Crocus February- 2017

[Janis Ruksans]

Yesterday I took off the covering of beds in my polytunnels. Yesterday weather broadcast was that all February will be with some plus or minor minus temperatures. Some 20 crocus species developed flower buds in dark below winter cover. Some I pictured, but weather is very cloudy and dark so they are in tightly closed buds. But some I pictured. Today weather broadcast dramatically changed and for next week is offered minus 20 C. So, if prognosis will not change - on Monday covering will be returned on beds. A lot of job and not good for plants!

On the first picture - beds with crocus pots yesterday just after opening. With long green leaves are Crocus biflorus from Italy and those autumn bloomers which develops leaves in autumn. Still a lot of flowers on C. melantherus and C. laevigatus, but flower quality is bad, not worth to picture.

13TUS-026 - comes from Goldag. I searched there for Crocus lydius, but it was late in season, all flowers were gone, and few collected corms more resembled C. chrysanthus. When they bloomed - they turned to be mix of C. pulchellus and biflorus group crocus by flower resembling C. mysius but with different corm tunics, most likely new, still unpublished species.

Crocus sozenii - beautiful species named after great Turkish Crocus enthusiast, active member of our forum - Ibrahim Sozen. During our common trip just Ibrahim told me - Janis, you are sitting on biflorus crocuses. And really - picturing C. mouradii I didn't note that side by side is growing something from biflorus group. It turned so special, that later was published by me as C. sozenii.

Turkish crocuses with yellow flowers and annulate corm tunics belongs to several distinct species even allied with different series of former "biflorus" crocuses. H. Kerndorff & al. criticized me for using epithet "C. chrysanthus group" for those, bet really I don't know better name for those before they will be sorted out and named. In any case all Turkish species are easy to separate from European crocuses with similar colour and corm tunics. Here picture of sample from Bozdag. The stripes on the inner segments are not virus, but caused by development in bad conditions. All buds are from same corm and other two flowers were checked by me after picturing and have normally yellow inner segments with dark basal blotch. Side by side with this one were collected creamy yellow individual, with only minor stippling on the outer flower segments outside (picture made in spring, 2016 - 11th of April).

[Tony Willis]

Janis the Crocus chrysanthus is lovely. you do have difficult conditions,amazing they grow so well.

[ruben]

Finally some sun and a real good crocus day

Crocus fleischeri gulek pass
Crocus suaveolens 'De Jager'
Crocus suaveolens large form from Naples Botanical garden
Crocus henrikii

[ruben]

Crocus biflorus ssp. fibroannulatus
Crocus concinnus
Crocus biflorus ssp. stridii
Crocus nevadensis

[ruben]

Crocus korolkowii 'Baisun Tau Dwarf'
Crocus korolkowii from Tajikistan
Crocus biflorus ssp. melantherus

[ruben]

some more of today

Crocus alatavicus
Crocus crewei
Crocus hartmannianus
Crocus biflorus ssp. pseudonubigena
Crocus cyprius 

[ruben]

Crocus crysanthus 'Sunspot'
Crocusframe

[Luc Gilgemyn]

  Belgium seems to have become Crocus county... 

Crocus nubigena looked very good the last few days with anthers almost as large as the petals.

Crocus alexandrii, black as the night.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Crocus taseliensis flowered for the first time with me.  I wasn't disapointed 

[Yann]

ah Luc i was on the way to post it but you've been faster
thanks to Janis to introduce this beautiful crocus.

[Maggi Young]

Belgium - country of  crocus, chocolate - and beer, I believe - something for everyone there, eh?

[Janis Ruksans]

Belgium - country of  crocus, chocolate - and beer, I believe - something for everyone there, eh?

I more like Latvian chocolate and beer, no comments about crocuses... 

[Janis Ruksans]

ah Luc i was on the way to post it but you've been faster
thanks to Janis to introduce this beautiful crocus.

Those are populations from W part of area (RUDA-008, 020), all are in tight buds here, too. No sun and tomorrow will return hard frost, so again cover will be returned. The stock collected more to the east still not showed buds out of pots. Will compare plants from both regions more carefully this spring (if I will be in home when they will bloom).

Returning to my book - the material still is in printing house . On Friday I had talk with meneger and got promiss that printing will start next week . Oh, I hope it will be truth. Promisses, promisses, promisses... Last three days I mostly wrote postage papers for despatching of book to start immediately after receiving.

[Cfred72]

Well, Luc and Ruben, that makes a nice series of Crocus that you introduce us there. At home, except in the greenhouse, I do not have much flower at the moment.

Maggi, chocolate, beer and French fries (which are of Belgian origin)
But also the balls with the liègeoise, the Waterzooï, the chicon au gratin, the tomato with the gray shrimps, the carbonades of beef with the gueuze, black pudding and stoemp with Brussels sprouts, croustillon (smoutebollen), steak Pepper, fries and salad, Liège potée, speculoos, Bruxelle or cork waffle (with pearled sugar or chocolate or cinnamon), lacquemant, turbot with ostendaise ........ 

[Gabriela]

At this time of year I prefer Crocus flowers over any chocolates! (which I think the Swiss is best anyway
Thank you all for posting - all so very wonderful!