Crocus: October 2010

[David Nicholson]

Very nice indeed Luc.

[Gerry Webster]

Crocus robertianus

From JJA seed (351.000); Greece, Ioanina, W of Metsovo to Ioanina, 600m, leafsoil at base of Quercus & Ostrya scrub,

10 seeds sown Dec 2006, 1 germinated Jan 2008. This the result  - first flowering. Although germination was very poor  flowering size was attained relatively quickly.

I don’t find C. robertianus particularly easy to grow so I hope I see this plant again.

[Oron Peri]

Got back today from Crete, bulbs definitely are late to bloom this year due to a boiling summer.
The only Crocus i have seen was this nice colony of C. tournefortii with fine color,
they grow in full shade on and underneath a north facing wall.

[Gerry Webster]

Oron - those are very handsome specimens of C. tournefortii - perhaps the best I have ever seen. Many thanks for posting.

[BULBISSIME]

Superb pictures Oron... and we can see that you where in full shade 

[Armin]

Gerry,
your patience to wait so long for germination paid off! At last you got a single beautiful one!
This reminds me not to empty baskets containing seed showing 'no life' too early.

Oron,
a nice clump! A very attractive crocus species.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Wonderful colony Oron -superb tournefortii ! 

[tonyg]

A few crocus from Norwich before we take a half-term break.

Starting with Crocus tournefortii in the garden where it has survived years of neglect.  Nice to see your pictures from the wild Oron but you must have wished the summer had ended sooner

Crocus biflorus melantherus - nice large flowered form.  As has been commented on already the crocus are making good flowers, often large this year.

Crocus goulimyi - seedlings raised from true ssp leucanthus.  All appear hybrid with ssp goulimyi.  After early success in raising them from seed all the latest lot are shades of (often pale) blue.  Next year I will keep the ssp leucanthus apart from the ssp goulimyi in the hope of getting true bred seed.  Too late this year they are rooting through the pots into the sand already.  Crocus goulimyi make very strong, deep growing roots.  One seedling appears a mutant dwarf.  Don't know if it will repeat this next year (don't want it to either!), doubt it will.  

[Miriam]

Very nice finding Oron!

It seems that we will have also a boiling winter here 

[Gerry Webster]

Crocus goulimyi - seedlings raised from true ssp leucanthus.  All appear hybrid with ssp goulimyi.  After early success in raising them from seed all the latest lot are shades of (often pale) blue.  Next year I will keep the ssp leucanthus apart from the ssp goulimyi in the hope of getting true bred seed.  Too late this year they are rooting through the pots into the sand already.  Crocus goulimyi make very strong, deep growing roots.  One seedling appears a mutant dwarf.  Don't know if it will repeat this next year (don't want it to either!), doubt it will.  

Tony - I'm not convinced that ssp. leucanthus  actually exists - I suspect it is just a colour & geographical variant of C. goulimyi. I have seed raised plants, supposedly  from a Steve Keeble collection made at the type locality, which, apart from colour (pure white), are indistinguishable from the common form of C. goulimyi & from a bicolour form of C. goulimyi I received some years ago from Kath Dryden as ssp. leucanthus.  Even in his crocus revision in 'The Plantsman', BM does not give any good reason for regarding ssp. leucanthus as distinct  

[Maggi Young]

Those gloriously feathery styles of C. tournefortii are a joy at any  time but to see them looking so good in Oron's habitat pix is beyond delightful.

I LOVE crocus season!

[tonyg]

Crocus goulimyi - seedlings raised from true ssp leucanthus.  All appear hybrid with ssp goulimyi.  After early success in raising them from seed all the latest lot are shades of (often pale) blue.  Next year I will keep the ssp leucanthus apart from the ssp goulimyi in the hope of getting true bred seed.  Too late this year they are rooting through the pots into the sand already.  Crocus goulimyi make very strong, deep growing roots.  One seedling appears a mutant dwarf.  Don't know if it will repeat this next year (don't want it to either!), doubt it will.  

Tony - I'm not convinced that ssp. leucanthus  actually exists - I suspect it is just a colour & geographical variant of C. goulimyi. I have seed raised plants, supposedly  from a Steve Keeble collection made at the type locality, which, apart from colour (pure white), are indistinguishable from the common form of C. goulimyi & from a bicolour form of C. goulimyi I received some years ago from Kath Dryden as ssp. leucanthus.  Even in his crocus revision in 'The Plantsman', BM does not give any good reason for regarding ssp. leucanthus as distinct  

Gerry I agree entirely .. just keep the names for conventions sake at present!  I would like to be able to raise more of the very pale forms that occur in the wild.  (I too have Steve Keeble seed raised plants)

[tonyg]

Crocus longiflorus is one of my favourites.  I has delicate lilac flowers, sometimes feathered darker on the reverse and down the tube.  The scent is one of the strongest for crocus, very sweet.  I have grown it successfully in the garden in the past and plan to release some of these seedlings in the future.  Two quite different forms here.

Crocus moabiticus is one of the rarest and very seldom grown.  I am unsure about the plants I have which are in flower now.  They have a good pedigree but are at leats 2nd generation in cultivation.  It is possible the plants I grow are hybrids with another in the sativus group, perhaps crocus Cartwrightianus.  They are very attractive, gradually expanding in size as they age.  When I showed pictures in a lecture recently I expressed my doubts about their status, a wag at the back shouted out "if they're still alive they're ot moabiticus"!  I'll leave it to the (other) experts to decide

[tonyg]

Variation in Crocus pulchellus.  Starting with a very nice seedling, strongly lined and with wispy tipped petals rather like Crocus vallicola.  Then a couple of shots for comparison, the latter being a very large flowered seedling.
Crocus thomasii is quite variable, some plain coloured others quite veined.
Crocus boryi x tournefortii in this form (the one I gave Dirk a corm of a few years ago) is very close to Crocus boryi but increases well suggesting hybrid vigour.

[TheOnionMan]

This is the best thread ever, so many exquisite autumn crocus to yearn for.

Gerry, the success of a singular pedigree Crocus robertianus is inspiring, and a lovely crocus it is.

Onon, I notice in the 2nd photo (and to some degree in the 4th photo) of C. tournefortii in Crete, the flower has fully erect styles instead of the usual hanging-out-sideways-bell-clapper arrangement; unique.

Tony, not only do you show choice Crocus, but ones that are artistically photographed, really enjoy such Croci-candy.  I'm also intrigued by the prospect of interspecific hybrids, so many possibilities can be imagined in an active hybridization program.  Are the hybrids you show naturally occurring hybrid seedlings, or are you making such crosses specifically?  The C. tournefortii x boryi plants look most desirable, although I'm not so sure about the goulimyi mini-me!