Crocus January 2014

[Janis Ruksans]

During one of my Turkish trips not far from Akseki I was sitting in mountains at drinking fountain for short coffee-break. It was just on border of asphalted road. And then I accidentally spotted it. Very small flower which pushed itself through asphalt and catching sunshine opened its flowers. I was shocked - specimen was with black stigma. All the first half of day I passed there searching for such, and here it was - prisoned by stone chips and asphalt. I took out my Swiss knife and started to break pavement to free this beauty. It took almost an hour as in archaeological researches. Small pitch of black tarmac and stone chip one by other were taken off up to corm. I tried to open some roots, but it was impossible. How this plant alive - it is miracle. No car, no foot passer stepped on it. Certainly it waited for my coming. In second season with me it bloomed for the first time in the greenhouse.

At same locality, only earlier on same day I found two specimens with black connectives and one with black anthers. It is locality where met two crocuses - yellow flowered Crocus chrysanthus sensu lato and another blue one, presently named as isauricus, but real isauricus is described from district far from Akseki. By its author E. A. Bowles true isauricus comes from Icel province and it seems that there it borders with C. taseliensis. But back to Akseki. At this locality both crocuses (yellow and blue-one) freely hybridize and makes fertile progeny. I suppose that those specimens with black in anthers most likely are hybrids between both.

So absolutely naturally was that I tried to hybridize both forms - with black stigma and with black anthers. Last spring was first blooming and one seedling really was close to my dreams. Of course - still not perfect, but it was first blooming and still could be improved in second generation by back-crossing with parent plants.

I crossed SUNSPOT with those black anthered specimens from Akseki vicinity, too. And got seeds in such way confirming my opinion that SUNSPOT came from this district, but seedlings still are too young and not bloomed yet. Last autumn I destroyed my stock of infected SUNSPOT, corms were small and not worth to keep them longer. May be sometimes I again will receive from somewhere healthy corms of SUNSPOT. I would like to grow it, as it is real beauty. All my hybrids has brown feathered back of petals it such way indirectly confirming my opinion that they initially came from wild hybrids between yellow and blue crocus.

[krisderaeymaeker]

This is realy very interesting Janis ! I was there in march 2013 and have some wonderful pictures from this area. Maybe I have to post them in a separate topic ....

[Maggi Young]

This is realy very interesting Janis ! I was there in march 2013 and have some wonderful pictures from this area. Maybe I have to post them in a separate topic ....

Yes please!!!

[Janis Ruksans]

I just checked my trip pictures and found this one saved crocus with black stigma pictured just after taking out of asphalt. Would be very nice to see how looked crocuses there last year. When I tried to revisit locality in 2013, it was under 1 m deep snow and road was crossed by recent avalanche. So I'm waiting for your entry, Kris.

[Cyril L]

Janis, thank you for telling us about the results of your experiments.  It seems possible your dream will come true, a chrysanthus with black stigma and anthers.  Amazing how the one with black stigma survived and even flowered out of asphalt!

I have not noticed any signs of virus on my C. chrysanthus 'Sunspot' but will keep a close eye on it and if corms look healthy in summer ....

[krisderaeymaeker]

Yes please!!!

So I'm waiting for your entry, Kris.

Ok you win ! 

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis, thank you for telling us about the results of your experiments.  It seems possible your dream will come true, a chrysanthus with black stigma and anthers.  Amazing how the one with black stigma survived and even flowered out of asphalt!

I have not noticed any signs of virus on my C. chrysanthus 'Sunspot' but will keep a close eye on it and if corms look healthy in summer ....

Many thanks, Cyril... I will be very pleased!

As you can see - on hybrid stigma is divided and not shining black. This spring I hope to see how will look other seedlings of this cross and will it be possible to get next generation from backcrossing. Another target - get seedling with pure yellow petals and black anthers and stigma. Of course - good vegetative increasing is important, too. That I will see in coming years.

[Alex]

My favourite Crocus of all - C. cvijicii - a shame about the focus problems...

Alex

[krisderaeymaeker]

My favourite Crocus of all - C. cvijicii - a shame about the focus problems...
Alex

I can understand Alex ....maybe only scardicus can beat such beautiful  Crocus ........

[tonyg]

Crocus in flower in my frames now, too early due to mild winter.  I kept them fairly dry in December which retards growth a bit but watered a week ago as there is no sign of freezing weather and the mild air brings more growth.

Crocus chrysanthus with bronze stippling David Stephens cols

Crocus (biflorus) punctatus ex Gothenburg BG

[Janis Ruksans]

Crocus in flower in my frames now, too early due to mild winter.  I kept them fairly dry in December which retards growth a bit but watered a week ago as there is no sign of freezing weather and the mild air brings more growth.

Crocus chrysanthus with bronze stippling David Stephens cols

Crocus (biflorus) punctatus ex Gothenburg BG

Crocus pictured under name punctatus from Gothenburg now has own name - it is Crocus babadagensis. The sample grown in Gothenburg under number HKEP 9708 is the same as used for type of this new species by Kamerlander & Co. Those who got it from me under name punctatus and has plants with white base colour rename them, please, as babadagensis. Those who has plants with blue base colour - keep the name "punctatus"on your labels. Sorry, the name was changed only this winter (in December). When I despatched corms both colour variants still were regarded as same species, although they were collected from uniformly coloured populations situated in some distance in wild. DNA confirmed that they are different. By the way - I didn't succeed to get hybrids between both. All attempts to pollinate white with blue and back gave no one seed in such way confirming that both are different.

[Tony Willis]

Some more open today

Crocus sieberi
Crocus chrysanthus a speckled one similar to that shown by Janis
Crocus baytopiorum
Crocus biflorus ssp alexandri

[Martin Baxendale]

LOVE that biflorus alexandri.

[ian mcenery]

Some more open today

Crocus sieberi
Crocus chrysanthus a speckled one similar to that shown by Janis
Crocus baytopiorum
Crocus biflorus ssp alexandri

Nice plants Tony. My baytopiorum is very etiolated

A couple from me C siehanus a second flower. This plant is very slow to increase here. Also C sieberi Bowles White just starting in the garden

[krisderaeymaeker]

Some more open today
Crocus sieberi
Crocus chrysanthus a speckled one similar to that shown by Janis
Crocus baytopiorum
Crocus biflorus ssp alexandri

Beautiful as ever Tony ! How do you manage to have only smal and few leaves and very low flowerstalks ? I like the way you grow your plants ! It looks very natural .