Crocus to identify? Post them here....

[I.S.]

Simon your crocus is very strange, I have nothink in sipring bloomer with white anthers! 

[Sinchets]

Thanks Armin, Janis and Ibrahim. I will check the corm when the plant is dormant. I am also confused by the white anthers. I thought maybe it could be C.adanensis as the catalogue description said "white, sometimes yellow, throat".
The only as yet unaccounted for C.biflorus forms I have had are C.aff isauricus (found) or C.astrospermus. Alternatively, I did have some seedlings from wild collected seed I bought in 2005, which had been collected at Soganli Pass. Though I thought these had all been eaten by voles.

[Janis Ruksans]

Thanks Armin, Janis and Ibrahim. I will check the corm when the plant is dormant. I am also confused by the white anthers. I thought maybe it could be C.adanensis as the catalogue description said "white, sometimes yellow, throat".
The only as yet unaccounted for C.biflorus forms I have had are C.aff isauricus (found) or C.astrospermus. Alternatively, I did have some seedlings from wild collected seed I bought in 2005, which had been collected at Soganli Pass. Though I thought these had all been eaten by voles.

No, It isn't atrospermus, too. By flower shape it looks of biflorus group, but I don't know any with white anthers. No idea. Some idea from where it comes? Wild collection, baught from someone, self-sawn seedling?
Janis

[Sinchets]

Janis, thanks for your help. I know it cannot be self sown as this part of the garden is only 3years old this summer and the Crocus have only been planted here for 2 years.
If it is from seed it can only be from seed I bought at an AGS show in Leeds, from someone who had collected from unnamed species in the wild. The only information I have is Soganli Pass NE Turkey. There were some species from Iran- but I think these were identified as autumn flowering species.
Apart from that my only other clues for my 'lost' biflorus types are the ones Norman Stevens listed as biflorus astrospermus and biflorus aff. astrospermus- which I once had. The collection sites for these are listed as Tuzlabeli Gec and Belpinar Gec respectively.

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis, thanks for your help. I know it cannot be self sown as this part of the garden is only 3years old this summer and the Crocus have only been planted here for 2 years.
If it is from seed it can only be from seed I bought at an AGS show in Leeds, from someone who had collected from unnamed species in the wild. The only information I have is Soganli Pass NE Turkey. There were some species from Iran- but I think these were identified as autumn flowering species.
Apart from that my only other clues for my 'lost' biflorus types are the ones Norman Stevens listed as biflorus astrospermus and biflorus aff. astrospermus- which I once had. The collection sites for these are listed as Tuzlabeli Gec and Belpinar Gec respectively.

atrospermus grow in this part of Turkey (Belpinar gec), but that which you showed more seem to be from NE Turkey, may be Soganli pass - must to check where it actuqally is and may be go there in 2011 or 2012 (if will be on earth so long). It something resembles tauri but white anthers - very unusual. May be something new? Oh, when it will end! Keep it from rodents, please!
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

It resembles biflorus taurii - silvery bracts, but has fewer leaves - 3(?) {in typical taurii - 4-9}, leaves seem to be wider, too {in taurii up to 3,5 mm}. Width of leaves usually corelate with number, more leaves and they are narrover, less leaves and they are wider. Two very unusual features are white anthers and black spots at bottom. Really seem to be something special.
Janis

[Sinchets]

Thanks Janis. There is another nose appearing nearby I will keep my eye on this to see how it develops too.

[I.S.]

  Now I decided to study this biflorus more carefuly on the field. At first whole this sunday I have visited two biflorus locations on Asian part of Istanbul. I took some pictures as well. I think this way may help to some of us for identify our crocus!
  Here is my first study.
     Asian part of Ist. 14.02.2010
Flowers; white, outside usualy lightly speckled or lightly striped rarely with evident strips.
Throat; yellow and glabrous,
Anthers; yellow 9mm., allways with black lobes,
Filaments; yellow, filifolium and 4.5mm.,
Style; red, divided three at half way dawn of anthers and lenght as long as anthers.
Leaves; numbers 4-6, width 1.5mm, without ribs, longer than flowers or equal, Bracts browny.
Corms; 13mm. dim., hard coriaceous with toothed rings,
Seeds;
Result; supposed to be C. biflorus subsp. biflorus .........
  İbrahim..

[Sinchets]

Do you agree it is C.biflorus biflorus, Ibrahim? I would not know, but I do find its disjunct distribution rather interesting. I read it is also in Province Canakkale as well as Istanbul. Is it also found in the European part of Istanbul Province?

[I.S.]

    Simon, I also agree these are subsp. biflorus. What was interesting for me, they were very small like a danfordiae size and second thing all the anthers have black lobes! We have this subsipecies also in European part of Istanbul but there they were nearly all strongly striped and rarely speckled and they were much more bigger then these but reason maybe soil conditions.  we have this subspecies In Çanakkale province to but I have no experience there on this plant.

[Sinchets]

Thanks again, Ibrahim. Again the fact that they have been found on both sides of the Bosphorous in Istanbul province and then again in Canakkale intrigues me. I wonder why they are absent, or have not yet been found, in the provinces nearby or in between.

[Janis Ruksans]

    Simon, I also agree these are subsp. biflorus. What was interesting for me, they were very small like a danfordiae size and second thing all the anthers have black lobes! We have this subsipecies also in European part of Istanbul but there they were nearly all strongly striped and rarely speckled and they were much more bigger then these but reason maybe soil conditions.  we have this subspecies In Çanakkale province to but I have no experience there on this plant.

I agree. Single alternative - white danfordiae (small flowers) but in danfordiae filaments are shorter and flowers more pointed, I don't know where this locality exactly is, but danfordiae is found not very far from Istanbul.
Janis

[Sinchets]

A C.danfordiae and C.biflorus missing link 

[Janis Ruksans]

A C.danfordiae and C.biflorus missing link 

H. Kerndorff and E. Pasche - Crocus biflorus biflorus grow in province Istanbul and Čannakkale. The Plantsman, 2003, p. 82-83
Janis

[I.S.]

Janis you are right I just want to say that the size of flowers were as big as danfordiae. Usualy subsp. biflorus is a huge crocus like deuch hybrids.