Crocus imperati imperati
Flowering Time |
Winter and Early Spring |
Distribution |
W Italy (South from Naples); Capri |
Native Climate |
Mediterranean |
Wild Habitat |
Short turf and thin woodland |
Distinctive Features |
Lilac flowers with outside of outer petals buff, marked with dark purple. Corm tunic parallel fibres |
Closest Relatives |
|
Cultivation Requirements |
Well drained soil in sun. (Grown without protection in UK gardens given these conditions) |
Availability |
Some specialist bulb and seed suppliers |
Differentiated from subspecies suaveolens by having a bract and bracteole. (Subspecies suaveolens lacks a bracteole.) In the pictures below bract and bracteole are clearly visible in some of the flowers while the ssp suaveolens flower has just the bract and no sign of bracteole.
Four forms of crocus imperati imperati. Far left flower is from subspecies suaveolens
Crocus imperati White form
Parallel fibrous corm tunics with fine netting near the top.