Crocus to identify? Post them here....

[Janis Ruksans]

Crocus nudiflorus

[tonyg]

I came across a few hundred of these Crocuses in a Shropshire churchyard yesterday growing mixed with C. speciosus. Not sure what they are but my best guess is C. ligusticus? Any help appreciated.

Crocus nudiflorus - naturalises well if undisturbed

[Tiggrx]

Crocus nudiflorus - naturalises well if undisturbed

Thanks but I don't think it was C. nudiflorus. I have C. nudiflorus in my garden and also visited two naturalised colonies of that species in Shrewsbury on the same day I saw these. In comparison this plant was much shorter, smaller flowered and grew in clumps, rather than as scattered flowers. I suspect they had been planted in large numbers rather than established themselves.

[tonyg]

Thanks but I don't think it was C. nudiflorus. I have C. nudiflorus in my garden and also visited two naturalised colonies of that species in Shrewsbury on the same day I saw these. In comparison this plant was much shorter, smaller flowered and grew in clumps, rather than as scattered flowers. I suspect they had been planted in large numbers rather than established themselves.

Yes.  I see what you mean about the 'clumpy' planting.  I can also see signs of leaves just appearing which rules out nudiflorus, speciosus and ligusticus (medius) assuming they develop now rather than much later.  Crocus serotinus sl flowers with it's leaves developing but I have not know it to be available for planting such as this.
There are various forms of crocus speciosus cheaply available in the trade .... perhaps ..... confused!

[Steve Garvie]

I would be grateful if someone could put a name to the three Crocus species below:

Crocus #1
The first two images are of a pot of seedlings that have now reached flowering size. Unfortunately the label was lost. It is currently in flower.





Crocus #2
This is a pot of seedlings raised from wild seed collected by Vlastimil Pilous. The collection details are: “ sp. Akseli, Central Taurus, Turkey”. Currently in flower.





Crocus #3
The third is also Spring-flowering and is another Pilous collection. The seed was collected at Velje Brdo, Montenegro. The first image is of the open flower, the second shows the external appearance of the flower.

[udo]

The first picture is Crocus nevadensis, other two species difficult to say.

[Steve Garvie]

Many thanks Dirk!

[Janis Ruksans]

The first picture is Crocus nevadensis, other two species difficult to say.

I agree and only can add that first looks as nevadensis aff. from Marocco.

[Steve Garvie]

Many thanks Janis.

The nevadensis was sown with various other seed acquisitions from Vlastimil Pilous. I have just checked and fortunately still have a copy of the email listing the seeds I purchased from him. These seeds were sold as: “Crocus sp. Sierra Guadaramma, Central Spain”.
The Sierra de Guadaramma lies to the north and west of Madrid -possibly outwith the accepted range for nevadensis (??). It is close to the Montes Carpetanos where Crocus carpetanus was first described (I’m not suggesting that it is carpetanus).

I agree that my plants look identical to your Moroccan nevadensis (p363 of your book) but I have never sown any seed of Crocus from Morocco and am now sure that these are from the Sierra Guadaramma seed.

[Gerdk]

Crocus from Montenegro - in open woodland, ca. 850 m

I would be glad if someone will be able to identify this species

                                                                                  Crocus tommasinianus perhaps???

Gerd

[udo]

Yes, looks like Crocus tommasinianus.

[Gerdk]

Thank you Dirk - so I am sure with my guess!

Gerd

[lavateraguy]

I'm trying to make sense of Crocus for (British) botanical recording purposes, and due to the taxonomic uncertainties I think that identification to cultivar is preferable when possible. Is this 'Pickwick'?

[Maggi Young]

Hello lavateraguy - glad  you managed to post your  photo.  A  couple  of things  - first , yes, I believe that  is  'Pickwick'.  Secondly, I'm afraid  I  also see  some  virus  in the flower - the  thicker  blob  of  dark colouring  is  the  sign.
 Thirdly - this  thread  here  : http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=5060.0   should  be  of  great  help in figuring  out  what cultivars of CHRYSANTHUS/BIFLORUS  you  may come  across - Thomas  Huber  compiled  it  some  time  ago and  it  is  still very  useful.

[lavateraguy]

I'd missed the small print about file sizes.

I've already been using SRGC as a resource - I've been looking into Crocus for a couple of years, starting with hitting the academic literature - https://www.ispotnature.org/communities/uk-and-ireland/view/project/776035/crocus

From the same site (a small area of mown urban grassland) here's a white plant, which I presume to be 'Jeanne d'Arc'.



And a purple one - I'm less convinced about this one, but I'm guessing at 'Flower Record'



And the 'Pickwick' from a different angle.