Macedonia, June 2012

[Kees Jan]

Here are some pics of a trip to Macedonia in June 2012. The other pictures can be found at http://keesjan.smugmug.com/Botanical-trips/Europe/Macedonia/ I still need to make a selection of the best pictures and edit the pictures, but that will be a job for the winter months. I have tried to identify the plants, but would appreciate suggestions for unidentified species and corrections. This can be done by using the comment button (bottom left on my website).

Saxifraga marginata on Mount Korab
Crocus jablanicensis (2x)
Fritillaria latifolia, not macedonica?
Lilium carniolicum ssp. albanicum
Sempervivum ciliosum var. galicicum, Galicica NP
Exploring Mount Korab
An Iris, which one?, foothills of Mount Korab

[Kees Jan]

Crocus cvijicii
Crocus sieberi ssp. sublimis
Crocus pelistericus
Dianthus myrtinervius
Sempervivum octopodes
Geranium, which one? and Geum coccineum, Pelister NP
Edraianthus graminifolius near Tetova
Crocus scardicus

[tonyg]

Fantastic pictures.  Very pale cvijicii, were they all like this?

[Otto Fauser]

Kees , superb photos of beautyful plants -in particular of the recently described Crocus jablanicensis . As Tony remarked : a very pale yellow form of C. cvijicii- very nice and desirable . Did you find any natural hybrids between C. scardicus and pelistericus ?

[Kees Jan]

I have not seen scardicus and pelistericus on the same mountain. In fact I have seen only one plant of pelistericus among VERY MANY of sieberi ssp. sublimis. I did not see any other Crocus species on that particular mountain.

cvijicii was somewhat variable, although I think no dark forms. All my cvijicii pictures are on my website now in the Macedonia gallery: http://keesjan.smugmug.com/Botanical-trips/Europe/Macedonia/ . I even found a white form with a white stigma. If you copy   Crocus cvijicii (note the white stigma, which is not normal for C. cvijicii)   in the search box - top right - in my Macedonia gallery you can see it.

It was a great trip, particularly for Crocus and Saxifraga.

[Gerry Webster]

Kees Jan - Fritillaria macedonica: this is a clearer photo than the one you posted previously & now I'm unsure that it is that species. The upper leaves do not seem to be in a whorl of 3 which,  according to Rix in Flora Europaea, they should be. Purely on the basis of appearance, F. tubiformis or F. latifolia  seem  possibilities.

[Kees Jan]

thanks Gerry!

[krisderaeymaeker]

Breathtaking species and pictures Kees Jan ! Super ! Thanks for sharing .

[Olga Bondareva]

Kees Jan many thanks for sharing images and your experience! Images are so beautiful!

[Kees Jan]

Here are a few more, photographed in the NW of the country... I'll start with the emblem of the Scottish Rock Garden Club !

Dryas octopetala
Crocus veluchensis
Edraianthus graminifolius?
Crocus scardicus habitat
Silene acaulis (in an exceptionally good form!)
Digitallis lanata?

[Maggi Young]

Here are a few more, photographed in the NW of the country... I'll start with the emblem of the Scottish Rock Garden Club !

 Could there be any better place to start? 

[Natalia]

Jan, thanks for the great photos What a wonderful place you have visited!