New Crocus Year 2020

[Armin]

Luc and Janis,

thanks for the breathtaking crocus pictures. Just a shame that they are not for my garden conditions.

[Janis Ruksans]

Two very similar by flower crocuses with annulate tunics from Iran, but different by other features. 17IRS-053 was found at same place where Iris marivanica, NE from Marivan, but 18IRS-059 near Lake Urmiyeh. Many crocuses from Iranian Kurdistan by flowers looks quite similar. Crocus uschakensis has deep purple colouring inside throat. Such has some crocuses from Europe, too, but European plants is sweetly and pleasantly scented, but C. uschakensis has very unpleasant smell.

[Janis Ruksans]

When  I saw buds of this korolkowii seedling (18-01), I supposed that label is wrong, because it was labeled as "white" - but when flowers opened...
The next two pictures are from unidentified species from unknown locality. I got it from Gothenburg labeled as isauricus, what it certainly isn't. Is it concinnus? May be, as together with it were some similarly coloured but smaller in size blue danfordiae. Both species occasionally met in nature.
And the last is C. gembosii selection 19-04 - striped brown with black connective.

[Janis Ruksans]

Today I brought inside on;ly two crocuses but both are quite special and so for each I want to show 5 pictures. Of course the first is Crocus youngiorum, published together by me and Henrik Zetterlund. Originally it was collected by Henrik already in 12990, but only very recently, when I started checking of still unnamed or supposedly wrongly named stocks, I found that it is very special crocus and so we decided to name it after our great friends, moderators of this forum, editors of International Rock Gardening and Bulb Log - Maggi and Ian Young - as Crocus youngiorum.

[Janis Ruksans]

Another crocus checked today was Crocus sanandajensis, published not so long ago by HKEP, but collected for me by my friend in Iran. During that day we split and I went another road by taxi to search for some special crocus seen on internet, but didn't found it. My friend was more successful and found this one and collected for me some 10 corms. In the same year HKEP published 3 new crocuses from Iran, and comparing locality given by them (E of Sanandaj, altitude 2100 m) with locality, where my friend collected it, turned that it could be characterised by same words - E of Sanandaj, altitude 2010 m. Problem is that there are 2 features which is different - the firs is about bract and bracteole which according HKEP are inconspicuous, but in my plants - very prominent. But that could be explained by conditions in cultivation. Other feature is more serious - filaments according HKEP must be nude, but in my plants they are distinctly hairy and invariably, although hairs are very short but quite densely spaced. Different crocuses? But there are no other places which could respond to characteristics of locality. Careless description? It only shows how false is attitude with hiding of type localities or even giving of false data. It makes crosschecking of descriptions and identifying of other samples extremely difficult. But in any case I still keep the name Crocus sanandajensis to the plant shown here.

[Maggi Young]

Ian and  I  were  immensely  honoured to  have  Crocus youngiorum named  for  us   - so when I saw  Janis' photo on reply 45 of  the  pretty  buds, I was very much hoping that  we  would  soon  see the  open flowers - and  so we  have, in  reply  49!
 Thank you Janis - it  is  lovely  for  us to  see  these  special crocus and  very  touching too.

[Janis Ruksans]

Ian and  I  were  immensely  honoured to  have  Crocus youngiorum named  for  us   - so when I saw  Janis' photo on reply 45 of  the  pretty  buds, I was very much hoping that  we  would  soon  see the  open flowers - and  so we  have, in  reply  49!
 Thank you Janis - it  is  lovely  for  us to  see  these  special crocus and  very  touching too.

Small correection - reply 48.

[Janis Ruksans]

Still forced to bring in crocus pots for pictures. Next week forecasted 2 nights with temperature down to minus 7, hope it will not damage plants. The first two pictures are of Crocus inghamii, found by John ingham and described and published by me, then new crocus species from Iran.

[Mariette]

Both are very beautiful, Janis! Due to unfavourable conditions in my garden, itīs not sensible to collect crocus, but the chance-seedlings provide some fun, too.

[Steve Garvie]

Some Crocus currently in flower that caught my eye:

Crocus cyprius


Crocus caricus


Crocus fleischeri


Crocus crewei


Crocus abantensis

[Yann]

I missed a lot of crocuses in january, i hope to catch up in february.

Crocus korolkowii 'Amulet'

[Yann]

Crocus seisumsiana and Crocus corsicus (from Kurt Vickery seeds)

[Janis Ruksans]

Today for the first time in this season greenhouse in sun warmed up sufficiently to open crocus flowers and it was possible to make some pictures. At first view of one crocus bed - never before so early were blooming so many crocuses.
At first - Crocus candidus 13TUS-039
Then special selection from Crocus gembosii 17-02 - the first which was multiplied sufficiently to be included in next year's catalogue, I only must to find appropriate name. Very nice are its anthers with black colour in them.
Crocus randjeloviciorum was quite recently described from Serbia, but it is growing in Bulgaria, too
and as last in this entry - Crocus sarichinarensis R2CV-036, found and published by me.

[Janis Ruksans]

At first - 2 different forms of Crocus micranthus, then Crocus vitellinus from Syria, collected shortly before started rebel against governing regime, one of the best forms with black connectives of anthers. The last two pictures are Crocus orphei, collected at locus classicus, but blackish connective is not listed in its description, although between my gathering there were 2 individuals with such colour in anthers, and not only this year.

[Janis Ruksans]

Started frosty week. Latvian weather forecasts predict this one week as coldest this winter and similarly looks weather forecast from my favourable meteoblue.com. Only Russian gismeteo.ru predicts horrible frosts from mid February up to minus 17 entering in March. Will keep fingers crossed... Today will be full sun, so many new pictures will come and I hurry to publish from yesterday.
The first is typical biflorus from Craco, Italy.
Then Crocus brickellii 12TU-020 - relative to danfordiae but note the very long stigmatic branches overtopping anthers.
Turkish Crocus chrysanthus LST-068B I already show to you, but now flowers opened without bringing in
Crocus corsicus from Crenargo, Sardinia was in closed buds for 2 weeks, and now opened for the first time
and as last - Crocus hartmannianus 10-1997 from Gothenburg Botanical garden