Crocus September 2010

[Luc Gilgemyn]

yes... definitely a stunning pulchellus ! 

[Armin]

I should go to the croconuts. It`s a fine world of autumn colors. Here are only a few crocus banaticus.

Hagen,
you are welcome any time! Beside your nice dark and bicolored forms of C. banaticus your striped one is something special
I think it is worth to propagate it.

[Gerry Webster]

OK - when roused from my senile slumbers, I agree that C. pulchellus is more likely. Still a superb crocus.

[Maggi Young]

A couple of drooling folks here in Aberdeen for the beauty of the pucluellus' markings and for the really lovely photos, Melvyn... that is a GEM!

[Maggi Young]

Hagen, I must disagree with all the plaudits for your "striped" banaticus, even from Janis....... to my eye it is diseased and I would burn it.  Sorry, but that is my opinion.

[tonyg]

Thank you all for the very positive remarks about the Crocus photos. Tony, how kind of you to assume that I really knew that it was C.pulchellus! it was really based on a quick assumption and I will certainly take your advice and check the corm later. Thanks to you and Armin for correctly identifying it, perhaps I should stick to Cyclamen from here on where I will be on slightly firmer ground.....

Melvyn - you are among friends here .... and we all want to see more of you crocuses and your cyclamen!

[tonyg]

Hagen, I must disagree with all the plaudits for your "striped" banaticus, even from Janis....... to my eye it is diseased and I would burn it.  Sorry, but that is my opinion.

Hmm .. I also wondered about this.  The pale ground colour is unusual, this would not alone be a sign of virus.  The veins are not unusual, look at the following image.  The veins show because of the the pale ground.  The flower is a slightly odd shape and I have found that C banaticus is more susceptible than most crocus to virus and other diseases.  If it were mine I would put it in 'quarantine' away from other crocus and evaluate it over the next year or two.  I want to believe it is healthy ... but Maggi might be right.

[Maggi Young]

A "regular" vein pattern is usual, of course, but in the white striped flower the colouring is patchy and broken.....

[Hagen Engelmann]

Maggi and Tony, the basic population of the "striped" banaticus is very heterogeneous. We found pale, dark, bicoloured and few real white forms. This year there are two striped exemplars. Hm. Hope, I can show you another pic.

[Thomas Huber]

Hagen, I really wish, your striped banaticus will survive and turn out to be healthy.
I also had such a white plant with blue style some years ago, but it didn't survive.
It came up in a patch with only blue forms so I guess it turned white due to damage
in the underground - don't know what 


Melvyn, whatever your crocus is, it's a good one. But you don't need to dig up the
corm to identify it - laevigatus flowers with its full leaves while pulchellus-leaves
grow in spring or early winter - I don't see any leaves in your photos 

[Gerry Webster]

Melvyn, whatever your crocus is, it's a good one. But you don't need to dig up the
corm to identify it - laevigatus flowers with its full leaves while pulchellus-leaves
grow in spring or early winter - I don't see any leaves in your photos 

Thomas & Melvyn - according to BM, although C. laevigatus  is synanthous, it can flower with just the tips of the leaves showing. My plants always flower with well developed leaves & my experience of C. pulchellus is that  the leaves come some time after the flowers.

[Hagen Engelmann]

A lot of rain pushed down the flowers. It`s the last pic for this year. I mean too, the colour isn`t normal. I have hope for the next year. Thank you all for the informations.

[Martin Baxendale]

When I saw Melvyn's laevigatus pic I have to say I also thought "pulchellus" (and a very nice one). And the dark speciosus looks like 'Oxonian' to me, Melvyn.

[Janis Ruksans]

Melvyn,
fantastic crocus images. I'm doubtful of your C. leavigatus, never saw such strong stripes inside flower tube with doted yellow markings and flowering time so early - it looks more like a stunning C. pulchellus to me!

Melvyn, I agree with you. This almost 100% is pulchellus.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

A lot of rain pushed down the flowers. It`s the last pic for this year. I mean too, the colour isn`t normal. I have hope for the next year. Thank you all for the informations.

Usually I agree with Maggie, but in your pictures, Hagen, I can't see virus symptoms.
Janis