Crocus March 2011

[Lesley Cox]

Thomas, every year I'm astounded at your magnificent lawn then the following year is even better. Seeing it here is a highlight of my Forum year.

I think you should be very happy that Chris is wanting to dig up your hybrids for his own collection. That means he is a real gardener in the making, and TO BE ENCOURAGED!

All the pictures are magnificent. It's a few days since I could look at them as my computer has been playing nasty tricks and the internet coming and going in a frustrating way, as new fibreoptic cables are being laid nearby. It should all be better in the long term though.

Janis your crocus beds are truly fabulous. What pleasure they must give you each spring day.

I have just the beginnings of the autumn species now, with speciosus, pulchellus, kotschyanus, banaticus, nudiflorus and vallicola all in flower. A few colchicums too.

Thomas many of the ones you sent to me as seed had the odd flower or two last spring so this coming season there should be a good show. Thanks so much for your generosity.

[Knud]

Hei Trond,
- bare hyggelig.

The crocus in your picture certainly look like the one I have as C. tommasinianus.

Knud

[Thomas Huber]

Good morning Trond and Knut. I can't be 100% sure but I would say, your both yellow Crocus looks like 'Fuscotinctus'. Please note, that in 'Dorothy' the feathering is more suffused than in 'Fuscotinctus' and from what I see on your overview photos I would say they all have a 'clear' feathering. A close-up photo from aside would be better for ID.

Thanks Lesley. Great news from my seeds. Please keep me in touch when the come into flower.

Herbert thanks for showing these photos from 'wild' Austria. I remember some years ago our good friend Johannes Höller has shown photos of the same area, too. Is this the only place in Austria where 'neapolitanus' grows?

[Hoy]

Hello Thomas! Good morning to you to.
I think you are right. When you say 'Fuscotinctus' it rings a bell. I know I have planted those at least once in my lawn
Thanks.

[Janis Ruksans]

I was very busy last days and had no time to take part in forum. So now again few pictures. hope I'm not repeating earlier shown.
At first 2 forms of Crocus bifl. adamii from Armenia
Then last shot this season on Crocus alatavicus
Follows three color forms of Crocus antalyensis
traditional commercial
white colored
and striped from near Antalya
and last in this entry Crocus atticus sublimis 'Michael Hoog's Memory' which I named by my late friend who much helped me with my first crocuses.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Few more pictures
Crocus biflorus from Baba-dag (from Archibald)
Crocus candidus cv. LUNE
and wild form of C. candidus
Then C. biflorus caricus in strong sunshine (today all the day was snowing)
Natural hybrid between chrysanthus and biflorus found in wild by E. Pasche
Crocus flavus dissectus
and 2 forms of Crocus fleischeri
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

The last for today
Crocus hyemalis is autumn bloomer, but this one from Syria bloomed this spring
Crocus imperatii from Italy (received from Thomas)
Crocus flavus sarichinarensis white form
Seedling from C. sieberi cultivar 'Cretan Snow'
Crocus biflorus stridii - 2 pictures
2 different Crocus biflorus taurii forms
Crocus veluchensis and cvijicii hybrid 'Rainbow Gold' from Dirk
and as last - C. vitellinus
Janis

[Knud]

Good morning Trond and Knut. I can't be 100% sure but I would say, your both yellow Crocus looks like 'Fuscotinctus'. Please note, that in 'Dorothy' the feathering is more suffused than in 'Fuscotinctus' and from what I see on your overview photos I would say they all have a 'clear' feathering. A close-up photo from aside would be better for ID.

Good evening, Thomas, and thank you for your comment. I agree with you that the feathering looks quite solidly marked in our pictures, indicating 'Fuscotinctus', but I do not recall that name at all. I picked two flowers from different bunches this afternoon, and photographed them as you suggested. The feathering in the picture below looks more like that of 'Dorothy' in your Compilation than it does 'Fuscotinctus'. I noticed when taking the pictures that the solidity of the feathering varied slightly with the angle at which I viewed the petal. This can be seen in the picture with the rightmost petal viewed at 90 degrees appearing slightly more solid in feathering than the main petal viewed straight on. This could be a "3-D" effect in the petal, og a purly optical effect on the petal surface?

I have enjoyed your pictures of your crocus lawns recently, wonderful. Thank you.

Knud

[Thomas Huber]

Hmmm, you're right, Knud - from this angle your plant doesn't look like 'Fuscotinctus'. But I also miss the suffused/dirty feathering of 'Dorothy' that I have in my plants, but agree with you, that yours looks more like 'Dorothy' than 'Fuscotinctus'. Maybe its just an impression due to different lights or your/my plant is a mutation from the Dutch fields 
By the way: I received my plants in a bag labelled as EP Bowles which it surely isn't. I also never bought 'Fuscotinctus' - all my corms came from mixed bags or wrong labelled, so better not trust the labels 

[Janis Ruksans]

Crocus season aproximates to end but still several will come out - cvijicii, veluchensis, minimus etc.
Now some pictures from today
Crocus atticus - form collected by Arne Striid
Crocus biflorus JRRK-089
White form of chrysanthus, blooming later and with smaller flowers
True Crocus corsicus - note pure white throat
Crocus etruscus
and last - Crocus flavus dissectus - marvellous crocus, I even like it more than type subsp. although it is less popular - can't understand - why?
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Few more
2 pictures of crocus known as imperatii reidii, although really it isn't the plant to which this name originally was applied, but regardless of name - marvellous.
Both forms of C. pestalozzae - white and blue - note black dots at filaments base
Crocus reticulatus from Italy - TCH-0835
then 3 pictures of C. sieberi from Omalos plain
and as last C. minimus comercial form blooming much earlier than wild forms
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

And last crocuses for today
Crocus suaveolens TCH-0813
Rare white form of C. vitellinus
Another white distributed as white imperatii, but I'm not certain is this name correct?
Last year I bought few C. aerius - best buying - each different and all true aerius - here 2 forms
and as last 2 pictures from Crocus albiflorus from Jura mnt. in Helvetia - note the variability.
Janis

[Martin Baxendale]

Those markings on the outer segments of imperatii reidii are superb.

[Janis Ruksans]

Forgot about another curiosity - spring flowering form of normally autumn blooming C. laevigatus. Such are on some Greek islands.
Janis

[Lesley Cox]

Those markings on the outer segments of imperatii reidii are superb.

Why would we think this is different from a good minimus?