Crocus February 2014

[ian mcenery]

Another two Crocus × gotoburgensis open today. I am quite pleased with the colouring on these

Very nice Tony are these F1 or F2?

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Another two Crocus × gotoburgensis open today. I am quite pleased with the colouring on these

And so you should, Tony !  They're gorgeous !

[Maggi Young]

Very nice Tony are these F1 or F2?

I was about to ask the same question .   When I first saw  this hybrid I wasn't very taken with it, but I find the F2 types to be much prettier -  so I would have though that  these are F2   

Now I am overcoming my initial reservations about  x gotoburgensis, which was  hampering my 100% dedication to the genus,  I am rejoicing in the ability to love ALL crocus!

[YT]

Another two Crocus × gotoburgensis open today. I am quite pleased with the colouring on these

A real eye-stopper, Tony!!! The dreamy gradations of colour in the flower remind me about M57 The Ring Nebula (a pic from the public domain)

[Tony Willis]

Very nice Tony are these F1 or F2?

They are F1 ,I have not flowered and F2 yet.

[Maggi Young]

They are F1 ,I have not flowered and F2 yet.

Wow, then I am even more impressed.

[ashley]

Another two Crocus × gotoburgensis open today. I am quite pleased with the colouring on these

Very understandable Tony; they're magnificent.

[Cyril L]

Tony, the 2 Crocus x gotoburgensis are wonderful.  These F1 are obviously quite variable.

[Tony Willis]

Thank you all,I will say I have only dabbed on the pollen the rest is not my doing!

[ashley]

... I have only dabbed on the pollen the rest is not my doing!

Except for the able growing of parents & progeny

[Janis Ruksans]

Wow, then I am even more impressed.

Well separable by flower colour, in the wild both parents grow in a distance of only about 50 km [our team found both species growing much closer to each other than it was assumed earlier (~100 km – Randjelović & al., 2007)], but still they were not found alongside in spite of the fact that both occur in very similar ecological conditions and on same mountain ridge. Personally I tend to opinion that both are only colour forms of same species although C. scardicus is more difficult in cultivation, may be tenderer than C. pelistericus. The same opinion has Henrik Zetterlund, too. Both has the same chromosome numbers, and I think are very similar by chromosome morphology, too, but about last I'm not so certain.
The divergence of ancient forms on different mountain ridges isolated by valleys can go in different directions. This can go widely by morphological features without any selection by inter-fertility occurring. As a result there will appear 2 sister species different morphologically (in this case by colour) but still capable to pollinate one another and produce fertile progeny. The question is: are they then two different species or only subspecies of one species?

[Janis Ruksans]

Using some warmer days I again brought in some pots with crocuses. This stock of Crocus reticulatus - BATM-402Bc - was collected in Turkey (Adana Province) as C. cancellatus for its reticulated tunic (was collected long after blooming by dry leaves). In my garden book is note from 10th of January - in blooms (it was just before covering). Passed almost month when the flowers again saw light. Pots were frozen hard but plants alive. All other acquisitions of this species now only started to show flower buds, but in sample from Georgia only just tips of buds can be seen.
Flowers on picture aren't in best shape, but they are quite old...

[Maggi Young]

What a surprise that the flowers can keep so well under cover for so long.

[Tony Willis]

Janis

I find your comments very interesting re the two species and in particular about their ecological conditions in Macedonia.As you know I am off there in June to look at them. However having seen pictures of them it seems they grow in very different conditions to the Crocus pelistericus in Greece  where the plants are really growing in a vernal lake and at flowering time are in standing water.Those in Macedonia appear to be on quite steeply sloping and somewhat drier ground? As you know on the slightly higher ground along side the C. pelistericus in Greece are masses of C. veluchensis.

[Janis Ruksans]

Tony,
I saw C. pelistericus in Macedonia just on stream bank and below snow. Identity was checked without any doubt, but side by side with it were C. jablanicensis. Both very different morphologically. It was small population and at start we simply jumped over stream and plants thinking by flower colour that it is C. veluchensis. Only on way back different pattern of flowers (then they were open in sun) forced to look down more carefully. We didn't suppose to see pelistericus there at all. There were C. jablanicensis just following snow and just below white flowers came zone of both colours and lower only the blue veluchensis. Without flowers impossible to separate both. My first opinion was that jablanicensis is white cvijicii, but both are different genetically. I wrote more a year ago.
Turning to C. scardicus - it was in flowers just below snow tongues in very waterfull soil and slightly lower (where snow melted earlier) again followed by veluchensis. But I found a lot of scardicus in dry soil, too - higher on mini-ridges. That surprised me, because my impression from other travellers and growers was that it needs a lot of water. Of course, I don't know how often there are summer-rains, but it is not need for permanent water. I suppose the same with C. pelistericus, too.
Here I'm attaching 3 pictures. Unfortunately restrictions of Forum not allow to me use larger sizes. On picture one you can see snow tongue. Over it are white "comma" - those are flowers of C. rujanensis, just below you can see some purple dots - C. pelistericus and at very bottom water stream. On second you may be can see violet flowers below same snow tongue - they are C. pelistericus and on the third is same C. pelistericus but closer. And last two are close-ups of 2 different pelistericus.