Crocus September 2018

[Janis Ruksans]

Another very old and well known in gardens is hybrid between Crocus pulchellus and some of C. speciosus group - cultivar 'Zephyr'. It is very good grower and again - it is fertile. In my collection happened such hybridization between ilgazensis and pulchellus - F-1 hybrid is very good grower and increaser, resembles dwarf speciosus and hybrid origin is shown by white anthers. Seem that it is sterile, but I didn't check this. At least at present I had no seeds from open pollination by bees.
But seedlings of 'Zephyr' split enormously - some resembles pure pulchellus, some speciosus, but mostly they has white anthers, showing pulchellus ancestry, and between them appear pure white pulchellus like plants, too. Those you can see on this entry.

[Janis Ruksans]

And as last this morning is the most surprising crocus this autumn. From where it comes - I have no idea. Checking my old papers, the first note about unusual autumn crocus in 2014, but how it came to my collection - is mystery fort me. Most likely I selected it from some seedlings, but forgot to note just from where it is. On label was written only Crocus suworovianus lilacinus, dark form.
Crocus suworovianus is known in two forms - most widespread is its white coloured form, but there are light lilac coloured, too. I have two samples of this lilac suworovianus - both are reported from Kizildag gecidi in East Turkey - one was collected by Czech travellers, another during BATMAN trip arranged by Gothenburg BG (BATM-371). Both are very similar and in general resembles suworovianus. Between open pollinated seedlings comes out white and light lilac specimens, so most likely both are only colour forms or its lilac form makes some link to kotschyanus group. By the way C. suworovianus was regarded by B. Mathew as subsp. of kotschyanus.
The crocus which is pictured here got my special attention only in autumn 32017 when I attached to its label note "excellent and special", to give more attention in future. This autumn it really shocked me. My first idea, seeing it coming out was - some crazy pelistericus which decided to bloom in autumn after this horribly hot summer, when flowers open they again resembles pelistericus by throat colour, only stigma is yellow. Seem that it is some hybrid from suworovianus lilacinus, because anthers looks pollen-free, and so it most likely is sterile. Now I tried to pollinate it with suworovianus lilacinus. So future will show what it really is. But now it is one of very special autumn bloomers with no one similar in my collection.
On the first two pictures is Crocus pelistericus and then 3 pictures of this hybrid - you can compare both by yourself. Flower of dark "lilacinus" were opened by fingers, to picture throat.

[Janis Ruksans]

Before returning to greenhouse this morning two more pictures - common view of autumn crocus collection yesterday - you can see a lot of pots still without flowers, but coming up (I checked some very special...)
Another picture shows you what can do small peace of Equisetum root into substrate. This amount of roots were formed in one pot of Allium during one season! It is most horrible weed. I'm making substrate mix on open field where are stocked my heaps of coarse sand and peat moss. Although below is geotextile film, sometimes some equisetum shoot find way through and regardless of regular weeding of components, some root peace escaped and entered pot together with potting mix. Now I'm not wondering that this form of vegetation alive since carbon age when they covered Earth.

[Ian Y]

Janis thank you for all our posts I am able to enjoy and learn so much from your collection.

Here are a few from our garden this week,


Mostly Crocus pulchellus and hybrids.


C. nudiflorus and C. speciosus


C. pulchellus

[Mariette]

I´m still waiting for hybrids! Crocus pulchellus ´Inspiration´looks unusually inspired this year.

[Harald-Alex.]

The sunny last day of october, the crocus starts with flowering in open grounds in my garden:
1. Crocus kotschyanus with the typical V - formed orange markers inside of the flower
2. a white form of Crocus kotschyanus, the orange markers are point - formed, two points per flower-leave!

[sokol]

Really nice Crocus you show. In the open garden I have seen the first Crocus speciosus, far off Ian's nice Crocus groups.

Fortunately there are more and more Crocus starting in the protected areas. One nice surprise is Crocus ibrahimii from Primorsk, Bulgaria. I have got the seed as C. chrysanthus.





I was very happy to see my first flower of Crocus nerimaniae that I have got this year.





First flower of a Crocus from the Sierra de Guadarrama. I determined it as Crocus salzmannii. Please tell me if this is wrong.

[sokol]

Crocus speciosus growing in my meadow.



Crocus speciosus albus



Crocus speciosus Oxonian



Crocus kotschyanus



Crocus nudiflorus, I'd like to get such nice groups as Ian and planted it out to my Erythronium.

[sokol]

The last Crocus from yesterday.

Crocus hadriaticus



Crocus lycius



Crocus mazziaricus from Llogara Pass, Albania

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Janis thank you for all our posts I am able to enjoy and learn so much from your collection.

Here are a few from our garden this week,

(Attachment Link)
Mostly Crocus pulchellus and hybrids.

(Attachment Link)
C. nudiflorus and C. speciosus

(Attachment Link)
C. pulchellus

As you, Ian, I love all autumn Crocus, but get terrified when I see these long, unprotected stalks waiting to blown over by the first wind gust or flattened by heavy rains...    Ever thought of growing some like this...
This is C. goulimyi, a splendid Melvyn Jope collection,  growing through Gipsophyla repens 'Dorothy teacher' - works a treat ! 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

I was very happy to see my first flower of Crocus nerimaniae that I have got this year.

I can believe why you're happy with this wonderful gem Stefan ! 

[Ian Y]

A great plant association Luc, I do have some crocus growing through other plants that give some support.

[pehe]

To be able to cross pollinate within species and make hybrids I have frozen pollens of scharojanii.
I cut of the anthers, put them in a small glassine envelope and put this in a empty Jam glass with silica gel to dry them (at room temperature). Next day I put the envelope in a zip lock plastic bag with some silica gel and put them in the freezer at -18C.
Two months later, I successfully pollinated Crocus vallicola to get the hybrid scharojanii flavus. That was 3 years ago, and the corms are now 6-10 mm as shown here: http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=16551.0
I have read somewhere that Crocus pollen are viable for several years if kept dryed and frozen at low temperatures. I will try to find the link to that article.

Poul

Update to above topic:
Last year I polinated Crocus scharojanii flavus with 3 years old pollen from scharojanii scharojanii, and yesterday I harvested seeds from 2 seed pods .
So crocus pollen can be kept viable for at  least 3 years, when dried and stored at minus 18C.

Poul