Late crocuses from Turkey

[Janis Ruksans]

At very end of May/ start of June I visited E Turkey to see some late blooming crocuses. The first stop was on Kop daģ gec. (2600 m). Spring was early and winter with less snow than usually. So we saw only last flowers after some walking up to snow. As you can see from yellow leaves - crocuses started blooming below snow and leaves after coming in sunlight still didn't built up chlorophyll and didn't turn green. Still don't know what subspecies of biflorus is this one. On next pass are growing C. aerius and corms of Kop-daģ plants looks similar to aerius corms, but flower is quite different. At earlier visits I named it taurii, but now I'm very doubtful about this name. Most likely it could be aerius, but of different color style.
Janis

[Lesley Cox]

These are just lovely Janis. When is there ever a time without a crocus in bloom, somewhere in the world? My winter spring crocuses are well on the way already.

[Armin]

Wunderful crocus images of late spring.

I wonder if the short vegetation period and harsh climate is sufficient to set seed or if propagation at such high altitudes (2600 m) is just by corm offsets (stolons).
Which insects are possible pollinators? Any observations made?

[Janis Ruksans]

I think they increase by seeds, I didn't observed any stolones, found several seedpods at something lower altitudes. Stolones are more common in crocuses than supposed earlier. They are formed by Crocus speciosus, fleischeri, too.
Here some more pictures from Kop-Daģ. On last picture you can see corm tunics of Kop-daģ gec. crocus.

On following mails I will try to show you last flowers of Crocus aerius from high altitudes at Zigana pass - quite close to Kop-Daģ, but different by flower and quite variable, more than I supposed before.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

As I noted - spring was very early in E Turkey. So I was very lucky when just below snowline (really snow patches) found a meadow with plenty of Crocus aerius. They are growing in deep turf together with various viola, Scilla armena, Ornithogalum balansae (?) and some other. Flowers were very variable - many whites - some with light flower tube but some albinos had dark tubes. Here will be 3 entries with C. aerius flowers and habitat + unique plant - white form of Scilla armena. I saw may be millions of S. armena, but all were blue. Here I walked thinking that white armena may be don't exist and just then got call from my friend - Janis, here is white armena! Another plant which surprised me was Cyclamen parviflorum - growing in full sun and in deep turf. I never could image that cyclamen can grow in so open spots (of course, I'm not cyclamen specialist). Hope you will like those entries.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Cyclamen parviflorum and Crocus aerius. Note two pictures of very striped flowers - one on outside, another with white stripes reaching tips of petals inside.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

The last entry of Crocus aerius variability with view down from mountains. The road down was one of most difficult in this trip (and one of most difficult in my Turkey travels). There were turns where I was forced to drive car back for making turn - so sharp and narrow they were. Fortunately no one car came up to mountains, so there was no need to exchange. Road down took around two hours and in several spots my friends stepped out of car to make the distance between stones and car bottom larger.
Janis

[Armin]

Janis,
thanks for your reply and showing us more of your images.
It is amazing to see the variability in C. aerius. Some are real stunners.
The white S. armena is a good find and a rare treasure
The view from the pass and the landscape is impressive... And the road looks adventurously

[Janis Ruksans]

On road down from Crocus aerius pass. It is not Vladimir Iljich Lenin (those from Eastern Europe well know the fairy-tale how founder of Soviet regime worked in cleaning of Moscow on Saturday), but real old Turkish (may be Georgian) woman.
Some more pictures from this trip I will add a little later.
Janis

[David Nicholson]

Bet she doesn't spend most of her life looking in shoe shops

[Janis Ruksans]

Few pictures from road down to sea from Soģanli pass (can't recommend this road). Pictures are maid by my daughter as I was driving car.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

Few more pictures made by my daughter Līga.
Janis

[Maggi Young]

Cyclamen parviflorum in post#5  is  a real beauty.

Few pictures from road down to sea from Soģanli pass (can't recommend this road)

Great photos from Līga  but I can well see why you would not recommend the road 

[I.S.]

  Jenis,
It looks very interesting trip that you have done and very nice pictures... Thanks for showing them.
  I have also your first crocus from Bayburt not far from Kop pass. I believe this is a tauri. Van herbarium also confirm this.
( A8 Gümüşane: Kop Da. col, 2700 m.)
http://www.vanherbaryum.yyu.edu.tr/flora/azortandir/crocusbita/index.htm
  These samples have yellow throat, long anthers and yellow filaments while aerius have more white throat, short anthers and white filaments!
   Here is my sample. I have recieved some more samples but they did not flower all last year. I hope they will flower next year with more colorfull like yours.

[Janis Ruksans]

  I have also your first crocus from Bayburt not far from Kop pass. I believe this is a tauri. Van herbarium also confirm this.
( A8 Gümüşane: Kop Da. col, 2700 m.)
http://www.vanherbaryum.yyu.edu.tr/flora/azortandir/crocusbita/index.htm
  These samples have yellow throat, long anthers and yellow filaments while aerius have more white throat, short anthers and white filaments!
   Here is my sample. I have recieved some more samples but they did not flower all last year. I hope they will flower next year with more colorfull like yours.

Yes, in my collection it is registered as subsp. taurii - I collected it there (Kop daģ gec.) few years ago at slightly lower altitudes just on roadside (then winter was more snowy).
Janis