Crocuses in Eastern Turkey, autumn 2011

[Kees Jan]

Still on the subject of kotschyanus... Here are some examples from a most interesting population west of Erzincan. This seems so be in an area between the documented distributions of ssp. suworowianus and ssp. cappadocicus. I have seen thousands of plants of suworowianus further east, but never came across a lilac one.

The last three pics are speciosus ssp. ilgazens .

My powerpoint presentation on autumn flowering bulbs of Turkey is just about ready now and includes quite a few of the species photographed last autumn during my two trips to eastern Turkey... Just in time for the meeting of the Dutch AGS on November 19th. I'm happy to repeat this presentation elsewhere by the way.

[Maggi Young]

My powerpoint presentation on autumn flowering bulbs of Turkey is just about ready now and includes quite a few of the species photographed last autumn during my two trips to eastern Turkey... Just in time for the meeting of the Dutch AGS on November 19th. I'm happy to repeat this presentation elsewhere by the way.

I've made a note of that, Kees!

[Kees Jan]

Happy to revisit Scotland any time . Let's go on with the diary...

First there is some type of Crocus cancellatus, photographed north of Erzincan. I'm not sure cancellatus was previously reported from this part of northern Turkey . Has anyone else came across cancellatus in this area?

The bird is a Hooded Crow, very common in Greece and Turkey.

Harvest of sugar beet is very labour intensive and takes place during autumn crocus season, quite a different type of 'bulbous' plant...

Next is a view of the city of Erzurum and the beginning of winter in the Palandöken mountains. Four weeks earlier there was no snow at all in the Palandöken, Crocus suworowianus was in flower at that time but must be covered by snow when this photo was taken.

Finally a Seljuk stone bridge that was built in the 12th century AD and was photographed at Köprüköy. There are several places in Turkey named Köprüköy, but this is the one along the Silk Road from Erzurum to Doğubayazit, which was to be our next destination, at the foot of Mount Ararat.

[Tony Willis]

Kees

that bridge brings back some happy memories,it is a wonderful structure set in a grand landscape.

I return from SW Turkey tomorrow after a very disappointing trip. It has been brown and parched and the rain has just started today.

The news is showing very heavy snow in the East of the country and it is -8c at Van

[Kees Jan]

A wonderful bridge indeed Tony. Unfortunately Mt. Ararat was in the clouds during my October visit to Turkey, so we did not see it at all although we could nearly touch it from Doğubayazit.

Next day we moved on from Doğubayazit to Bitlis, following the northern shore of Lake Van. We passed Ercis on our way, which was unfortunately hit very hard by the recent earthquake. Between Ercis and Tatvan we passed the Seljuk city of Ahlat, with its famous cemetery.

Next we visited Nemrut Dag NP near Tatvan (a different Nemrut Dag NP, not the same as this thread started with!). I show a picture of Lake Van and Tatvan, photographed from Nemrut Dag. Nemrut Dag NP near Tatvan is an enormous volcanic crater, quite SPECTACULAR !

South of Lake Van we photographed one of the most unsual of al crocuses, C. karduchorum, which prefers scrub and light woodland. First a picture of its habitat. Crocus karduchorum is not all that much photographed in the wild since few people seem to go to the SE to photograph autumn-flowering bulbous plants. The Greek Tortoise (Testudo graeca) was photographed at a karduchorum site !

[art600]

Here are shots taken in mid- May of Nemrut Dag crater and a view of Tatvan

[Janis Ruksans]

Inside Nemrut-dag (Van) crater - 4th June this summer.
Janis

[Maggi Young]

Fellows, these photographs are all VERY beautiful, thank you. Is there something about the Turkish air tha allows such spectacular pictures?!!

What a pity that we see these in the same period as there has been so much earthquake activity in eastern Turkey.

[David Nicholson]

Fellows, these photographs are all VERY beautiful, thank you......

Yes agreed. The important bit, for this less than intrepid traveller, is that I can see them without all the bits in the middle I couldn't cope with, like heights, for example.

[Thomas Huber]

A big, big thank you to you, Kees,
and also to Marijn for these photos of species
that I have never seen before from the wild!!!

If I ever find the time to finish my book/website
I would really like to use your photos if you don't mind.

[Kees Jan]

or like captivity David   ... Photographing seems to be a very suspicious activity in the SE, Marijn and I had a most interesting experience and we were relieved to catch our flight home just in time ... We went to the SE to photograph C. kotschyanus ssp. hakkariensis and C. karduchorum, but things are rather tense. Ofcourse we were very happy to find and photograph these plants and I'm very happy to share them on my favourite forum !

From Bitlis we travelled further west via Diyabakir to Sanliurfa. Along the way we managed to photograph Crocus pallasii ssp. turcicus (first 4 pics), which was a 'new' subspecies for us, and also C. cancellatus ssp. damascenus, another subspecies that we had not seen before . Some of the latter in cooler and probably moister conditions at the base of rocks were further advanced than others and started to produce leaves.

Sternbergia colchiciflora was the only Amaryllidaceae that I found during my two visits to eastern Turkey this autumn.

[Maggi Young]

Kees, I need hardly tell you how relieved we all are that you and Marijn are safely returned to tell the tale of your travels... how I would enjoy the Eastern Turkey Lecture Day on 19th November with the NRV.... have a wonderful time, I'll be thinking of you all.

[Kees Jan]

Your picture made inside Nemrut Dag crater is quite interesting Janis. It seems like the volcano was quite active when you were there last June !

[Janis Ruksans]

Your picture made inside Nemrut Dag crater is quite interesting Janis. It seems like the volcano was quite active when you were there last June !

We couldn't drive in because road at craters rim was cutted be stream from melting snow - so we walked in, but returned before reaching lake as found it too much time taking enterprice. Bloomed phantastic Iris caucasica, but Fritillarias were in seed. No Crocuses at Nemrut-dag we found.

But this isn't reason for this entry. Sorry, Kees Jan, but on all pictures of your last picture-entry are only Crocus pallasii. C. cancellatus has many-branched stigma.
Janis

[Kees Jan]

Thanks for your correction Janis although I'm somewhat confused and still tend to think it is more likely an unsual form of cancellatus. We initially thought it was pallasii because of the style, but had a look at a corm to be sure and thought that was quite typical for cancellatus ssp. damascenus, which is known from this particular area according to Flora of Turkey. We did not check the corm of the actual plant that I showed above though, so perhaps the two species grow sympatrically here. On the other hand, here are 2 pictures of the very same plant that show that the style is divided into more than three segments. So I'm still confused    , nature can be very complex and sometimes doesn't quite fit our man-made systems. What do you think...?

By the way, are pallasii and cancellatus closely related at all, or is it just us that struggle to separate the less typical style forms of cancellatus and pallasii? We also struggled with some of the plants at Kubbe Gecidi, as mentioned early on in this thread I believe.

In any case we found typical cancellatus ssp. damascenus later so we did see it elsewhere, whatever the status of the pics labelled cancellatus ssp. damascenus that I showed so far in this thread. I wil share some pics of typical cancellatus ssp. damascenus later, but I'm still busy selecting and labelling these particular pictures though, a time-consuming job!