Crocus March 2011

[Maggi Young]

Crocus has a distribution in North Africa; North East, Eastern & South Eastern Spain but I think the name has more to do with its appearance in early spring after the snowfall ( nevada) than for its association with the Sierra Nevada mountains. 


http://www.srgc.org.uk/genera/logdir/2010Mar281269808707Crocus_nevadensis.pdf

[Hoy]

As Maggi says, "nevada" = snow-covered in Spanish. It is part of the name of several mountains.

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis, Your crocus are wonderful - the hybrids are very interesting, but my favourite is the white and purple nevadensis.But I am puzzled by the name, crocuses from Nevada??

From Spain!
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Here quite cold and cloudy, some sun offered only next week. So today I'm posting last pictures of this week. Still many will come as at present only ~ half of pots are in bloom.
In this entry Crucus biflorus nubigena and pseudonubigena. Note the variability of petals outside in pseudonubigena.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

This entry I will start with Crocus paschei.
Then two forms of Crocus biflorus punctatus - note the dotted back of petals
Again two pictures of Crocus tauricus and one more beauties from C. biflorus taurii (about names I wrote earlier)
The last is C. suaveolens from Potterton's nursery. Surprisingly, but it made huge leaves in autumn and now flowers are partly hided between leaves.

One question to croconuts - two years ago I bought crocus under name Crocus olivieri x Tanger. Can someone help me with some information - what it is and who offered this one for trade? It is one of very few cases where I lost data about origin of stock.

Janis

[Gerdk]

Crocus tommasinianus albus (with faint blue lines) is open

Gerd

[tonyg]

A few late flowering species still looking good here.

Crocus corsicus - variable when raised from seed.

Crocus minimus - seed rasied ex 'Bavella' surprisingly uniform

Crocus kosaninii - a nice feathered form.

[udo]

Nice pictures from all,
here some from me:
Cr.aerius Soganli
    biflorus ssp.pulchricolor, one plant without yellow throat
    angustifolius 'Bronze Form'
    two seedlings from Cr.heuffelianus ssp.scepusiensis f.leucostigma
    ( gargaricus ssp.) herbertii
    veluchensis from Rila, this is the mother from 'Rainbow Gold'
   

[Janis Ruksans]

Although I was very busy today working on lecture for Hardy Plant Societies meeting next weekend, due fantastic weather - we had + 10 C - another half passed in greenhouse with crocuses. So I will continue floods of my pictures. Hope you are not tired by them...
Now I will start with few Crocus abantensis forms - white, cv. 'Azkaban's Escapee' (by Harry Poter novels), and traditional blue, may be darker in shade than usually offered.
Then two pictures of plant at present regarded as biflorus adamii from Iran
Follows picture of Crocus aerius from NE Turkey and as last -
Crocus biflorus alexandrii from Falakro - where it exactly is I don'\t know as the sample I got from late Jim Archibald by his wish. It is my first alexandrii from nature.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

This is very strange crocus-year here. Seems that crocus colours are darker and brighter this season as in other years. Some which I know as almost white now are more yellowish, blue's are brighter, too. Seem that some frost damage happened, too. Pots positioned at outer side of raised bed flowers unevenly - those corms at outer side flowers later than those from same pot which are at inner side. Very unusual is flowering time, too. Still blooms michelsonii and alatavicus, few korolkowii only started today but such cv. as Varzob and Dytiscus still shoved only noses.
This year bloomed few korolkowii varieties of extreme beauty.
Very famous is cv. 'Snow Leopard' - raised by John Grimshaw. I got 2 years ago 2 very poorly looking corms and never hoped that they will alive. They were sent me by John after Wisley trial and were seriously damaged by mites.  They perfectly match the description of cv. and has deep blue throat, although petal color this year is more creamy. Another stock I got from Holland - of same beauty, but without blue throat and really identical with plants got many years ago from Czech republic as cv. Alba. So I suppose that better to give it new name.
And as last - fantastic beauty of cv. Apricot, received from Sjaak. Many, many thanks for this beauty!
Janis

[ArnoldT]

A nice view of the exterior markings

Croc. bif.Adami Serevan

[Janis Ruksans]

On this entry only 2 species - both from Central Asia - pictured yesterday - the first from C. alatavicus. It is very uniform and variability you can see only in colour of petals outside when flowers are closed and something in shape of flower segments.
All others are from Crocus michelsonii - Iranian forms - showing far greater variability in color and in shape of petals.
Janis

[annew]

Snow Leopard is very beautiful.

[Lesley Cox]

Does anyone know a 100% reliable source for Crocus Advance? I have bought it twice and been disappointed twice.

It was one I had hoped to order from Marcus Harvey in Tasmania this summer but in the end, financial considerations had to take precedence and I didn't send an order at all. Marcus is very reliable with naming (except for N. cantabricus!) but it's probably too late for this year. Try him next Dec.

[David Nicholson]

Here's one from Dirk in 2008 which came as Crocus corsicusCol de Bavilla but having read Janis' book maybe it is C. minimus