Crocus December, 2016

[Janis Ruksans]

Pity, but must to start this month with very sad news. Yesterday died my very long time friend Marcus Harvey from Tasmania, Australia. Just got mail from Otto Fauser that Marcus lost in his battle with cancer. He was very great nurseryman, may be the largest in Tasmania, introduced a lot of new bulbs through his nursery. Not so long ago Marcus sent me some pictures for my book and just from him I got several rare forms of crocuses lost in Europe but still grown in his nursery. During his seed collecting trips to Greece, Turkey - he always remembered about me and sent me good amounts of seeds and few corms from various Crocus species and later, next year I want to name one of such crocuses which turned new species after him (it will be published in Supplement of my book, which will be later sent to everyone purchaser of THE WORLD OF CROCUSES free of charge).

[Maggi Young]

I have moved some messages about the very sad  loss of Marcus Harvey to their own page .....
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=14926.0 is the new page 

[YT]

Crocus vitellinus
JJA 354.706 : Lebanon, M'tein. 875m. Ex. R. & R. Wallis 99-26.

The seed packet labelled as this seed code from JJA was mixed with a white flowered C. aleppicus (thanks for Janis's ID ) and I separated their bulbs into different pots last summer.

[Yann]

It looks healthy and has great deep colors, this one has a light perfume.

[Janis Ruksans]

Here weather is joking every few days - drops to minus ten, then back to +5. Last night we had minus 12, now only minus 1 but in greenhouse temperature didn't drop below minus 6 and are minor + degrees. So few pictures (not so bright as this autumn blooming vitellinus from Tatsuo - pity I lost mine autumn blooming form few years ago, it came from Jim Archibald, too).

Here more ordinary species
Dark form of Crocus laevigatus (came from Jim, too)
Crocus melantherus collected this spring under name of chrysanthus by road to Langadia
Crocus tournefortii from Karpathos - the first from Jim  Archibald, the second my own gathering
and as last Crocus tournefortii from Rhodos, Kaka Vouni.

[Yann]

The only one in flower : Crocus biflorus ssp melantherus

[Cfred72]

While at home it is Crocus laevigatus fontanei

[Yann]

a Crocus offered by Janis: Crocus concinnus, a very nice one

[Janis Ruksans]

Some pictures of Crocus concinnus from wild - locus classicus and near it. Pictures are from my coming book. Hope that 2nd of January I will bring it to for printing. My page-layout maker catched some bad virus and this week is passing in bed, but we have appointment for currrent meeting on Tuesday.

[ruben]

very nice Yann and Janis!

[Yann]

Better in the wild with wonderful colors!

[Tony Willis]

my first 'spring'crocus, Crocus biflorus ssp alexandri which has turned out to be a white one.

[Tony Willis]

Crocus hartmannianus a gift from a friend

[Yann]

Nice gift!

[Catwheazle]

merry x mas and a happy new (growing) year to all my friends
Bernd