and richer in colour than mine which has pretty, but much paler flowers. Which makes me wonder whether my plant is from clonal origin (in which case you'd expect it's flowers to be the same) or from seed (in which case this variety in paler flower colour could be explained).

Thanks all in advance for helping me with this conundrum!

Only for vegetatively propagated clone can be kept cultivar's name! Seedlings of it can be named as species, without cultivars name. Not always pictures are correctly showing colour - it depends from camera settings, camera software (I had for some months OLYMPUS which never gave me pure white, all pictures had yellow flush) and mostly from hour of daylight, when picture is made.

[StevenS]

Thanks very much for the answer and I'll be sure to only label vegetative offspring of Crocus varieties as the true variety.

[t00lie]

Crocus ochroleucus this morning after overnight rain.

[Diane Whitehead]

Only for vegetatively propagated clone can be kept cultivar's name! Seedlings of it can be named as species, without cultivars name.

I think it is only Cyclamen that can be grown from seed and keep the name of its parent, if it conforms to the description.  This is because Cyclamen do not increase except by seed.  No offsets or baby bulbs.  The one corm just keeps getting bigger and bigger, sometimes to the size of a dinner plate.

[Jupiter]

Something special to share with you all today. My C. cartwrightianus is flowering and has produced three flowers at once!

[t00lie]

Came across Crocus melantherus  enjoying the sun yesterday. UKCG seedex sown 2015.

Cheers Dave.

[Tomte]

I know, it's a little late (more than one year in fact), but I was pretty short on time. I just remembered that I took these lovely photos of Crocus vernus (the real deal, previously called C. albiflorus) last year. They grow on the Heuberg close to the Austrian border and the day of our hike the weather and the crocuses were they at their best. A magnificent display.
Unfortunately there was no such display this year, as the snowmelt was very late in April. They didn't seem to like that, there were far fewer blooms. Maybe next year will be better again.