Crocus April, 2018

[Janis Ruksans]

And now only few pictures from April
The first is seedling of marvellous Crocus aerius from Soganli pass in NE Turkey
Then very late coming up selection from Crocus reinhardii from Iran - all others finished blooming when this one came out.
Crocus reticulatus (true) from Pjatigorsk - Albino form
and another white from same group, but could be danubensis, too - still not checked what it really is - danubensis or reticulatus - growing between both species.
And last - Crocus minimus always is one of the latest bloomers.

[Yann]

Janis you have delighted us with your last posts, such beauties shown

[Karaba]

As Yann, you did a great work this spring by posting so many nice pictures of your crocuses, Thanks !

And last - Crocus minimus always is one of the latest bloomers.

This Crocus minimus from Bavella is quite strange and don't seem to be representative of the species. Crocus minimus is quite early, usualy flowering in february at low altitude. It is really rare in altitude and 1200 m (Col de Bavella) is the maximum given in Flora Gallica.
I always went to late in Corsica to find it and have only seen C. corsicus. Surprisingy, I have 2 sample of C. corsicus, one from altitude (1500 m) with big flowers, one from low altitude (200m) with small flowers and the earlier by 2 weeks is always the one from altitude.

[Janis Ruksans]

As Yann, you did a great work this spring by posting so many nice pictures of your crocuses, Thanks !
This Crocus minimus from Bavella is quite strange and don't seem to be representative of the species. Crocus minimus is quite early, usualy flowering in february at low altitude. It is really rare in altitude and 1200 m (Col de Bavella) is the maximum given in Flora Gallica.
I always went to late in Corsica to find it and have only seen C. corsicus. Surprisingy, I have 2 sample of C. corsicus, one from altitude (1500 m) with big flowers, one from low altitude (200m) with small flowers and the earlier by 2 weeks is always the one from altitude.

Crocus minimus with me always is the latest of crocuses. Some wild collected stocks in open garden bloomed with me up to mid-May, whilst all other crocuses finished in last days of April. In greenhouse it changed a little and some forms are blooming together with highland Greek crocuses, but some always remain as the last ones. Early blooming are Dutch cultivated stocks of C. minimus.

[Karaba]

So, the phenology of this species compared to other species looks very different in nature than in cultivation. It's like Crocus miniumus use different key to know when to bloom, or it use them in a different way. Do you know other Crocus species that have such a difference between cultivation and wild ?  I mean, not only that they are later in cultivation but that they are later, or sooner, than the other species.

[ArnoldT]

Two reliable returners

Crocus_kosaninii

and Crocus heuffeilanus "Dark Eyes"

[Tony Willis]

Crocus scardicus quite late flowering

[Yann]

this species is always fascinating.

[Tony Willis]

Crocus pelistericus from FYROM. I do not think they have been shown before. Although not easy to see they differ in having a white tube from those on Mt Kymachalan (Voros) in Greece which have a purple tube

[pehe]

Crocus pelistericus from FYROM. I do not think they have been shown before. Although not easy to see they differ in having a white tube from those on Mt Kymachalan (Voros) in Greece which have a purple tube

Tony, you grow so many exciting forms of pelistericus!
These two forms are they different in other ways?

I grow two types of pelistericus, but I think both have purple tubes. However they behave different.
Type 1 on the first pic from yesterday rarely set seeds, and when they do, the seed capsule grows to about 10cm above ground. The corm makes many small offsets every year as seen on the pic. Source: Ian Young
Type 2 on the second pic has not flowered this year, so I cannot check the tube color further below. It is self fertile and set seeds easily . The seed capsule is not lifted above ground when mature, but stays close to the ground. In the 6 years I have had this form it has not divided at all. Source: Janis Ruksans.

Corms look identical on both types. Unfortunately, I do not know their origin. Maybe Ian and Janis can clarify that?

Poul

[pehe]

Here are a few Crocus pics from the last weeks

Crocus carpetanus
Different forms of Crocus cvijicii
Crocus cvijicii Cream of Cream
Crocus jablanicensis
Crocus minimus Bavella

Poul

[Tony Willis]

Tony, you grow so many exciting forms of pelistericus!
These two forms are they different in other ways?

I grow two types of pelistericus, but I think both have purple tubes. However they behave different.
Type 1 on the first pic from yesterday rarely set seeds, and when they do, the seed capsule grows to about 10cm above ground. The corm makes many small offsets every year as seen on the pic. Source: Ian Young
Type 2 on the second pic has not flowered this year, so I cannot check the tube color further below. It is self fertile and set seeds easily . The seed capsule is not lifted above ground when mature, but stays close to the ground. In the 6 years I have had this form it has not divided at all. Source: Janis Ruksans.

Corms look identical on both types. Unfortunately, I do not know their origin. Maybe Ian and Janis can clarify that?

Poul

Poul no I cannot see any other differences apart from the flower colour and stigmas but these are my first two to flower (I only have three) The ones from Kymachalan which is what I think will be the source of yours are the other ones I grow. There are two forms in that one has a white stigma and the other orange. The two in flower from FYROM both have different coloured stigmas-the pale one is lemon and the dark one orange. I have no idea if this has any significance. The Kymchalan ones set seed easily but I cannot tell if they are self fertile because I pollinate them as they flower. They also form off-sets. I have found that my first C. scardicus from Pilous is self fertile. I only bought one and it set seed which is quite conclusive.

[Yann]

Poul your minimus carpet si so beautiful, while you're showing your collection i'm repotting my autumn species and spring ones are faded.

[pehe]

Poul your minimus carpet si so beautiful, while you're showing your collection i'm repotting my autumn species and spring ones are faded.

Yes I like them too, and hopefully I will have many more in the comming years, as they set a lot of seeds.
Our spring is rather late this year, about 2 weeks ago we had still snow and freezing temperatures. I have just harvested the first seeds of Crocus capadocius (under glass), but no sign of dormancy yet. Isn't early that your Crocus are dormant?

Poul

[Yann]

Mines are grown under glass that's the reason why my blooming season is so early. The greenhouse is over 4°c during winter as i grow terrestrial orchids. In the garden 90% of the crocus are faded for at least 3 weeks, first seeds buds in few of them.

In the wild minimus is already fading under 1400m, when i'll visit my family not far away the locus, i'm pretty sure i'll only see the very few survivors.