Crocus March 2018

[Janis Ruksans]

Now 4 seedlings of C. korolkowii wiith open flowers and as last
C. korolkowii Alba from Sjaak de Groot

[Janis Ruksans]

And last entry for today - I think you tired watching them as well I tired preparing pictures according forum rules.
The first - one more of C. korolkowii - Apricot from Sjaak de Groot
Then Crocus nivalis from Pelloponesse
Crocus olivieri Albina - excellent selection from wild made by Ibrahim (well reproduces itself from seeds)
Crocus pseudonubigena form received from Norman Stevens, originally from Halkis Dag, only anthers in this one is yellow
and last - albino from mine Crocus sarichinarensis

[Maggi Young]

Thank you, Janis -  I know it takes a lot of time to prepare all these photos and post them -  there are many of us  very, very grateful that you do so. I for one would never  see half of these plants without your posts and the others who are kind enough to share here.

[Janis Ruksans]

Ijn this entry colour forms of Crocus abantensis. Most unusual is the last - by colour close to C. baytopiorum but throat is yellow as in abantensis.

[Janis Ruksans]

The first is Crocus atrospermus, most likely from locus classicus
Then hybrid, supposed as between Crocus atticus and gargaricus - named Cream Diamond
Crocus candidus - so variable when flowers closed (see earlier) and very uniform when they open.
Crocus flavus from Albena, Bulgaria
and the last is Crocus hittiticus received from Kammerlander

[Janis Ruksans]

Now at first Crocus kartaldagensis and then various selections of Crocus sieberi from Crete

[Janis Ruksans]

Now two entries with Crocus sieberi selections.

[Janis Ruksans]

Some more of Crocus sieberi from Crete

[Janis Ruksans]

The last for today
Crocus sieberi hybrid GEORGE - it is mutation of Hubert Edelsten, this season distinctly darker than parent form
Crocus vitellinus alba suffused lilac - seem to be hybrid
then Crocus zetterlundii
and last two - most likely new species collected for me by George (the stigma on 2nd picture seem to be coloured yellow but those are pollens)

[Janis Ruksans]

We had full week of visitors during Crocus Days – some 700-800 visitors came from all Latvia and even UK. Some pictures you can see on following links:

http://www.delfi.lv/majadarzs/darzi-latvija-un-pasaule/foto-raiskuma-pasa-zenita-zied-lielaka-krokusu-kolekcija-pasaule.d?id=49855933

and here:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10213466488795488&set=pcb.10213466509716011&type=3&theater

I was so tired in evenings, that was impossible to work on my own pictures.

[Tony Willis]

and last two - most likely new species collected for me by George (thje stigma on 2nd picture seem to be coloured yellow but those are pollens)

I am also growing the C. veluchensis with the white stigma from George. I was with him a couple of weeks ago on Mt Ossa  (a wonderful day) and amongst thousands of Crocus veluchensis with yellow stigmas was this one in which it was white. A long way from where the others were found.

[Janis Ruksans]

We still have very frosty nights, plants develop slowly and a lot of veluchensis, cvijicii and close to them species only show noses out of soil. Today I decided to label all pictures of last week and then I will start showing them on Forum (I'm not more using Facebook). But this one I want to show here with all its story.

This crocus originally was found by Vladimir Epipektov on mountains at altitude where in spring dominates Crocus alatavicus. Between traditionally coloured white blooming plants was spotted one with pure pink flowers. Vladimir sent it to me. Later he found another one similar, but it was lost by him in cultivation (Crocus alatavicus is not the easiest species to cultivate). During 3 or 4 years my corm increased to 3 and last autumn one travelled to Japan (where it bloomed this spring) and one to Germany (I didn't hear about its fate) and the smallest one was planted back by myself.

At very start of January I opened glass-wool cover at some spots to check plants and found that my pink alatavicus had fully developed flower in tight bud waiting for sun. Due weather change to hard frosts the pots remained closed up to 5th of March. As I opened cover, pink alatavicus opened its first flower, but the second bud was already halfway up. 15th of March the first flower was wilted, second still blooming, when I noted the third flowerbud coming out. It still is blooming, although now the colour something faded. On attached picture those last 2 flowers when the third just opened. Picture is made in evening sun, so colour is a little orange shaded, really it is pure cold pink.

Others flowers I will show step by step after finishing of labeling (it is still several hundreds waiting), although many already wilted. We still have a lot of visitors coming and watching our flowers.

[Tony Willis]

This is a crocus I collected out of flower in the area of C. jablanicensis thinking it might be that species. As it was coming into flower I noticed the purple staining on the tube and thought it looked very much like C. novicii which occurs further south. On opening however it has an orange stigma which neither of the two mentioned have. I think it might be a natural hybrid between C. jablinicensis and C. veluchensis although I have not seen the latter in that area.

[Janis Ruksans]

This is a crocus I collected out of flower in the area of C. jablanicensis thinking it might be that species. As it was coming into flower I noticed the purple staining on the tube and thought it looked very much like C. novicii which occurs further south. On opening however it has an orange stigma which neither of the two mentioned have. I think it might be a natural hybrid between C. jablanicensis and C. veluchensis although I have not seen the latter in that area.

Both - jablanicensis and veluchensis s.l. are growing side by side, only jablanicensis blooms just after snowmelt (see picture) and veluchensis just follow. Unfortunately I didn't pictured where both are together but one picture found with one flower of veluchensis near jablanicensis. I didn't see intermediates, so I'm afraid that they not hybridize or this happens very rarely. I didn't see any similar to possible hybrid. C. veluchensis has albinos (observed by Henrik Zetterlund in Serbia). Out of flowers impossible to separate both.
C. novicii is known only from Albania, quite far to South in place not easy to reach. I'm afraid that for me would be quite difficult to climb up to its localities and I would be very happy if some traveller who possibly will go there could collect for me few corms. The same relates to C. tomoricus - veluchensis affinite from Albania more to North.

[Tony Willis]

Janis thank you for your reply ,I would like to go and see C. novicii but also wonder if my legs will no longer manage it! I have not seen the write up of C. tomoricus.

To complicate the matter here is a picture of a similar crocus growing to the one I have shown growing with C. scardicus, there were several of them. The C. veluchensis were growing about 500 metres away on a separate dryer hillside quite different from the C. scardicus which were in snowmelt water.