Crocus speciosus speciosus
Flowering Time |
Autumn |
Distribution |
Crimea; Caucasus; N Iran; C & N Turkey |
Native Climate |
Cold winter, warm summer but with regular rainfall |
Wild Habitat |
Woodland, pastures, short mountain turf |
Distinctive Features |
Flower lilac blue, veined darker, many branched style. Corm tunic coriaceous splitting into rings at base |
Closest Relatives |
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Cultivation Requirements |
Tolerant of garden conditions given some sun and avoiding waterlogging |
Availability |
Widely available from specialists and garden retail outlets |
Easy and cheap (in the UK at least) but prone to flopping over and easily damaged by bad weather. This shortcoming can be overcome to some extent by planting in grass, although late summer grass cutting must be done with caution! Increases by producing many small cormlets.
Horticultural Trade Crocus speciosus
Crocus speciosus grown from wild collected seed
Corms showing smooth tunic with basal rings