Crocus speciosus fever

[Janis Ruksans]

This year was incredibly rich for me with travels. Now, at end of season, counting trips of this season, I came to incredible number – 7 trips in one season. And could be even eight if not lime disease which cancelled my trip to Macedonia (former Yugoslavia). But all it started by invitation from Dr. Arne Striid, famous botanist and editor of coming Flora of Greece, to write Crocus chapter for this book. So four of my trips were just to Greece, two to Turkey (spring and autumn) and one to Kazakhstan.
In Greece main targets were few new most likely still undescribed crocus species and one of them was really found (I wrote about this earlier), another trip raised some doubts in Brian Mathews opinion about Crocus laevigatus, and it seems that there will be some changes, too. One certainly new one (at least I suppose so) will come in Crocus biflorus group. Due storm in sea it was impossible to get its locality. But most of time I used for finding of Crocus speciosus in Greece. In his monograph Brian wrote that all records about C. speciosus in European Turkey and Balcans really are only C. pulchellus. A year later in his conspectus about Greek crocuses he mentions some records about C. speciosus in Greece. So my target was to check this – is there really C. speciosus in Greece or not and if it is growing there what is its taxonomic status due great isolation from other localities.
From my English friend I got some coordinates about one locality where he saw C. speciosus growing together with C. robertianus. Twice I visited spot in early spring – too early even for finding leaves. At third visit I spotted leaves but they all turned only C. robertianus.
Now I went there in autumn. I passed half a day checking all possible spots where C. speciosus could grow, but everywhere I saw only Crocus robertianus in full bloom. Altitude was around 600-700 meters. So remained only two possibilities – I’m there too early for so low locality or population is completely destroyed. I’m not mentioning localities, to keep wild populations. So in this entry variability of Crocus robertianus in wild and some other picture from same place.
Janis

[tonyg]

7 trips!  I am lucky if I make just one!

Some nice forms of Crocus robertianus there.

[Janis Ruksans]

By materials for Flora of Greece I saw that C. speciosus were noted at two another localities in Greece, Google Earth showed much higher altitudes and as autumn bloomers start blooming at mountain tops and then go down, remained hope to find them there and we decided to go just to most N population at first - where blooming could be started. It is not very far from Albanian border in fantastical place, registered in Guinness Record Book as deepest and narrowest canyon on the Earth - Vikos Canyon in Vikos National Park. Road there was quite nice but passing Arta we were meted by horrible thunderstorm - endless lightening, strong wind breaking trees and with other cars we stopped on roadside as driving became too dangerous. When we restarted our road to Vikos road became as serpentine for broken tree trunks, fortunately always left some narrow space for passing. Late in afternoon we reached Monodendri in Vikos National Park where found excellent and very moderately priced hotel just near village centre. We made few pictures in evening and again in morning showing clouds in valley below us and in morning went to check this wonder - Vikos Canyon. Good road guides us almost till real gorge from where opened fantastic view down in gorge.
But my main target was to find Crocus speciosus. It took quite long time to get mountain meadow which could be habitat of this species. And quite soon I spotted first plant - it was just bud emerging from ground. After last night’s storm it was almost hopeless to find some flower there. During half day long research I found only some 15-18 plants from which I collected 1 for possible type herbarium, one for DNA checking and two for collection. Collecting one of them rolled out another corm still without roots and only starting to form shoot - this confirmed that it was only very start of blooming season and we were there too early. Several flowers were pushed down flat on ground by heavy rain, but day was sunny and when sunshine get the slope, some flowers widely opened allowing to make few pictures.
Janis

[Tony Willis]

Janis

lovely pictures of Crocus robertianus. When were you there?

I visited the site between Lidoriki and Nafpaktos on !st November and there was only one plant with a nearly dead flower to be seen. There were lots of C. cancellatus which were closed as it was raining hard. I assumed I was too late.

[Janis Ruksans]

Janis

lovely pictures of Crocus robertianus. When were you there?

I visited the site between Lidoriki and Nafpaktos on !st November and there was only one plant with a nearly dead flower to be seen. There were lots of C. cancellatus which were closed as it was raining hard. I assumed I was too late.

Pictures were maid 16th of October. Are you certain that it was cancellatus? Really I know only about robertianus and speciosus at this locality. Cancellatus could be mixed with speciosus if you are not checking corm tunics.
Janis

[de.da.]

Hello!
Wonderful pictures!!!
Beautiful landscape and crocusses!
Did I understand correctly?
The pictures at the first post are C.robertianus and from 3.post are C.speciosus?!

Greetings from Germany- Daniel

[Janis Ruksans]

Hello!
Wonderful pictures!!!

It is not pulchellus, but just speciosus!
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

The weather was wonderful and the second half of day we use to enjoy nature wonders around Vikos - so named “stone forest”, stone bridges over many streams and of course marvellous home wine and coffee. Home wine in various hotels and restaurants is different. On Monodendri it was excellent and we took a bottle with us to next sleeping/dinner place. On attached pictures you can see entry to our hotel, on next picture my daughter with her husband, then stone forest and bridges. From plants only Colchicum cupanii. There was another Colchicum species, too, but its flowers were too heavy damaged by the last night’s showers. Next morning we went to third locality for C. speciosus, located just in middle - between most N situated at Vikos and most S situated some 50 km from Delfi. But again we found nothing. Most likely it was too early, but I was not searching too carefully, too as I got needed sample for DNA research. After returning to home I found in full flowers C. speciosus from near Delfi, which I got this autumn from Gothenburg. Morphologically it looked very close to Vikos plants, although of different colour pattern. That one you can see on next entry.
Janis

[de.da.]

Hello Janis!
I just noticed the error itself and just changed the post ...
But you were faster.
Daniel

[Janis Ruksans]

On this entry so long searched C. speciosus from S location in Greece, which bloomed in my home and laughed about my search. It seem that my collection became too large if I even not remember more all crocuses grown by me (at present somewhere around 1400 samples).
Janis

[Tony Willis]

Pictures were maid 16th of October. Are you certain that it was cancellatus? Really I know only about robertianus and speciosus at this locality. Cancellatus could be mixed with speciosus if you are not checking corm tunics.
Janis

I had the site from a Danish botanist and I am quite certain they were cancellatus. he records hadriaticus from this same site.

I have a couple of plants from a previous collection and will verify it when they die down in the spring.

[Janis Ruksans]

We are sleeping in Delphi. Not the best and not the cheapest hotel and not good lunch we got in restaurant selected by us for evening meal. Back in hotel we enjoy wine fortunately taken with us from Monodendri. .
In morning we visit ancient Delphi ruins and then driving to pay-bridge over Gulf. Our target is Stemnitsa – beautiful mountain village where few years ago I collected some Crocus melantherus. Now I want to revisit this locality for more detailed research. We select “scenic road” and it really is very nice winding up in mountains and again I’m spotting some crocuses on roadside. Brief look confirms that it is Crocus mazziaricus. Brian Mathew regards this one as subspecies of cancellatus. I don’t like this merging, so I prefer to regard it as separate species as well as C. lycius, C. pamphylicus and C. dispathaceus from Turkey. Really C. mazziaricus from Peloponnesus looks quite different comparing with Turkish forms of mazziaricus. Greek plants generally are white or whitish with paler stigma, Turkish generally are blue and with bright orange to reddish stigmatic branches. But there would be needed more careful research.
Janis

[Janis Ruksans]

We are driving by road which turns from coastal highway to Athens inside Peloponnesus at Trapeza. Road really is very beautiful (marked green as scenic road on our maps). Really shocked we are seeing new hotel (?) attached to high rock as swallows nest. Similar I saw in NE Turkey - it is Sumeli monastery built up from 6th century and finished at 13th century. Monks searched for distanced safe spot, but for modern house? I will not have courage to live in such hotel even for one night. So we drive further up to Demitsana - fantastically beautiful city something before Stemnitsa because just passing Demitsana we found excellent hotel. There is only 10 minutes walk to village centre with very good restaurant, and good wine of course.
In morning we are going to Stemnitsa. It is my third visit there. At first I went there with my stepdaughter in autumn 2008 - there were plenty of Crocus melantherus. I revisited spot with my wife in 2011 - to show her this beautiful village and landscapes by road to Olympus. Then I saw no one melantherus but everywhere bloomed in same abundance C. boryi (in 2008 I saw there no one). I wanted to see this place again and now I found both species together - last flowers of boryi and first of melantherus - both in moderate numbers. Visit dates each case were approximately same. But I collected one specimen with distinctly gold coloured back of outer petals. Will se - will it keep its special colour in cultivation or not?
Janis

[Armin]

thanks for your travel report and images from sights & habitats - some mystical places to cause surprise.

[Janis Ruksans]

As really I got all what I needed I’m going with my children to visit historic monuments and scenic roads. One of monuments not far from Stemnitsa is Ancient Gortys - on picture remnants of old health service place where patients were cured by aromatic herbs, oils and steam. We select narrow road back to Stemnitsa, but road is very good. On opposite side of gorge I note very unusual formation - stalactites and stalagmites in open air (not in cave) but more careful look shows that very long ago large part of rock broke down in valley and so opened to eyes remnants of earlier hided cave. Then we go for lunch to Dimitsana - very scenic, well conserved city. Yesterday evening was too dark for pictures - so wee use some time to watch village’s beauties. Few pictures attached. Following day we have plain to home, so we turn to direction of Athens, but day is long - so short side drive where again meadow with many C. melantherus but in this case mixed with C. mazziaricus. Those pictures are on next entry.
Janis