Crocus February 2007

[Anthony Darby]

What a fabulous set of pics since I was last here. Your yellow iris is, Thomas?

[mark smyth]

tomorrow I will pick all 5 tommie flowers and lay them side by side for a photo to see what you make of them. I need to get one big label among each group to remind me each year.

[David Nicholson]

Great pictures Thomas and lovely flowers.

[tonyg]

Outside the Norwich cemetry with the Crocus vernus and tommasinianus the main road has a massive planting of the smaller hybrid cultivars.  This stretches for half a mile or more along the verge.  The yellow shades are dominant now but I remember more blues in previous years.  Perhaps they will come later ... or perhaps I was just fooled by the myriad chionodoxa which will follow later!  Here is a flavour of the show (again on a dullish day ) including a couple which I think are seedling hybrids ... but not as good as Thomas' though!

[tonyg]

While the putative hybrid in my last post might be have the dubious honour of being the first brown crocus, the plants below are pure species.

Crocus aerius - from a reliable source and matching quite closely the only other true aerius that I have seen which was ex Gothenburg.  Often C biflorus pulchricolor is grown under this name.

Crocus corsicus - several different seed raised forms.  Note that not all have the creamy ground colour on the outer petals.

[tonyg]

And some more ...

Crocus cvijicii - two seed raised forms.  The flowers definately get bigger as they get older!

Crocus etruscus - Note the the flecking in the petals, quite common, sometimes (but not always) a sign of virus. What do you think of this one?

Crocus pestalozzae - var caeruleus ... will I get seed this year?  This species has the smallest seeds of any crocus, in very distinctive long capsules.

Crocus reticulatus ssp reticulatus - Thanks Dirk, its a beauty!

[tonyg]

I know its late - I'll be brief!

Crocus sieberi ssp sublimis (& one ssp atticus) - quite a lot of variation.  The eagle eyed will notice the two specials I have picked out. 
The 'dumpy' C 'Tricolor' which is raised from wild seed.  This is a single corm which I have worked up, quite distinctive in its shape, different from the trade clone.
Then there is the veined form ... again wild seed, hopefully others in the pot will match it.

Crocus tommasinianus various forms - you've seen them all before!

Crocus vernus vernus - Heuffelianus Group (for want of a name) A really nice form with a cream wash on the outers.

And to finish, one for Thomas.  Crocus vernus albiflorus, Susten Pass form.

[johanneshoeller]

Crocus malyi with a very large flower!

Hans
from Austria

[Thomas Huber]

Tony, your photos are great as always, many thanks.
The hybrid you found along the road is a real rarity, although
its NOT the first brown crocus. There were several brown chrysanthus
cultivars in trade some years ago: Brunnette, Brown Surprise, Brassband.
I don't have any of these so far 


Anthony D - my yellow Iris is danfordiae, the trade form, flowering in
its second year now.

Johannes, are this the parents of the seeds you sent me?

[johanneshoeller]

Thomas,
yes, I sent you the seed of this plant.

Hans

[annew]

Tony, does your white Tommy have a cultivar name? It's much better than my 'albus' which is very wishy-washy.

[hadacekf]

Here are pictures of Crocus angustifolius. Style 3 branched.  Is the ID correct?
Great plants, Tony!

[Thomas Huber]

They look OK to me, Franz.
But the most important feature is hidden underground:
Coarseley netted corm tunics.

[hadacekf]

Thomas, thank you. Perhaps do you know this Crocus chrysanthus hyp. too.
It grow very well.

[udo]

Crocus versicolor, 3 forms from Dep.Var in France
Crocus versicolor `Picturatus`