Crocus October 2015

[Boyed]

Very good selections, Zhirair. Greetings. I didn't select any from Goris plants but they really are the largest between speciosus. Good grown niveus really has huge flowers. Not measured exactly, but they are very close in size with C. armeniacum. I have both your selections from Vahagni and they seem very close to Goris plants as well as Talish crocus. Will try to arrange DNS checking for all three samples. It would be very nice if you will found possibility to visit Vahagni and to search for its wild population (I know its story).

Thank you Janis! Hope in few years I've enough to share these beauties my collegues. In regadrs to similarities of crocuses from Vahagni and Goris, the main difference is white anthers of Vahagni samples, while all Goris samples have yellow anthers. Quite a serious difference, I think. I am also very interested in visiting Vahagni locality. Will try to visit and find the locality this year.

As to the sizes, I provide the same conditions to all my crocuses. My niveus crocuses form quite large corms. The plants from  very large corms produce bunch of blooms, but not considerably increace the sizes. The largest crocus I have observed so far is crocus speciosus 'Conqueror'. It is a gigantic plant, which is sonsiderably larger than any speciosus. When it blooms I even can't belive to my eyes that there could be such a huge crocus.

1. crocus speciosus 'Conqueror'
2. comparison picture: left '- Late Love', centre - 'Conqueror', right - 'Artabir'

[tonyg]

regarding Crocus goulimyi leucanthus - I'm really doubtful - is it valid separation? I collected goulimyi on Monemvasia by myself and they all were inseparable from typical goulimyi. I really cannot draw any distinguishing lines between them. So I prefer to regard var. leucanthus as the same goulimyi, only colour form of it. They are almost identical in size with white forms of goulimyi, may be my stock of leucanthus are of cooler shade of white than mine goulimyi Mani White and Alba.

I recall, I think it was Steve Keeble telling me of visits to the type locality for goulimyi leucanthus in two different years.  One year, all pale/white flowers, the other year, mixed with many blue.  Suggesting that the pale ones flower a little earlier (at least on the first visit).  Like you, Janis, I find only colour as a difference, so 'var leucanthus' is best name. 

In my collection I have noticed that seedlings from leucanthus quite often give a pale blue, rather stunted plant as offspring, usually with depauperate anthers.  Picture below - on right is var leucanthus, much larger flower than these poor hybrids(?)

[Steve Garvie]

Crocus pallasii -from type locality.




Crocus wattiorum

[Janis Ruksans]

Thank you Janis! Hope in few years I've enough to share these beauties my colleagues. In regards to similarities of crocuses from Vahagni and Goris, the main difference is white anthers of Vahagni samples, while all Goris samples have yellow anthers. Quite a serious difference, I think. I am also very interested in visiting Vahagni locality. Will try to visit and find the locality this year.

Mine both individuals from Vahagni which I got from you have creamy anthers and same creamy anthers, may be a bit more to yellow side I found between Goris plants collected by me, too. I think only 2 individuals, but I not checked all plants. As all Vahagni population is represented only by those two clones - isn't possible to make some judgment. At first I regarded them as something different but now, when I found between my Goris stock similar plants I became doubtful. So to find exact wild locality for Vahagni plants and to observe variability there would be quite important. Will try to measure my niveus flowers today - hope some sun will be to open flowers, although weather broadcast isn't very pleasant.

[Janis Ruksans]

Crocus pallasii ssp. pallasii ex Crimea

Excellent picture, Steve. Only correctly would be to use  "Crocus pallasii from type locality" as subsp. level for crocuses now generally are not more used with very few exceptions. Of course very confusing are all those Turkish "pallasii" which most likely are different due geographical isolation,  but serious research there is needed. Many are confusing when you start compare all features including corm tunics etc.

C. wattiorum is one of the best autumn bloomers - so tiny but in same time very, very special.

[Steve Garvie]

Excellent picture, Steve. Only correctly would be to use  "Crocus pallasii from type locality" as subsp. level for crocuses now generally are not more used with very few exceptions. Of course very confusing are all those Turkish "pallasii" which most likely are different due geographical isolation,  but serious research there is needed. Many are confusing when you start compare all features including corm tunics etc.

C. wattiorum is one of the best autumn bloomers - so tiny but in same time very, very special.

Thanks Janis!
I have amended the name.

[Janis Ruksans]

As to the sizes, I provide the same conditions to all my crocuses. My niveus crocuses form quite large corms. The plants from  very large corms produce bunch of blooms, but not considerably increace the sizes. The largest crocus I have observed so far is crocus speciosus 'Conqueror'. It is a gigantic plant, which is sonsiderably larger than any speciosus. When it blooms I even can't belive to my eyes that there could be such a huge crocus.

Just measured my giants this autumnn (of course some finished blooming)
So diameter of open flower for
Crocus pallassi from Labranda - 9 cm
Crocus longiflorus from Nebrodi - 10 cm
Crocus niveus - 11.5 cm
Crocus armeniacum Goris - 12 cm

[Boyed]

Just measured my giants this autumnn (of course some finished blooming)
So diameter of open flower for
Crocus pallassi from Labranda - 9 cm
Crocus longiflorus from Nebrodi - 10 cm
Crocus niveus - 11.5 cm
Crocus armeniacum Goris - 12 cm

Dear Janis,
Thanks a lot for taking time to that. It is very interesting for me. I do like large bloomers as they make a very good display in the open garden. I suppose your niveus is a new and different stock. I have 2 types of viveus from you: bicoloured form, which is a bit smaller than regular niveus size, and white one, which I adore for its immaculate shape (very nice goblets with wide petals). This one is of regular size. As to pallasii and longiflorus, very interesting, as I didn't know that this species could form such large flowers.

[ruben]

Very nice pictures Steve!

Here a lovely Sunny day with temperatures up to 20degrees celcius! Very unusual for Belgium this time of year.

Crocus banaticus 'Snowdrift'
Crocus speciosus 'Cassiope' ) also a giant one
Crocus speciosus 'Conqueror'
Crocus goulimyi from Dirk
Crocus goulimyi 'Agia Sofia'

[ruben]

My cold frame where i grow my most special ones 
Crocus goulimyi MELJ 95059
Crocus nerimaniae
Crocus pallasii C435 from Honaz Dag

[ruben]

Crocus archibaldiorum

[Janis Ruksans]

I do like large bloomers as they make a very good display in the open garden. I suppose your niveus is a new and different stock.

It is my own collection in Pellopones

[Rimmer de Vries]

some crocus blooming now in Michigan

[Janis Ruksans]

some crocus blooming now in Michigan

What is the first picture? Those are not Crocus leaves below flower.
Otherwise nice goulimyi flowers

[Janis Ruksans]

We passed very cold night. Outside temperature dropped to minus 7-8 C, but in greenhouse where crocuses still are in full bloom temperature dropped to minus 1.7 C. Today Liga plucked off hundreds and hundreds of died flowers. It is very important as old flowers easy can get mould which can go down and infect and kill the corm, too. You can read about this in some of Ian Young's blog - he made some excellent pictures how grey mould covers died crocus flowers (Colchicums are even more susceptible to corm rot).
But day was very sunny and some very beautiful pictures succeed to catch. Blooming of Crocus melantherus this year are very extended in time. Some stocks are at their top bot some only shows buds. So I here include 3 different stocks of this beauty
The first I named Gold - it really has golden toned flower segments back.
Next has yellow on back, too, but flowers are too open to show this. This isn't so good because outside is striped over yellowish base colour.
One of the most beautiful melantherus is the oldest in cultivation stock. Originally it was collected by Brian Mathew 35 years ago - perfect, compact form and excellent colour of anthers.
And as last in this entry - two acquisitions of Crocus lycius.