Crocus September 2008

[Maggi Young]

Well, Shelagh, I think something that beautiful deserves to be shared with as many people as possible! Lovely photos, too. 

[art600]

I realise that these pictures are no big deal for all you Crocus fanatics but I was so thrilled with them that I had to share.

Seed was sown in January 03, last year we had 1 flower this year it looks as if all four seedlings are going to flower.  Now the big question is how long will I have to wait for them to bulk up to a 6 inch pot.

Shelagh
Beautiful banaticus - wish I could get mine to flower.

On the question of bulking up, I recently bought 2 pots of Banaticus from a well known Cyclamen Nursery.  In one pot there were 12 noses and the other pot had 8 noses.  As the pots were only £4 each, I do not think they were planted with more than one corm.  Will post a picture of the pots.
Previously when I re-potted a similar pot from the same Nursery, there were in excess of 20 cormlets that I am growing on.

[Gerry Webster]

Thanks Gerry, now we need somebody to translate this into English or German 

Since nobody else has come forward I will have a go myself at a free translation of the sections dealing with the two varieties of C. hadriaticus mentioned by Thomas & distinguished by W. Herbert in 1845 but  which Brian Mathew does not recognize. Since I don’t understand some of Herbert’s abbreviations I have omitted his descriptions of the leaves which don't seem to differ much. My additions to the original are in italics [thus].

“var. Chrysobelonicus; ...........perianth white; throat hairless [BM says pubescent], orange; exterior [ = base of segments & perianth tube ?] often marked with blackish-red or striated/veined; filaments white, hairless; Found on the stony hill of Chrysobeloni on Lefkas/Lefkada where P. Vrioni first discovered it. Flowers October.

var. Saundersianus; ......... perianth whiteish/off-white; throat deep orange;  [exterior?] apparently not striated. From the hill of Bisdun, the site of ancient  Dodona, near the town called Janina  by the Albanians of Epirus.*  Obtained via the good offices of  S.S. Saunders, the British Consul. Flowers December to January”

*Janina  = Ioannina  did not become part of Greece until1913

It is nearly 60 years since I was taught Latin &, to my regret, I paid no attention at the time. For vocabulary I have made use of W.T. Stearn’s wonderful book Botanical Latin but my command of grammar is rudimentary at best. Corrections welcome.

Other people can decide whether Anne Wright’s plant corresponds to Herbert’s variety ‘Chrysobelonicus’. A form recently collected from Dodona  (AH 8690 ) is in cultivation. At least in photographs, this looks somewhat different to other cultivated forms.

[Armin]

Gerry,
many thanks for your instructive translation.
Never stop learning
 

[annew]

I'm awaiting developments with interest. I was given the original corms by a friend who seemed to be quite expert, but I will accept any better offers! Mine are only just showing above ground so far. Bowles' book on Crocus and Colchicum isn't much help either, the descriptions of the two varieties seem to be much the same.

[Gerry Webster]

I realise that these pictures are no big deal for all you Crocus fanatics but I was so thrilled with them that I had to share

Shelagh - a very nice photo. It's clear from your enthusiasm that you too could become a Crocus fanatic. Just don't fight it!

[art600]

Shelagh
Beautiful banaticus - wish I could get mine to flower.

On the question of bulking up, I recently bought 2 pots of Banaticus from a well known Cyclamen Nursery.  In one pot there were 12 noses and the other pot had 8 noses.  As the pots were only £4 each, I do not think they were planted with more than one corm.  Will post a picture of the pots.
Previously when I re-potted a similar pot from the same Nursery, there were in excess of 20 cormlets that I am growing on.
[/quote]

Here is the proof.  Although I count the owner as a friend, the pots were selected at random.  Think you would agree - a banaticus bonus   

P.S.  Just counted second pot and there are now 10 noses. 

[David Nicholson]

Here's a pic of my Crocus speciosus xantholaimos from Tony Goode (thank you Tony). Tony's note that came with it said 'may have crossed with pulchellus, or if it has white anthers is pulchellus'. Looks like xantholaimos to me Tony!

By the way I wasn't the one in our our household who booked a weeks break in Spain right in the middle of the Autumn Crocus flowering season!!

[art600]

P.S.  Just counted second pot and there are now 10 noses. 

In actual fact there are 13 

[Maggi Young]

By jove, this gets a better bargain by the minute, Arthur!

[Boyed]

Thomas, it`s a pleasure to see your schottertrifts with such a lot of crocusspecies. Wirklich schön.
David, your pics showes that OXONIAN is real the best C speciosus. Fine.

Hagen,

crocus speciosus 'Oxonian' is, no doubt, very beautiful (especially its dark colour), but it has a serious shortcoming - week tubes, which are easily damaged from slight winds. I have lighter native forms of this crocus, which are very tall, large-flowered and have much stronger tubes.

[Thomas Huber]

I realise that these pictures are no big deal for all you Crocus fanatics but I was so thrilled with them that I had to share.

Seed was sown in January 03, last year we had 1 flower this year it looks as if all four seedlings are going to flower.  Now the big question is how long will I have to wait for them to bulk up to a 6 inch pot.

Shelagh, every crocus photo is a big deal!
Well done, don't hesitate to show more!!

[Thomas Huber]

Here's a pic of my Crocus speciosus xantholaimos from Tony Goode (thank you Tony). Tony's note that came with it said 'may have crossed with pulchellus, or if it has white anthers is pulchellus'. Looks like xantholaimos to me Tony!

David, did Tony really make the same comments on the same plants that you've been sent by me, too 


Gerry, I will try to examine one of my/Anne's flowers to find out if it is pubescent or hairless.

DONE: It has a hairy throat! So it doesn't seem to be var. chrysobelonicus 

[mark smyth]

Last week I bought back copies of the Plantsman magazine from March and June 2002 that have articles from Brian Mathews. I lent them out but they never came back. So good to look at them again now that I'm hooked more than ever on Crocus. You should order them.

[Gerry Webster]

Gerry, I will try to examine one of my/Anne's flowers to find out if it is pubescent or hairless.
DONE: It has a hairy throat! So it doesn't seem to be var. chrysobelonicus 

Thomas - Very interesting. I'll have a look at  my own specimens of Anne's plants in due course - they are only just showing. BM (p60) seems to imply that all forms of C.hadriaticus have a hairy throat & I would guess that his description was based on both living plants & herbarium specimens. I would imagine that Herbert's description was based entirely on dried, herbarium material. I wonder how well throat hairs survive  in such material?