Crocus March 2015

[Janis Ruksans]

Returning from wandering around the Crocus world (Italy, Greece, Portugal) and some health problems I found greenhouse full of flowers and so only very few pictures here
Some forms of Crocus abantensis
Crocus caricus
and Crocus roseoviolaceus
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Now some of Crocus chrysanthus seedlings. As I wrote earlier - my stock of cv. 'Sunspot' turned virus infected - so I was resowing it. On first picture - self-pollinated.
On the second is pictured selection where as pollen parent was used chrysanthus with black anthers (not C. muglaensis, but wild found individual collected near Akseki) - as you can see - finally succeed to join in one flower black stigma and anthers, but still improvement is needed
The third is one of my favourites, found wild near Akseki. I suppose natural hybrid between "chrysanthus" and "biflorus". Parents grow together and seem freely hybridizing. Really single locality where I observed this in wild.
And after that two another hybrids - one found by me near Akseki, another (with double flower - not usually) by Pasche(?) and Dirk.

[Janis Ruksans]

Pity, flowering here allways is after other countries, so not easy to compare. We here had snowing all night, but yesterday was nice half swun/ half clouds - so some common views of collection in full bloom. Pictured by Liga. Today is cold but tomorrow broadcasted even + 12 C.
Janis

[Yann]

Stunning view Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

I never saw Crocus sieberi in flowers on Crete, but Australian nurseryman Marcus Harvey (now he is seriously ill) sent me good number of seeds what he collected on Omalos plain. Last year they started to bloom and I was schocked for huge size of flowers. Today I pictured one of seedlings with open flower and attached ruler showing diameter of open flower 8 cm. Larger than Dutch cultivars of "C. vernus".

[Maggi Young]

We can only hope that Marcus gains some success with his treatment, Janis - it is too bad to have such illness in much respected forum members.

Your giant crocus  is a surprising thing  but quite lovely.

[udo]

Janis, it sounds like a joke, here in flower now also a Crocus with 8 cm of diameter
How would the childs of these both giants probably look?

Crocus atticus, Greece
    ''      sublimis, Evia
    ''      orphei, N-Greece
    ''      variegatus, NE-Italy
    ''      korolkowii 'Albus'

[tonyg]

Magnificent flowering display Janis ....  No-one does it better than you!

[Janis Ruksans]

The first in this entry is Crocus athous restored in its status last spring when I recollected it on Athos peninsula
Then some of Crocus korolkowii selections - Apricot (from Sjaak de Groot), Dytiscus (E.A. Bowles selection) and the last - my seedling 09-01
And the last picture is of 2 boxes with seedlings of Crocus chrysanthus Sunspot - most are with black stigmas, but size, shape of stigma, colour of petals back varie greatly. I suppose that Sunspot originally was collected at same locality as some of my wild selections from near Akseki because many seedlings looks almost identical with wild forms there. Both hybridise, too.
The box where are hybrids between plants with black stigma and others with black anthers or black connective only start blooming, they were crossed a year later. All parents collected near Akseki where I aspecially looked for such individuals.

[Janis Ruksans]

In this entry some of Crocus sieberi from Omalos plain seedlings (the first is this white giant). This year one of C. corsicus is of same size, too.
Then Crocus sublimis from Peloponess
and as last - first blooming of some possibly new from biflorus group which was collected as pulchellus in W Turkey - I can't to identify it at present, but it is first blooming of individuals collected in early spring, so they only started recovering from replanting in such time.

[Lawrence]

Crocus Carpathian Wonder at AGS Loughborough show yesterday

[Tony Willis]

Beautiful displays Janis,a delight to see.

Some crocus in flower in Greece last week

Crocus oliveri

Crocus chrysanthus with a Galanthus graecus

Crocus biflorus ssp alexandri

Crocus orphei previously reticulatus

[mark smyth]

I have a small raised bed that has only one Crocus tomm in it. The very dark one but I cant remember the name. There are two very similar self sown seedlings flowering today

[Maggi Young]

Isn't that dark tommie  'Ruby Giant' ?

[mark smyth]

Probably, Maggi

Janis your Crocus are amazing