Crocus October, 2018

[Yann]

a few ones among many i missed this week, already faded

Crocus aleppicus from Oron's seeds OP213-048 - Sown 10-2015
Crocus goulimyi from Tony Goode - 9-96
Crocus thomasii from Kurt Vickery seeds - Sown 11/2015

[Janis Ruksans]

Last week I rarely visited greenhouse - only to pick up died flowers. All the time were passed at computer and books, preparing 2 new species for publication (this case not crocuses).
Today, before coming of new hot wave was quite cold, sunny weather and in greenhouse, where only top (ion roof) windows are open was nicer and comfortable working, so again many pictures were prepared.
I start with new species, which I hope soon will be published by HKEP & al. from Israel. Un to now bloomed only individuals with pure white back of flower segments, now striped flowers joined.
Crocus boryi mostly are pure white, but sometimes there occur some striped individuals.
This cancellatus most likely is type form, but identification still isn't finished. It was collected in Syria, shortly before there started civil-war.
And the last is seedling of Crocus banaticus Snowdrift - they mostly are lilac.

[Janis Ruksans]

In this entry I'm returning to Crocus cartwrightianus. The first picture is the yellowish from Naxos. I think it already blooming for more than 2 weeks. On this picture you can see 4 flowers from corm, but at least 3-4 already are taken off but one more bud shows its nose out. One of the most floriferous crocuses, only one of my new species (still in preparing for publication) can compete with it.
Next is Cretan form of cartwrightianus. Recent genetic researches showed that genetically this Crocus cartwrightianus is quite variable, but to be named? Too little still is known.
Cultivar of Crocus cartwrightianus 'Halloween' is very nice, but seem to be hybrid. It didn't open so widely as are doing wild forms.
Another unusual Greek crocus is C. goulimyi - here its form with striped flowers, named 'Agia Sophia'.
An last in this entry is true C. clusii - collected in Portugal and by all features well responding to description of this species.

[Janis Ruksans]

Almost all species from Crocus speciosus group already finished blooming. The latest of them this season are C. xantholaimos, were few flowers still keep shape, but may be last day; similar is sakariensis, but the "champion"in this relation is Crocus hellenicus from Varnakovo. It is one of my favourites, so I again want to show it here.
Very special is the first picture of Crocus hakkariensis shown in this forum. You could tell - nothing special, but in this case it is very special, because it is the first finding of it in Iran, so Iranian Crocus flora got one more species, not new one at all, but new for Iran.
One from the next two pictures certainly is new species. Both are at present labeled as C. hermoneus, but one is from Golan Heights in Israel, another from Jordan. You can see how different both are, but there are other more hidden features separating both, too.
And the last is another "new" from Golan Heights in Israel.

[Janis Ruksans]

And in the last entry of today - variability of Crocus laevigatus - different forms from different places.

[Janis Ruksans]

On Greek Island of Naxos side are growing four autumn blooming crocus species. At some places even three of them are side by side.
Very special is Crocus laevigatus - there are forms blooming in autumn (late) and some starts blooming only in spring. On attached picture form blooming just now.
Not so often on Naxos but widely on continental Greece and especially on Peloponnesus is growing C. mazziaricus.
On many islands you can find Crocus tournefortii. Usually the base colour and design on each island is quite constant and different between islands. Naxos is exception of this common rule - next two pictures show you this.
The fourth species is cartwrightianus, but that I already showed yesterday and before - very variable there.

[Janis Ruksans]

In this entry three blue-flowering species. The largest flowers has C. ligusticus from borderlands between France and Italy. Its flowers are incredibly large - here 2 samples of it - XXL is the largest. In commerce it often is named C. medius and there is offered clone 'Millesimo' - I several times bought it from various sources and always got only virus infected plants. Flowers of this cultivar are smaller, too - is it for infection or naturally smaller, I don't know as I never saw healthy 'Millesimo'.
From S of Italy and Sicily comes one of the most fragrant crocuses - Crocus longiflorus.
The 3rd blue is C. nudiflorus from Spain - it is distinctly stoloniferous species and most vigorous grower from all those three and can be grown here even outside.
The last picture is from Greece - one more acquisition of C. melantherus.

[Janis Ruksans]

May be last entry today. Non stop sitting at computer all the first half of day with correction in manuscripts, reply to mails - my eyes tired and cries for some rest. The first two pictures is C. ochroleucus from Israel. Quite uniform species, not very easy, but growth with me. I mostly like the albino 'Dalton White' but it still didn't start blooming. Hope it is OK.
I don't know from where comes this very dark pallasii. It is clone selected by my friend Vaclav Jošt from some of plants collected together, but Vaclav was very lucky with this one.
The last brought disappointment for me, although I was ready for this. It is pulchellus from Chios. I for 3 times visited Chios searching for spring blooming biflorus crocuses reported by some amateur as found on Chios and listed between materials for Greek Flora Atlas by Arne Strid. Having very exact localities this spring I finally found on those spots some crocuses with annulate tunics out of flowers, but even in situ I was sure that they belongs to C. puchellus. But I still hoped... Pity, now blooming of them confirmed - only C. pulchellus.

[Yann]

2371   Crocus biflorus ssp biflorus   2726               
2372   Crocus biflorus ssp nubigena   2727         Lesvos   Samos   Ikaria
2373   Crocus cancellatus ssp mazzioaricus   2728            Samos   
2374   Crocus candidus   2729         Lesvos      
2375   Crocus chrysanthus   2730   Chios            
2376   Crocus flavus ssp dissectus   2731               
2377   Crocus fleischeri   2732   Chios            
2378   Crocus gargaricus   2733               
2379   Crocus olivieri ssp balansae   2734   Chios         Samos   
2380   Crocus olivieri ssp olivieri   2735   Chios            
2381   Crocus pallasii ssp pallasii   2736         Lesvos      
2382   Crocus pulchellus   2737               

Here're the last repository i got from Athens university.

biflorus isn't listed on Chios

[Janis Ruksans]

Yann, working on crocuses I used complete list of all publications, herbariums about Crocuses in Greece, provided to me by Arne Strid, author of Atlas of the Aegean Flora. Here the line about biflorus + Chios:

IRIDACEAE    Crocus biflorus Mill.    Nomos: Chiou    Eparchia: Chiou    Island: Chios    Locality: Chalandra and Nea Potamia.    Lat.: 38°32'N    Long.: 25°57'E    Lit: Sfikas (1995i:     Phy: EAe    Status: L    Note: Based on report and photo by P. Saliaris, 23.11. 1994.

Arne sent me copy of the original publication of P. Saliaris and I visited all points where it was reported by Saliaris. Photo seem to be correct, but not plants. Seams that Saliaris simply used photo from somewhere to illustrate his publication. At this moment I can't find - where is hidden copy of Saliaris report.

Other locality:

IRIDACEAE    Crocus biflorus Mill. subsp biflorus    Nomos: Chiou    Eparchia: Chiou    Mountain: Pelineo    Island: Chios    Locality: Between the chapel of Zoodochos Pigi and the summit. Rocky limestone slopes.    Alt.: 1050-1250 m    Lat.: 38°33'N    Long.: 26°00'E    Coll: Strid no. 56513 2009-04-16    Phy: EAe    Status: P    Note: Planted at Göteborg Botanical Garden.
was wrongly identified pulchellus, collected out of flowers. At this point is only C. olivieri and C. fleischeri - visited 3 times and I suppose no one sq. m. was not checked as the locality isn't large, but difficult to climb.

I checked all points and found only pulchellus. Attached are 4 pictures. The first shows Zoodochos Pigi, next two road up (on the 3rd picture is visible the roof fragment from Chapel at very top - on picture seems that it is not the highest point, but it is optical illusion); the last picture - Chapel at very top of Mt. Pelineo. Not so many spots, where crocuses could grow.

Data from Athens University is long out of date:
2371   Crocus biflorus ssp biflorus   2726 - really C. rhodensis
 Crocus biflorus ssp nubigena   2727        Ikaria - Crocus harveyi
 Crocus biflorus ssp nubigena   2727         Samos   - Crocus seisumsiana
 Crocus biflorus ssp nubigena   2727         Karpathos - Crocus ruksansii
 Crocus biflorus ssp nubigena   2727         Lesvos  - Crocus nubigena

[Yann]

Interesting i only have one contact there and the file he send me is from 2012, with minor updates in 2014.

I met him in 2008 or 2009 during an orchids congress but didn't know he wrote about Crocus.