Crocus November 2019

[Janis Ruksans]

Passed almost 20 days since I returned from Greece, but only today I can show you some pictures because in Greece or on way back I got some virus infection and only today I can return to more or less productive job. I worked a little during all those days but my main job was to prepare new offer of bulbs for 2020, followed by registration of new orders - during first 3 days I got 45 orders - incredible number and some crocuses already are sold out.
But now I will return to Greece. Our small team visited 2 islands - the first was Naxos - very rocky with not so many good places for crocuses but with many fantastic sand beaches. Almost all land is divided into smaller or larger parcels separated by stone or wire-net fences to keep sheep on proper land. So not so many spots where it was easy to enter. Really we came around 20-30 days too early - crocuses only started blooming. As I already wrote - the first species observed were laevigatus and cartwrightianus. Now few more pictures of cartwrightianus and some landscapes from Naxos pictured near Potamia where we found the first flowers.

[Janis Ruksans]

We booked hotel in Halki. Not so many hotels in November were offered by Booking.com and this one was Villa Onar We passed there 2 nights and for 3 persons all together paid 190,- Eu. Very good, silent hotel, clean and comfortable. We wanted hotel somewhere in middle of Island, for not to drive too far in our search for Crocus flowers. Although Island is small and there are not long distances between points. I only want to warn that there are no car rent facilities in Airport if you are coming by plane. So we booked taxi who brought us to city center where we got good Fiat-Panda for 25 Euro per day.
We went to cave region of Mount Zas and there on slopes of Padaraki just started blooming (we saw many buds sprouting out of ground) Crocus mazziaricus sensu lato - almost everywhere in splits of rocks. On opposite side high on hilltop were beautiful church.

[Janis Ruksans]

There were some other bulbs in bloom, too. Almost everywhere we observed Colchicum pusillum - very tiny colchicum but with bright flowers in abundance. Prospero (autumn scilla) already finished blooming but Narcissus obsoletus just started. The first picture is of Crocus mazziaricus sensu lato.

[Janis Ruksans]

My main target was variability of Crocus cartwrightianus but only one locality where it only started coming out was found, so I was sure that will need returning to Naxos in December and then suddenly spotted a pair of flowers in grass behind fence which looked as C. cartwrightianus. Immediately turned around and there it was - not large, but surprisingly wet, very grassy pocket on opposite hillside, where more moisture accumulated,  with plenty of crocus flowers. And they all were just cartwrightianus. I'm not more so dextrous as earlier so trying to cross the roadside fence at some moment I supposed that will finish with hara-kiri... But so great variability, large clumps repaid all efforts. So some entries will show just Crocus cartwrightianus - so abundantly, that it was possible to make herbarium, to collect good amount of flowers for morphological measurements. When finished picturing, I found small gate a little further, so returning to car was easy, non-suicidal...

There were some Crocus mazziaricus between cartwrightianus, too, but mostly quite poorly looking.

[Janis Ruksans]

Some more Crocus cartwrightianus from Naxos.

[Janis Ruksans]

The first 3 pictures are of Crocus cartwrightianus, last two C. mazziaricus s.l. growing between cartwrightianus

[Matt T]

Wonderful pictures from Naxos, Janis. I’m reminded that Colchicum variegatum also grows in the slopes of Mt Zas, I saw it a little way above the caves. Flowering earlier than your trip though. Thank you for your trip report.

[Janis Ruksans]

Wonderful pictures from Naxos, Janis. I’m reminded that Colchicum variegatum also grows in the slopes of Mt Zas, I saw it a little way above the caves. Flowering earlier than your trip though. Thank you for your trip report.

For Colchicum variegatum it was far too late, I knew localities where to look for it, but no one was more spotted as well as on next island visited by us - Chios, from where I'm growing variegatum, but collected in spring by leaves.

[Janis Ruksans]

Next day we maid long circle several times departing from main road to seaside but only in two localities we spotted sparsely growing and blooming Crocus mazziaricus aff. We again used excellent sandy beaches for swimming (being single one swimmers in so "cold" water +20C) and reached N end of Island returning by W coast to Naxos. Crocuses we found only on E faced slopes. My friends (Dima and Leonid) who visited Naxos in spring, told me that crocuses there are everywhere, impossible to step without touching leaves. Alas, in spring. I had exact points on W coast and found there nothing - it was too early. In this entry some pictures from second day with windmill on mountain top and some Crocus mazziaricus near it.

[Janis Ruksans]

The last crocuses on Naxos we spotted along road down to Montsouna, where we went again to use sandy beaches of Naxos. They were Crocus mazziaricus growing in rock splits and on very hard stony clay. After turn to Naxos city along coast no one crocus more was seen, regardless of careful search at some spots marked on my very detailed map, which I got from colleagues in Gattersleben who were there a year before but in first week of December.
In Naxos we observed antique Gate of Apollo and wanted to visit Museum, which was closed for some special Greek holiday on Naxos. On pictures last crocuses seen on Naxos, ruins of Gate of Apollo and walls of old Naxos city on top of hill.
Following day we had flight back to Athens, but as our flight was in early afternoon, we used morning hours for last swimming on huge, long Plaka Beach. It is used by nudists, too, but again due "winter" no more tourists even more no one local people were there. Wind was hard, waves large and water incredibly warm, but I suppose that just this was a little too much and just quite fresh wind gave the last dot to get some flu to me.

[Janis Ruksans]

Athens greeted us with rain and 3 hours long waiting in Airport up to next fly to Chios Island. We used it for good dinner with cup of draught beer. It was my 4th visit to Chios and always I'm staying in Kyma hotel. Rick van Bogaert recommended the hotel to me before my first trip to Chios and I was so satisfied, that after that not even looked for another choice. It is an old building in few kilometers distance from Airport (taxi to hotel - 8,- Euro). Hotel is very comfortable and has excellent family staff - superb service, excellent breakfast for very moderate price. It is not using Booking.com, so you must look for it on Internet. Side by side is car rent facility of hotel owners friend and we got same Fiat Panda for only 20,- Euro per day.
Chios Island I selected for only one reason - to observe and picture variability of Crocus pallasii from there, which I regard as new species and intend to name it in future as Crocus homerii. Legend tells that great Hellenic poet Homerus was born just on Chios.
Unfortunately again weather conditions this autumn was against my desire, but in any case I succeed to collect few good plants for herbarium and sufficient number of flowers for morphological research. I can not judge - was it too early or may be too late for visit, or that was just very hot and dry weather missing my mission - in many places where we found Crocus "homerii" flowers were wilted or hot damaged, but some still only coming out of soil. My interest in this crocus sparkled from clone named 'Homeri' which I got from Gothenburg Botanic garden - excellent crocus with black anthers. My first visit there was in spring so I collected so named "pallasii" by leaves and when collected plants bloomed with me some 20- 30-40% (depending from population) had black anthers.

On attached pictures - the first is "locus classicus" - place from where Gothenburg's cv. 'Homeri' comes and my friend Vaclav looking for some flowers of this crocus, after that flowers found there - although in leaves I collected there around 40% of black anthered plants, now such were minority, the last picture certainly is from something black anthered plant (most likely black was only along connective) but after wilting of anthers this can't be seen so prominently.

[Janis Ruksans]

On Chios Crocus "pallasii"  is growing generally on very rocky places - just between stones. The locality widely around was destroyed by forest fire some years ago. Now everywhere were growing bright green young seedlings of Pinus and habitat slowly returned to traditional shape. Attached pictures are from the same locality as those in former entry. On the last picture you can see how looked majority of seen plants - mostly with wilted flowers.

[Janis Ruksans]

We made  short coffee-break during which I pressed some plants in herbarium and returned to observing of other spots where during my first visit to Chios were plenty of "pallasii". Walking on such stones is not very easy, but they are stable so you must be only a little careful. My return was awarded by absolute albino of this species.

[Janis Ruksans]

There is one species of autumn crocuses growing almost everywhere on Chios - it is Crocus pulchellus. We saw it almost at every stop, although not so abundantly when during spring visits we searched for some mysterious "biflorus" reported by few as growing there. All localities from where "biflorus"was reported turned only full with pulchellus. This confirmed suspicion that such "identification" was done only by superficially something similar corms.

[Janis Ruksans]

Crocus pulchellus mostly was observed under pinus trees, in several spots together with Crocus "pallasii".