Crocus to identify? Post them here....

[mark smyth]

Michael showed another photo of the same Crocus with slight feathering on the outers

[Thomas Huber]

Michael, I received the same plant as nudiflorus last year, when it flowered without the leaves (perhaps due to late planting).
This year the leaves are present at flowering time which makes it to serotinus. But there are still the remarkable blackish anthers.

Roma, I'm with Gerry and Tony about your cartwrightianus, looks more like hadriaticus. The style is much too small for cartwrightianus.

[Michael J Campbell]

ong leaves now =  serotinus
leaves just visible 50/50 serotinus or nudiflorus
show us the whole plant and it might be clearer

Tony,here is a pic of the plant,sorry about the focus bit it was getting dark and it was taken in a hurry.

[Roma]

Thanks Gerry, Tony and Thomas.  The size of the style made me suspicious.  It definitely closes in dull weather like we've had for the last few days. I willchange my label.

[tonyg]

ong leaves now =  serotinus
leaves just visible 50/50 serotinus or nudiflorus
show us the whole plant and it might be clearer

Tony,here is a pic of the plant,sorry about the focus bit it was getting dark and it was taken in a hurry.

My earlier optimism that it is C nudiflorus was misplaced   This never has (long) leaves at flowering time.
The dark tube below the flower is unusual but I suppose this is Crocus serotinus .... unless anyone else has a better idea.

[mstar]

Hi,
My name is Mark. I am new to your group and from New Jersey USA.   Great Group by the way....  
I am seeking and ID of this crocus that was sold to me by an on line company with BLOOMING in the web address.
I had ordered Saffron Crocus  C. Sativus .  The bag states it is from Holland and Saffron crocus.  
However this does not appear to be.  BTW I ordered last year and they never came up, well one long leaf and that was that and they never came back. So BloomingB sent more.

I got them in Sept. and they are now flowering but so far no leaves.  

While pretty, I was hoping for Saffron stigmas.  
Can you guys ID this from my photos?  

Each stalk with flower is averaging 8" , yellow center, tree like stigma.  

Thanks
Side question,  I see many photos of other crocus with 3 crimson stigmas.  Is C. Sativus the only crocus that produces saffron?  
Do I have saffron?

[tonyg]

Hi Mark - Welcome!
You have Crocus speciosus not Crocus sativus.  Not a bad deal as both have roughly the same commercial value and I would say that Crocus speciosus produces flowers more reliably under garden conditions.  (Can also produce seed for increase which C sativus does not.)  You have shown a flower with extra petals, this sometimes happens due to less than perfect conditions during bulb storage, no harm from this though and plant will revert to normal next year.

Sounds like you might have had C sativus last year - that long leaf.  This one should have shorter and broader leaves ... and he is more likely to come back!

Saffron? - Well it is said that you can use the style branches of many crocus in the same way as Crocus sativus but I have not tried this with Crocus speciosus.   It won't hurt to give it a try.

Good luck - let us know how it goes ... and how it grows

[Maggi Young]

Hello, Mark, good to have you join us.
This is a photo of Crocus sativus, the saffron crocus of commerce.... a form derived from Crocus cartwrightianus. You will see the form of the red style branches that give the saffron spice.
Click the pic to enlarge it....

[mstar]

Hi
Thank you guys for the fast response.

The photo above is what I ordered  as well as by name and what I expected but got what I have shown.
My desire was for the saffron so I am disappointed in that respect and two years in a row, I guess I can not trust this company. I also assume they know little of this based on earlier responses to my questions of why mine looked different.   I suspect they do not sell many to people who want it for the spice.

So if they sent in September, why  don't I have leaves?  Are there issues with the plant getting food for the corm next year if I do not have plants this year?
Is Meadow Saffron they only toxic crocus?  Since this is not C. Sativus, are all but Meadow safe to try?   SInce I had a window closing, in their life I ahve been plucking and now figure maybe this work was a waste.

BTW isn' there more than one typ of  Crocus speciosus ?  What one if so is this?

I think there might be one coming up with leaves. I will post  when it comes up.  

Thanks again for all your help.
PS I love the look of the extra petals so for now I would not say the storage was less than perfect  

[tonyg]

Hi Mark
Leaves.  Some autumn flowering bulbs do not have leaves at the time of flowering.  In some cases this may be because in the wild flowering is followed quickly by snow cover or frost.  Pollination achieved by autumn insects (perhaps autumn, at the end of a warm summer, is peak insect time,) the leaves and developing seed pod stay underground, away from the harsh conditions until spring.  In gardens these plants may produce leaves in autumn/winter as conditions are less severe than in the wild.  Crocus speciosus is leafless at flowering while Crocus sativus which is derived from plants with a relatively lowland, mediterranean habitat have leaves at flowering time.  In the wild these plants do not get prolonged snow cover and do most of their growing during what we in the North (or far South) call Winter.
Meadow saffron?  I assume you refer to Colchicum autumnale (pink, leafless flowers - take a look at the Colchicum thread on the forum for lots of variations.)  Colchicum, often referred to as 'Autumn Crocus' are not actually crocus at all!  They do contain colchicine which is the toxic element you refer to.  True crocus, while not very palatable to humans, are not toxic .... and are often devoured by rodents
Yes, there are many named forms of Crocus speciosus but it takes a better man than I to decide which is which.  If the suppliers can muddle two very different species of crocus (with quite different corms) imagine what they do to the very simialar forms of one species

[David Shaw]

Mark's experience with his first C. sativus, from a dutch company, is the same as mine. A few spindly leaves - then bye,bye.

[Michael J Campbell]

My earlier optimism that it is C nudiflorus was misplaced   This never has (long) leaves at flowering time.
The dark tube below the flower is unusual but I suppose this is Crocus serotinus .... unless anyone else has a better idea.

Thanks Tony, I will label it Serotinus.

[mark smyth]

Is this laevigatus or biflorus?

[Gerry Webster]

Is this laevigatus or biflorus?

C. laevigatus has white or creamy-white anthers.

[mark smyth]

Thanks. It was bought as biflorus melantherus a couple of years ago and this is the first time flowering from what I remember. The petals are very puckered.