Crocus trip to Crete from 20 -27 november 2011

[krisderaeymaeker]

Previous year we take the opportunity to go to Crete in late autumn. The main target was find and see al Crocus-species in flower .

In november , Crete is a quiet and al the tourist are gone by that time ...

On some days you stil can have breakfast outside .

[krisderaeymaeker]

Ofcourse , Crocus laevigatus is the most common of al ....

Just want to start with an image of the habitat .

[Leon]

Kris,
It appears the native habitat for crocus is surprisingly rocky and the soil sparse.  It looks to me like the ground would be quick drying and rather arid. I am eager to see photos of flowering species there.   This sounds like a really nice trip to make.

[Armin]

Kris,
I'm excited to see more images...

[krisderaeymaeker]

Kris,
It appears the native habitat for crocus is surprisingly rocky and the soil sparse.  It looks to me like the ground would be quick drying and rather arid. I am eager to see photos of flowering species there.   This sounds like a really nice trip to make.

Hi Leon. Crocus laevigatus e.g. grows nearly everywhere . We see them growing in graslands, crevices,rocky places, beside roadsides,even in rocks ...
It was a really nice trip and I hope to give some evidences....

[krisderaeymaeker]

Kris,
I'm excited to see more images...

Thanks Armin . I do my best to show you as much pictures as possible.

To start with Crocus laevigatus ....

[krisderaeymaeker]

And the flowers from above ...

[krisderaeymaeker]

Also sometimes laevigatus with yellow blush on the outside of the flowers .

Not the same yellow ofcourse as in the autumn-flowering Ranunculus bullatus who is flowering at the same time and place.

[Janis Ruksans]

Also sometimes laevigatus with yellow blush on the outside of the flowers .

Not the same yellow ofcourse as in the autumn-flowering Ranunculus bullatus who is flowering at the same time and place.

Excellent pictures. I like this one with yellow back. Never before saw such coloration in Craetan laevigatus. I think you noted the size of flowers? All Cretan laevigatus has much smaller flowers than those from Pelloponessus and other islands. Did you observe this?
Janis

[ian mcenery]

Nice laevigatus Chris please keep the pictures coming. Laevigatus are all lovely plants and one of my favourite crocus that's why I try to grow as many variations from seed as I can

[Gerry Webster]

Ofcourse , Crocus laevigatus is the most common of al ....

Kris - very interesting to see the range of variation here; greater than I've seen in cultivated plants. Were they all  in a single population? 

[krisderaeymaeker]

Excellent pictures. I like this one with yellow back. Never before saw such coloration in Craetan laevigatus. I think you noted the size of flowers? All Cretan laevigatus has much smaller flowers than those from Pelloponessus and other islands. Did you observe this?
Janis

Thanks Janis  ! Oh yes , laevigatus on Crete has very smal flowers . Very often they are extremely smal (e.g.when they grow in rocks, crevices they are even smaller ...)
Sometimes they have bigger flowers but that is eighter an exception....The one with the yellow back was one of my favorites to ...
There is more to come....

[krisderaeymaeker]

Nice laevigatus Chris please keep the pictures coming. Laevigatus are all lovely plants and one of my favourite crocus that's why I try to grow as many variations from seed as I can

Thanks Ian , I think I can show you more nice surprises ....I do my best next days to upload the pictures .

[krisderaeymaeker]

Kris - very interesting to see the range of variation here; greater than I've seen in cultivated plants. Were they all  in a single population?

Yes Gerry ,this is from one single population ! I was surprised myself .This was the first Crocus we see on this trip and it took already some time to take a lot of pics .....Just with the idea to show this variation . We spend al morning on this site..
But there was another reason ofcourse . There was another companion for our laevigatus .

On this picture we also see what Janis means ..The smal flowers of laevigatus .

[krisderaeymaeker]

There was another companion for our laevigatus .

And the second Crocus we find : Crocus cartwrightianus . Crocus oreocreticus  In the morning the flowers are stil closed .