Janis' Crocus Adventures in November 2017

[Janis Ruksans]

I just returned from Greece. The first general locality was W Crete where I for the 4th time searched for C. oreocreticus and for C. cartwrightianus creticus. I three times visited Crete in autumn and always were there too early - no flower were found and in my book I used pictures from garden and from Arne Strid and Marcus Harvey. Now I together with my Czech friends came there in mid-November and the first spot to visit was the one of 3 general localities of C. oreocreticus given to me by Marcus. Although on seaside there were occasional heavy showers during night and the first day of stay, in mountains situation was more worth. In previous night there were snowing and so heavy rains that locally road was covered with so thick layer of mud and stones that we passed it very, very slowly - not to damage rented cars bottom.
At top we were greeted with cold, strong wind, fog and stepping out of car got heavy rain, too. But it stopped just we finished dressing up for such weather and started going up on slippery slopes. The first bulb seen in abundance was Colchicum cretense - you can see its flowers, heavy damaged by elements. And then there started long searched for Crocus oreocreticus - unfortunately all flowers were tightly closed and heavily damaged by hail and rain. So no good photos was received - only few good flowers were found and collected for herbarium. They opened in warmth of car and were fixed on sticky tape.
Just as we were back in car - again started heavy rains but down in valley were nice warm weather and we even made a bath in the sea. There beach was empty as no one locals go to swim in "winter" when air temperature is only + 20 C and almost the same is temperature of water. Further we every day looked for some beach for swimming.

[Janis Ruksans]

We can't predict weather in mountains. Next day when we searched for Cyclamen confusum weather was warm, nice and perfect. We passed several hours searching for this Cyclamen at the one of its two known localities, but found only beautiful forms of Crocus pumilus - very variable by flower outside colour. It was quite late in season and in general everywhere we saw only open seed capsules of Prospero, but there on small spot it was in full bloom.
Arne Strid in his fantastic Atlas of Aegean Flora (2 volumes, around 1500 pages together, price apr. 100,- Eu) still regards Prospero as Scilla autumnalis, but Speta divides it in several species and regards them as genus Prospero. Six of them are published from Crete. In general Cretan plants are very small and I name them all as Prospero minimum. They makes small bulbs and are only around 10 cm tall. I collected them at my first visit to Crete in 2006 but slowly lost all of them, whilst Prospero autumnalis from continental Greece, Turkey and Crimea in Ukraine (at present occupied by Russia) makes large bulbs and grow perfectly. Another Prospero talosii is extremely rare and is known from 1-2 spots on Dias Island close to N. coast of Crete, but it isn't frost hardy and all my plants received from Kew died here in greenhouse in the first winter.

[Janis Ruksans]

The next locality from where Cyclamen confusum was known we spotted immediately and there it was in abbundance just in full bloom. Actually it is close ally to Cyclamen hederifolium but blooms much laterr, sometimes even in January. Here it again was together with Crocus pumilus - the species seen at every spot, as well as Prospero minimum, but here it was already with seeds (see in background of Crocus flower). Occasionally we spotted some late flowers of Narcissus serotinus (according A. Strid - N. obsoletus).
Pity - if we would come in the first day for searching of Cyclamen (only pictured, not collected - I'm not growing cyclamens) the occasional rains would not hinder getting of good pictures. Today mountain tops were sunny and Crocus oreocreticus would be in full bloom, but such things you can't predict and locality of oreocreticus was too far for going there in afternoon.

[Yann]

Janis did you find the pumilus above Melambes?

[sokol]

At top we were greeted with cold, strong wind, fog and stepping out of car got heavy rain, too.

That sounds like our first day in Greece with Crocus macedonicus. Closed Crocus oreocreticus and macedonicus look similar.

[Janis Ruksans]

Being very successful with finding of Cyclamen confusum at its 2nd known to us locality, we decided to use the rest of day for finding of another crocus for which I searched several times without success. Passed rains, some cold nights encourage us for searching. This is Crocus cartwrightianus creticus - species growing not higher than at 300 m over sea level. Actually I had it - one sample from HKEP collections, one from Archibald and another from Gothenburg (J.&K. Person collection) but I never saw it blooming in nature. One of its known localities is Rodopos peninsula, located not far from Cyclamen confusum place. And we know nice beach there...
At first we want to make pictures of Narcissus serotinus - last year there was fantastic field covered with its white flowers and so fragrant - few flowers filled with aroma all our hotel's room. But now there is nothing, only poor remnants of last flowers heavy damaged by former rains.
But on hillsides we note some C. pumilus flowers. It encourages us for more searching as earlier at that place we saw no one crocus flower. And there it is - deep in very spiny shrubs, with widely open bright lilac flowers. Now I can picture it in wild. C. cartwrightianus didn't close its flowers at night and in bad weather, so they are fully open. Some are damaged by last elements but mostly only started blooming and many more are in tight buds. It is not easy to find them - all my legs regardless of strong jeans and mountain boots are in scraps from spiny shrubs.
And of course some very late Prospero minimum together with Cyclamen leaves hidden in hole of rock I'm picturing, too.
After successful day follow swimming in sea and then glass of wine ion our hotel. Now for the third year we are using services of Rhetimno Hills - fantastic small hotel with excellent and very rich breakfast, in silent end of city. Clean and very comfortable.

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis did you find the pumilus above Melambes?

We were not so far to South coast, but it must grow there, too. Actually we found it everywhere where only stopped.

[Janis Ruksans]

Next day shines bright sun and we go to Chania peninsula. There is locality near Airport where last year we observed a lot of Cyclamen graecum candidum and the same Narcissus. Finding of locality inside village under old olive orchard was not difficult and there they were - plenty of Cyclamen, but instead of Narcissus (few last flowers were seen) there in full bloom was Crocus pumilus. Interesting was that there all flowers seen had  lighter or darker yellow backside of outer segments - no one with dark stripes or pure white were seen there.
The first plant which got my special attention was cyclamen with very unusual shape of flowers. Never before I saw something similar.

[Janis Ruksans]

Last year we searched for Crocus cartwrightianus creticus on several localities on Chania peninsula and nowhere found it nor other crocuses. The most appropriate locality where it was seen by other explorers was hillsides over Moni Katolikos. There our road turns again. Now there are some bulbous plants other than Prospero. The first seen is extremely tiny Colchicum pusillum and there are a lot of Crocus pumilus, too but all of them are without exception with purple striped back of flower segments. I'm long walking by hillside and then suddenly spotted unusual flower of Crocus cartwrightianus creticus - with more flower segments than normally. Such flowers occasionally appear between normal but it is not permanent feature. Here this species only start blooming and during around half an hour I spotted only 2 flowers and few buds just showed noses out of soil. Two other former spots now are under buildings. Other points are not so easy reachable and as we saw a lot on Rodopos - we are not searching more.

[Janis Ruksans]

Weather is simply fantastic - around 22 C and we decide to look for some beach but by way there we are visiting monastery Moni Agia Triado. Entry ticket 2.5 Euro - for this we can visit church with very rich "icons", museum with old religious books and small shop where I'm buying bottle of vine for our evening meal. I can tell without doubt - for such price I wanted better quality...
We are going to Stavros (near it was observed Crocus cartwrightianus creticus, too) near which on map is marked beach. After labyrinth of streets we finally reach seaside and just after last house starts sandy seaside almost covered with Colchicum pusillum - one of the smallest colchicums seen by me - flower segments only around 1 cm long. There are white, whitish and light pinkish lilac groups growing almost up to sea level. In some distance are small bay with more sandy bottom - and again our quartet are the single one who enjoys warm waters of Mediterranean.
It is our last evening on Crete, tomorrow we are flying back. We still didn't decide where will go on continental Greece. I would like to visit other localities from where C. hellenicus was reported but not yet seen by me in nature, my friends more tend to Peloponnesus. On TV we are watching horrible floods in suburbs of Athens what makes me a little doubtful about driving on small and dirty mountain roads. Will see tomorrow...

[Janis Ruksans]

Next day was dedicated for transfer from Crete to Athens. Athens Airport great us was heavy showers, lightenings and weather broadcast is so unfavourable that we decide to look for earlier flights back to home. Counting car rent costs, fuel, hotels etc - new ticket could be cheaper. To travel in endless rain, seeing horrible floods near Athens on TV screen, wouldn't be great pleasure. Fortunately all tickets were sold out and offered options was so expensive, that after short discussion we decided to change our plans (they included localities of C. robertianus and C. hellenicus) and to go to Peloponnesus where some sun could shine through clouds between heavy rains (at least such was weather broadcast by meteoblue for Tripolis). Using Booking.com I'm making quick reservation in Mystras Inn - not expensive hotel some 6 km from Sparti just below hills of Taygetos.
All the way it is some raining, generally not very strong but too wet for stepping out of car, although I know several spots where bulbs are growing there, but single one spotted through cars windows were some cyclamens. It is still light when we reach Sparti, but road signs guide us wrongly, but with help of friendly local driver, who drives through labyrinth of small streets in front of us, soon we are on correct road. Mystras Inn expanded comparing with my last stay there. There are good parking spot, new hotel house in addition to old one, all clean and comfortable. About restaurant... breakfast was magnificent, just as during my former visits there, but dinner could be better.
Next morning again is raining. So no options to check bulbous flora near Mystras where Galanthus reginae-olgae was seen by others. We are going through Taygetos to Kalamata. When we are on the pass, rain stops and although it still is misty and wet, we make some ascend by small foot pass and there are some crocuses. Seem that they are C. boryi, but could be laevigatus, too. Both species were registered there, but as flowers are in tight bud, impossible to identify them. They are so similar, only flower segments of boryi are more rounded and open in sun cup like, but laevigatus segments are narrower and more pointed and widely opens in sun.
It was so wet that even goats hided themselves in large cave on opposite slope but they comes out for breakfast. So we too hope for more sunny and drier weather...

[Janis Ruksans]

Weather changes and on way down more and more sun shines, but still all around is very wet. Not far from Kalamata we spot the first flowers of Crocus niveus. Here most of them are pure white asnd only few are sligtly bluish tinted.
We are goingalong sea coast to Aeropolis, where I know good hotel to sleep. We used it last year, too and now I'm not using Booking.com because we are out of season, hotel is large and works all the year round.
Along road endless spots with white Crocus boryi. Now sun is shining and quite strong wind dries out flowers and they start to open. Actually we tired from endless boryi and are more looking for some beach where to swim regardless of high waves in sea.

[Yann]

Great photos, a shame this autumn's weather was so bad in the Balkans.

[Janis Ruksans]

Along road to Aeropolis we are passing a lot of small villages and everywhere on roadside, in orchards are Crocus boryi in full bloom. Almost everywhere are Cyclamen hederifolium, too, sometimes in mixed populations with Cyclamen graecum. At some spots we stop for few pictures but the first longer stop is shortly before Aeropolis where is last beach according our map. It is more stony than my foot sole would like, but remain nothing else than accept it. Waves are quite high, beach empty, so as always we are swimming nude.
Driving up to motorway we stop at spot were last year some C. goulimyi was spotted. Now it blooms there in abundance - we are just at culmination. Of course Crocus boryi is there, too. Although last year we didn't spot it as well as extremely rare Colchicum zahnii - known only from 2 spots on Mani peninsula. It has very specially looking corms - they are distinctly rhizomlike with swollen apex. Just recently Oron Peri on Facebook showed this species abundantly blooming in his garden. Will it be hardy with me - I don't know.

[Janis Ruksans]

I'm giving my attention mostly to forms of Crocus goulimyi with dark blue flower colour, darker than usually. May be shade will fade with age, but at moment of picturing they looks the best.
Last years experience with pubs in Aeropolis was not very good, so we are cooking by ourselves in the hotel. Next day we must cross the Mani peninsula to sleep in Monemvasia - there again is our loved hotel "Flower of Monemvasia", used during several trips to Peloponnesus.