Crocus september 2011

[Hagen Engelmann]

Phantastic Poul,

Three species in one pic - and good autumn light. And all outside

[tonyg]

Crocus ligusticus 

From a collection by Peter Bird & Mike Salmon (BS376). Italy, Liguria, Carcare (above Savona, S of Cairo Montenotte).
This form does not increase vegetatively and all the seedlings from it were killed by the severe cold last winter.   

Gerry that is a beauty!

[tonyg]

Hagen - a great picture ... and they do look so much better in the garden.  I just need to bring mine under control before I begin mass planting
Poul - vallicola to die for!

[Martin Baxendale]

I have a strange Crocus banaticus, which doesn't look healthy. Is it virused?
It could be a seedling flowering for the first time - I am not sure.

Poul

I don't like the look of that flower. Could be virus. I would remove it.

[tonyg]

Sunshine brings out the crocuses ... and the camera!

Two subtly different forms of Crocus goulimyi ssp leucanthus seed raised from seed collected at the type locality in the millennium year.
Crocus gilanicus, small but perfectly formed.
Two generations of Crocus serotinus ssp salzmannii one sown in 1997 labelled 'ex VH cols' (could be Vic Horton) the other sown 10 years later is offspring of the 1997 sowing.

[tonyg]

Crocus tournefortii x boryi.  This pot has a number of identical plants all appearing just like C boryi.  I have another pot where some are more like C tournefortii.
Crocus nudiflorus.  I have planted most of mine out now.
Crocus speciosus ssp ilgazensis.  Smaller than ssp speciosus.
Crocus pulchellus, a wild form.

[Martin Baxendale]

Tony, that gilanicus is very elegant.

[tonyg]

Tony, that gilanicus is very elegant.

It is a wee cutie ...AND it comes easily from seed which is set readily most years.  I even got a little last season when seed was in very short supply.

[Alex]

Do you need different clones for seed? I got some from mine, but none came up so I wonder...

[Lesley Cox]

You're right about seed set readily Tony. This is the pod now, as we speak, on the one and only flower I've had on a first corm of C. gilanicus. It's quite a large pod and hard and lumpy so I'm sure there's seed in it. Would you like it Martin when it ripens? (Your parcel has just arrived  ) I have some other seedlings, from Thomas I think but not flowered yet. Fat pods also on Cory. malkensis. This should be on the "I'm so happy" thread."

[Lesley Cox]

Forgot to attach the picture and it won't accept it as a "modify." so I'll put it here and hope for the best.

[Gerry Webster]

Crocus tournefortii x boryi.  This pot has a number of identical plants all appearing just like C boryi.  I have another pot where some are more like C tournefortii......

Tony - have you raised seedlings from your supposed hybrid? I had a plant which I tentatively identified as the hybrid. All the seedlings from it are morphologically indistinguishable from boryi (& flower early) apart from one which looks like an odd, very colourful, tournefortii. This is later flowering. I'll post a pic when it appears.

[tonyg]

Gerry - Yes and like you they seem pure boryi.  I guess the original cross (not my own seed) failed.  ie the seed was always boryi ... But it is more vigirous than most of the boryi I have grown which suggests possible hybridity.

[Martin Baxendale]

Lesley, glad the package arrived okay. Enjoy! Probably best if you sow the seed yourself as a back-up in case of disaster with the seedlings from Thomas - sod's law dictates that as soon as you mail off the seed, your seedlings will rot off or be eaten by something nasty. Thanks for the offer, and let me know if you have more seed to spare in the future once you have more stock yourself.

[ian mcenery]

Lovely crocuses everyone

Crocus nerimaniae from a generous friend