Crocus February 2012

[Gerry Webster]

Ron - if you have access to back numbers of the AGS Bulletin there is an article, with photos, by Alan Edwards on C. pelistericus in the wild - AGS Bull. 66, 3 (Sept 1998). Alan has a further short note in AGS Bull. 68,4 (Dec 2000) on the occasion when his plants received a PC. He is very skilful & flowered it successfully in Surrey.

[ronm]

Thanks so much Gerry for this information. I will be able to access the AGS Bulletin you mention I'm sure. I'll start my search immediately.

[Janis Ruksans]

In Latvia conditions in summer is very variable - there can be long dry and hot periods. So I'm placing in summer pots with scardicus, pelistericus and scharojanii in shade of greenhouse. I put them on geo-plastic which not allow to grow weeds but allow to drain off excess water. If weather is dry, I'm looking for watering once a week, but if temperature is high - once in 5 days. It works perfectly.
Janis

[ronm]

Thank you Janis. The geo-plastic is a good idea. I'll definitely 'steal' your idea.

[Armin]

Not much happening for me at present just a couple

C pelistericus from a generous friend
C rujanensis - or is atticus ssp rujanensis?

Ian,
very nice croci images.

The pictures of your C. rujanensis are lovely. I like the deep yellow throat.
But I have my difficulties to differenciate your samples from C. atticus (C. sieberi ssp. atticus) i.e. cv. 'Firefly'.
Refering to Janis crocus book C. rujanensis bract and bracteole are unequal in length, the perianth is purple in the upper part and style exceeds well tips of anthers...

[ian mcenery]

Not much happening for me at present just a couple

C pelistericus from a generous friend
C rujanensis - or is atticus ssp rujanensis?

Ian,
very nice croci images.

The pictures of your C. rujanensis are lovely. I like the deep yellow throat.
But I have my difficulties to differenciate your samples from C. atticus (C. sieberi ssp. atticus) i.e. cv. 'Firefly'.
Refering to Janis crocus book C. rujanensis bract and bracteole are unequal in length, the perianth is purple in the upper part and style exceeds well tips of anthers...

Definitely nothing like Firefly as this grows well in my garden and anyway the flowers of Firefly are twice as big and are much deeper in colour. This one is very dainty and is not  as vigorous  .  I acquired this  plant some years ago from Rannveig Wallis in 2007 so I am loathe to question its provenance even though as you say it does not perfectly fit the description in Janis's book and there is nothing I can find in the Mathew bible. Interesting picture of it on the Pacific Bulb society on this link http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Crocus/Crocus_rujanensis.jpg.

[Janis Ruksans]

Not much happening for me at present just a couple

C pelistericus from a generous friend
C rujanensis - or is atticus ssp rujanensis?

Ian,
very nice croci images.

The pictures of your C. rujanensis are lovely. I like the deep yellow throat.
But I have my difficulties to differenciate your samples from C. atticus (C. sieberi ssp. atticus) i.e. cv. 'Firefly'.
Refering to Janis crocus book C. rujanensis bract and bracteole are unequal in length, the perianth is purple in the upper part and style exceeds well tips of anthers...

Crocus rujanensis belongs to those few species "which I don't like" because for identification problems. I don't like species about which is written - separable by complex of features - where measurements overlap with similar sp. etc. In my book I took original description of C. rujanensis - Randjelovič, N., D. A. Hill, V. Stamenkocič, and V. Randjelovič. 1990. A new species of Crocus from Yugoslavia. Botanical Magazine (Kew Magazine) 7: 182--186.
Janis

[Tony Willis]

Thanks so much Gerry for this information. I will be able to access the AGS Bulletin you mention I'm sure. I'll start my search immediately.

I posted pictures of C. pelistericus in the wild  following my trip in 2010. On the closeup of the picture showing five flowers you can see it is growing in standing water. Not to be recommended in cultivation.

www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5473.0

[ronm]

Thank you Tony. Now I see what you mean my standing water! The area appears very healthy, so I would assume some flow to the water, maybe very slow? Out of interest, does this water stay at this depth for long periods? Not that I would choose to cultivate under these conditions or anything like them.
Great set of pictures from your Greece trip on this link. I would advise any 'newbies' (like myself), to follow this link and peruse the thread Tony posted .. some fantastic pictures of wonderful plants, not only Crocus.

[ian mcenery]

Not much happening for me at present just a couple

C pelistericus from a generous friend
C rujanensis - or is atticus ssp rujanensis?

Ian,
very nice croci images.

The pictures of your C. rujanensis are lovely. I like the deep yellow throat.
But I have my difficulties to differenciate your samples from C. atticus (C. sieberi ssp. atticus) i.e. cv. 'Firefly'.
Refering to Janis crocus book C. rujanensis bract and bracteole are unequal in length, the perianth is purple in the upper part and style exceeds well tips of anthers...

Crocus rujanensis belongs to those few species "which I don't like" because for identification problems. I don't like species about which is written - separable by complex of features - where measurements overlap with similar sp. etc. In my book I took original description of C. rujanensis - Randjelovič, N., D. A. Hill, V. Stamenkocič, and V. Randjelovič. 1990. A new species of Crocus from Yugoslavia. Botanical Magazine (Kew Magazine) 7: 182--186.
Janis

Thanks Janis

Obviously a case of  "so many species so little difference" 

Here it is in a previous year where the style is longer . Attractive little thing

[Tony Willis]

Ian

it is a beautiful thing but I cannot see any difference to a pale Crocus sieberi-except perhaps the price!

[ian mcenery]

Ian

it is a beautiful thing but I cannot see any difference to a pale Crocus sieberi-except perhaps the price!

 

[ronm]

Very classy, whether C.rujanensis is true or not. I dont think that this should be lumped in without some form of differentiation  .

[Janis Ruksans]

Very classy, whether C.rujanensis is true or not. I dont think that this should be lumped in without some form of differentiation  .

I'm not lumping it, too. I have few slightly different stocks, all are collected on locus classicus and they are slightly different from atticus, so I keep them as rujanensis. I don't know how easy would be for me to identify plant without provenance (origin). Not tried yet.
Janis

[Tony Willis]

Very classy, whether C.rujanensis is true or not. I dont think that this should be lumped in without some form of differentiation  .

I'm not lumping it, too. I have few slightly different stocks, all are collected on locus classicus and they are slightly different from atticus, so I keep them as rujanensis. I don't know how easy would be for me to identify plant without provenance (origin). Not tried yet.
Janis

I do not want to get into a discussion which always goes nowhere due to irreconcilable views but it seems to me that if you need to know where something comes from before you can identify it then it is not distinct.