Crocus December 2009

[Janis Ruksans]

You definitely don't want boar among your bulbs.

Oh, not so exactly. They several times passed through my fields. Sometime pushed some juno iris out or some lily bulb, but mostly only broke wooden sticks separating stocks. Only once they ate tuberous geraniums on previous years field (it is impossible to harvest them completely by myself and bores didn't succeed, too). Of course I prefair to stay without uninvited visitors...
Janis

[Lesley Cox]

I have offered on a few occasions to organize a crocus tour in Israel and it is still valid!!
so both of you and other 'croconuts' are welcome, i think it would be great to hear more opinions regarding some of the populations.

What a great occasion that will be! Ian, Janis, Oron, Tony (I'm being strictly alphavetical here and what a wonderful new thread it will be for the Forum. I'm eagerly awaiting the outcome.

[David Nicholson]

More dangerous to my cats are foxes

Must get myself a fox.

 

[Oron Peri]

Just to show some more variation in the cancellatus populations:

On the left sample of the population from center Golan Heights [790m], robust plants, corms are big and more flat in form while the other, on the right is from a higher population [1050], tiny plants, elongated corms. this population is growing in wet highlands and are covered with snow each year.

Both corms on this picture has very coarse tunic regardless of size and shape, tunics are of same type. This intermediate form on earlier entry has very different tunic, so, if it is growing widely and forms constant population, most possibly it is different taxa, may be another subsp. of cancellatus? Or even different still undescribed species?
Janis

Thank you Janis,

My question is if the different corms and netting are sufficient in order to separate it to a new subsp. or a species as the flowers and leaves are identical as well as the period of blooming?

Your mazziaricus is superb!

[Janis Ruksans]

Just to show some more variation in the cancellatus populations:

On the left sample of the population from center Golan Heights [790m], robust plants, corms are big and more flat in form while the other, on the right is from a higher population [1050], tiny plants, elongated corms. this population is growing in wet highlands and are covered with snow each year.

Both corms on this picture has very coarse tunic regardless of size and shape, tunics are of same type. This intermediate form on earlier entry has very different tunic, so, if it is growing widely and forms constant population, most possibly it is different taxa, may be another subsp. of cancellatus? Or even different still undescribed species?
Janis

Thank you Janis,

My question is if the different corms and netting are enough to separate it to a new subsp. or a species as the flowers and leaves are identical as well as the period of blooming?

Your mazziaricus is superb!

Yes, Oron. I think that shape of corm tunics is very important feature in separating of species. Flowers of crocuses are very variable, corm tunics is more constant. Will return to my entry at start of November after returning from Turkey trip. I entered picture of Crocus cancellatus mazziaricus by flower inseparable from C. mathewii, but corm tunics clearly confirmed that this one is just marginal form of mazziaricus. I repeat those pictures here. There were only 2 specimens with such color seen in large population, the second was with more splitted tips of stigmatic branches. Look on picture made by Kees Jan (published by him on Crocus entry a year ago - copied here). They found only 3 such plants in large population of C. cancellatus and again, just coarsely reticulated corm tunic confirms that it isn't new species (as I thought before I found that mathewii-like specimen and it can't be hybrid with kotschyanus as supposed by Kees Jan - too far genetically both are). The understanding came slowly, long thinking about nature of those specimens. The difference with your "intermediate" is that there are population with such plants, there are many specimens with such tunics. So I suppose that it really is new taxon, earlier unknown.
Janis

[Tony Willis]

Janis beautiful crocus.

An early Crocus graveolens

[Gerry Webster]

Very handsome Tony.

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis beautiful crocus.

An early Crocus graveolens

Excellent form. My own graveolens all forms has more or less purple-brown stippling, striping on back of petals and they all flowers comparatively late. Yours is marvellous.
Janis

[art600]

Janis

I agree that Tony's graveolens is marvellous, but I really like those that have stippling or striping on the back of the petals.

[Tony Willis]

I find they are quite varied,some plain and some striped. Here is a striped one not yet open.

[Janis Ruksans]

I find they are quite varied,some plain and some striped. Here is a striped one not yet open.

My best graveolens.
Janis

[jnovis]

First two winter crocuses,1st one,Chrsanthus LB540,2nd one,Sieberi sieberi SBL343. Both from Cro.group seed 2002

[jnovis]

..... Perhaps I should join you next year and we can make a big study of these wonderful plants

May be I can join? Really I would very like to visit Israel next autumn and to go to see autumn crocuses in nature.
Janis

I would be interested in visiting Israel as well,Jim Novis

[cycnich]

I find they are quite varied,some plain and some striped. Here is a striped one not yet open.

My best graveolens.
Janis

That is lovely Janis.

[Thomas Huber]

I have offered on a few occasions to organize a crocus tour in Israel and it is still valid!!
so both of you and other 'croconuts' are welcome, i think it would be great to hear more opinions regarding some of the populations.

Oron, I would also like to visit the Israelian Crocus with you and the other crazy croconuts.
Don't know if I will have the time, but please inform me if you have a date.