Crocus and other bulbs in the Adriatic coastal mountains

[Thomas Huber]

Once again the Hubis started to their mens-trip down South before Easter. This year we choose the Northern Adria and its backcountry for botanizing, hiking and biking. Here some impressions of what we found:

057+062 - Crocus exiguus, the Balkan form of Crocus heuffelianus
013 - Crocus vernus, formerly named albiflorus. This is the lowland form that grows much better in gardens than the alpine plants. Will probably be described as a new species soon...
044 - Crocus variegatus, the Balkan form of the plants formerly known as reticulatus.
063 - Crocus exiguus and vernus growing together with Galanthus nivalis beneath the street

[Thomas Huber]

004+005 - The alpine form of Crocus vernus formerly albiflorus, growing in the Dolomites.
051 - a beautiful white form of Crocus exiguus
010 - Galanthus nivalis in a shaded meadow
024 - Erythronium dens-canis together with Hepatica nobilis

[Janis Ruksans]

Excellent pictures, Hubi! My greetings!
Janis

[Matt T]

  Crocus exiguus photograph 057 - simply astonishing!

[tonyg]

Great to see these ... and great to know the Hubis are on the road again.

[Thomas Huber]

Thanks Tony, Matt and Janis - here some more:

Crocus exiguus is a typical woodland plant and grows in shaded places, mostly as single plants, rarely forming clumps. We found one place where it grows en masse on a cultivated meadow, but also here only in partly shade, never in full sun. Most of the plants had the typical v-shaped tipps, some were without any markings and also albino forms with and without v were found.

[Thomas Huber]

052+53 Two close-ups and
048 a photo from a typical woodland-scene where Crocus exiguus grows together with Galanthus nivalis, Primula elatior, Hepatica nobilis, Helleborus viridis and Crocus vernus (former albiflorus).
050 - Chris making photos with the mobile

[Thomas Huber]

Crocus variegatus is a plant of open, dry and sunny meadows, sometimes I found it in small shrubs, but only in lower elevations. In higher places it prefers non shaded positions. Most plants have a white ground colour and a variable striping or feathering, but somtimes blue coloured plants are found.

[Thomas Huber]

Crocus vernus grows everywhere - we found it in open, sunny meadows, in shaded woods on Northerns mountainslopes and also in river marsh area from 300m up to 1000m. Most of the flowers were pure white and probably identical to the plants that George Maw listed as Crocus montenegrinus in his monograph. In my garden these plants grow very well, while the high mountain plants from around 2000m in the Alps never survive more than one or two years - this makes me think, that the lowland plants are another species - the phylogenetical research is in progress.

[Thomas Huber]

We also found a few places where the white form grows together with a blue form. Although I have searched for I didn't find hybrids, but in a hidden corner of one meadow I found beautiful blue tipped plants.

[Thomas Huber]

Not a crocus, but also one of my favourites: Galanthus nivalis.

Growing in shaded wood, Northern slopes, damp riversides and cool roadsides. Sometimes also found in dry meadows, but it looked like there have been shrubs in the past, which were removed - the Galanthus have survived, but don't feel happy in their warmer habitat.

I only found slight variation, small or large green tipps, longer petals, but only 3 plants with green outer tipps.

[Thomas Huber]

Some habitat shots.

[Thomas Huber]

At the end some mixed plantings, hope you enjoyed the trip !

[Maggi Young]

Beautiful flowers and the company of two handsome men -what is there not to enjoy?
But this third guy - Rocky -  he is a bit frightening......

[Thomas Huber]

You're so right Maggi - no reason to be grumpily. That's why we put this spoilsport into the dark woods 

Apart from botanizing Chris and I have done many kilometers with the bike, by foot and hiking through the local canyons.