Crocus January 2017

[Rimmer de Vries]

Crocus laevigatus from the SRGC 2008 seed ex opened on this sunny new years day, outside and unprotected

[Maggi Young]

How perfect!

[Tony Willis]

very nice to see

[ruben]

the first 'spring' crocus in showing colour here

Crocus concinnus - I got it from Jānis Rukšāns! It grows in the Akseki region in Turkey and was known as one of the many 'isauricus' species. But the true isauricus is not growing there. (info on janis website)

[Yann]

mine just faded, it's very cold now and the flower doesn't last 

[Janis Ruksans]

Today saw first two yellow buds of spring - C. ancyrensis, the typical variant. Temperature outside dramatically drops. In morning it was minus 2 C, at midday minus 5 outside and minus 2 in greenhouse, but now it lowers each hour and at this moment outside temperature dropped to minus 13.7 C. What will be in the morning? Last weather broadcast warned for minus 30 on Saturday. Tomorrow will try to reach nursery (there still are Muscari, Scilla, Ornithogalum collections) through snow-heaps formed by snowstorm during this day and promised for the rest of night. Oh, God... Must to cover everything. Global warming! Where you are?
Fortunately crocus etc. collections are in the new greenhouse only 100 m from living house, so covering will not be problematic.

[Cfred72]

Janis,
Courage to face these temperatures and protect the whole. This morning, how much did he do?

[Janis Ruksans]

Early morning outside temperature today was minus 14 C, in greenhouse air temperature minus 9.5 but at pots bottom (between them) +0.2. Now all is covered by glasswool sheets, temperature at this moment in outside is minus 16 C and continue dropping. During the day the "warmest" was minus 13 C.
Covered were flowers of CC. hittiticus, ancyrensis, fibroannulatus, fauseri, korolkowii, alatavicus, some unidentified samples, may be some other species, too. Not remember full list. Of course in full bloom still were melantherus, laevigatus, aleppicus, boryi and some others. Flower buds were out in Sternbergia candida, and bloomed even 1 plant of Corydalis angustifolia - this one certainly will die.

[Rimmer de Vries]

Crocus laevigatus at midday today with a high temp of -9C (16F)
Same flower as shown open on Sunday when it was 45F(+6C).
I think these can take a lot of cold temp. swings

[Gabriela]

Pretty amazing the cold temp. these delicate flowers can withstand - good luck to you all!

[Yann]

Despite the cold the earliest Crocus are there, an alatavicus is already faded i didn't see it in flower  waiting this week after another pot to bloom.

Crocus biflorus crewei
Crocus heuffelianus
Crocus korolkowii 'lucky number'

[Tony Willis]

Crocus pelistericus

Crocus biflorus alexandri

[Janis Ruksans]

Despite the cold the earliest Crocus are there, an alatavicus is already faded i didn't see it in flower  waiting this week after another pot to bloom.

Crocus biflorus crewei
Crocus heuffelianus
Crocus korolkowii 'lucky number'

Don't think that you have cold. This morning here was minus 23 C, at present became warmer "only" minus 15 C. During last night in greenhouse temperature dropped to minus 16, but at pot level under cover was +1 - so soil still is warm and heats plants. Hope all will be OK, although during last 4-5 years the minimum outside never felt below minus 20.

According names - I think that better to use binominals (to regard subspecies as species). According DNA C. crewei belongs to different series and is quite distant from typical C. biflorus, as well as from C. alexandri in Tony Willis entry, following yours. On phylogenetic tree they all are quite distant, so no reason to keep them as subspecies of C. biflorus, only because of similar corm tunics. Then C. speciosus could be regarded as C. biflorus subsp. speciosus. By the way - C. crewei belongs to Series Speciosi (according the new phylogenetic system)

As I joke - using of binominals instead of subsp. saves your time in writing as well as space on label

Of course, to break old traditions are not easy. When I was young similar discussions was about name of C. kotschyanus. Then the common name of it was C. zonatus - easier to write, to pronounce etc. Who now use zonatus in nowadays? The same is about C. angustifolius - only some Russian botanists still keep the old name C. susianus, used for it in my youth. But it is your choice - most important is to understand about what is talk. But I recommend to follow progress.

It is reply to Tony's entry on Facebook, too.

[Yann]

I don't intent to achieve a coldness competition, you'll always win  For our oceanic zone it's cold, i just remind a minus 17 when i was young. I guess we'll never endure such temperature in the future.

So simply Crocus crewei, 8cm label will be enough now 

For several years the east europe is having colder winter, south europe much snow and here mild and wet winter.

[Yann]

a lovely one, Crocus caricus
Tony, pelistericus is a stunner, in-situe or in pot