Crocus tommasinianus

Last updated

Crocus tommasinianus
Crocus tommasinianus (Xytram).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Iridaceae
Genus: Crocus
Species:
C. tommasinianus
Binomial name
Crocus tommasinianus
Synonyms
  • Crocus vernus var. tommasinianus(Herb.) Nyman
  • Crocus serbicusA.Kern. ex Maw
  • Crocus tommasinianus f. jeremiciiRandjel.

Crocus tommasinianus, the woodland crocus, [1] early crocus, [2] or Tommasini's crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae . [3] [4] It is named after the botanist Muzio G. Spirito de Tommasini (1794-1879). It is native to Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, and the former Yugoslavia. [5] It is often referred to as the early or snow crocus, but these terms are shared with several other species, although C. tommasinianus is amongst the first to bloom. Multiple plants are often called tommies in the horticultural trade. [6]

Contents

Description

It is a cormous perennial of the genus Crocus in the family Iridaceae with a lilac flower, and is one of the smaller of the cultivated species. It has slender flowers about 2–4 cm (1–2 in) long, with white perianth tubes, petals (6) pale silvery lilac to reddish purple, while the outer petals may be overlaid with silver and darker tips. A variant, C. tommasinianus f. albus, is white. Its cultivars are used as ornamental plants. Height: 3 in (76 mm)

Habitat

The species is found growing around 1000 meters in woods and on shady hillsides, commonly on limestone with flowering occurring in January and February; the narrow leaves are fully developed by the time the purple flowers with white tubes blooms. [7]

Cultivation

It naturalizes easily earning an official recognition as a weed and is naturalized in the US state of Delaware. [8] It is often planted in large drifts in gardens and parks.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [9]

Cultivars

Colony of "tommies" (Elfenkrokus) in Planten und Blumen, Hamburg Crocus(loz).JPG
Colony of "tommies" (Elfenkrokus) in Planten und Blumen, Hamburg

Examples:

Related Research Articles

<i>Crocus cartwrightianus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus cartwrightianus is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is native to mainland Greece, Euboea, Crete, Skyros and some islands of the Cyclades. It is a cormous perennial growing to 5 cm (2 in). The flowers, in shades of lilac or white with purple veins and prominent red stigmas, appear with the leaves in autumn and winter.

<i>Scilla luciliae</i> Species of plant in the family Asparagaceae

Scilla luciliae is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. It is referred to by the common names Bossier's glory-of-the-snow or Lucile's glory-of-the-snow, and is a bulbous perennial from western Turkey that flowers in early spring. After flowering, it goes into dormancy until the next spring. The specific epithet is in honour of Lucile, the wife of the Swiss botanist Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810-1885). It belongs to a group of Scilla species that were formerly put in a separate genus, Chionodoxa, and may now be treated as Scilla sect. Chionodoxa.

<i>Geranium pratense</i> Species of flowering plant

Geranium pratense, the meadow crane's-bill or meadow geranium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae, native to Europe and Asia. Forming a clump up to 1 m (3.3 ft) broad, it is a herbaceous perennial with hairy stems and lax saucer-shaped blooms of pale violet. It is extremely hardy to at least −20 °C (−4 °F), reflecting its origins in the Altai Mountains of central Asia.

<i>Crocus banaticus</i> Species of plant

Crocus banaticus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is native to the Balkans, particularly in Serbia, Romania and south western Ukraine. It creates its own subgenus in the Crocus subfamily known as Crociris. It is a cormous perennial growing to 10 cm (4 in).

<i>Crocus chrysanthus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus chrysanthus, the snow crocus or golden crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is Native to the Balkans and Turkey, it bears vivid orange-yellow bowl-shaped flowers. It has smaller corms and a smaller flower than the giant Dutch crocus, although it produces more flowers per corm than the latter. Its common name, "snow crocus", derives from its exceptionally early flowering period, blooming about two weeks before the giant crocus, and often emerging through the snow in late winter or early spring. The leaves are narrow with a silver central stripe. Height: 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 cm).

<i>Crocus flavus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus flavus, known as yellow crocus, Dutch yellow crocus or snow crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae. It grows wild on the slopes of Greece, former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania and northwestern Turkey, with fragrant bright orange-yellow flowers. It is a small crocus (5–6 cm, despite the names of some cultivars, compared to the giant Dutch crocuses. Its cultivars are used as ornamental plants.

<i>Crocus sieberi</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus sieberi, Sieber's crocus, also referred to as the Cretan crocus or snow crocus, is a plant of the genus Crocus in the family Iridaceae. A small, early blooming crocus, it easily naturalises, and is marked by a brilliant orange which is mostly confined to the stamens and style, fading through the bottom third of the tepal. It grows wild generally in the Balkans: Greece, especially in the island of Crete, Bulgaria, Albania and North Macedonia. There are four subtypes: sieberi (Crete), atticus, nivalis and sublimis. Its cultivars are used as ornamental plants. Height: 3–4 inches (7.6–10.2 cm).

<i>Colchicum cilicicum</i> Species of flowering plant

Colchicum cilicicum, the Tenore autumn crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Colchicaceae. A bulbous perennial, it bears deep rose-lilac flowers in late summer, with barely any chequered pattern on the petals (tessellation). It has a very noticeable white stripe down the centre of each petal, which gives it a star-like appearance at the base. The flowers tend to stand up to weather better than other colchicum blooms. The flowers appear before the strap-like leaves, giving this and other colchicum species the common name "naked lady". Although colchicums are called "autumn crocuses" they belong to a different family than true crocuses. There are in fact autumn-flowering species of crocus such as Crocus sativus, which is the source of the spice saffron. Colchicum cilicicum, by contrast, is toxic if eaten.

<i>Crocus biflorus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus biflorus, the silvery crocus or scotch crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is native to south-eastern Europe and south-western Asia, including Italy, the Balkans, Ukraine, Turkey, Caucasus, Iraq, and Iran. It is a cormous perennial growing to 6 cm (2.4 in) tall and wide. It is a highly variable species, with flowers in shades of pale mauve or white, often with darker stripes on the outer tepals. The flowers appear early in spring.

<i>Crocus corsicus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus corsicus is a species of flowering plant in the genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae, endemic to the Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia.

<i>Crocus etruscus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus etruscus is a species of flowering plant in the genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae, endemic to woodlands of Central Tuscany (Italy). It is a cormous perennial growing to 8 cm (3.1 in) tall. The lilac flowers with purple veining and prominent orange stigmas appear in early spring.

<i>Crocus pulchellus</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae

Crocus pulchellus, the hairy crocus is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is found the Northern Balkan Peninsula to Northwestern Turkey.

<i>Crocus ancyrensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus ancyrensis, sometimes known as the Ankara crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Iridaceae. It is endemic to North and Central Turkey. It was named ancyrensis as it was first discovered in Ankara.

<i>Crocus cancellatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus cancellatus is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology Iridaceae. It is found from the Balkan Peninsula to Iran.

<i>Crocus caspius</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus caspius is a species of flowering plant in the genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae, from Southeastern Transcaucasus to Northern Iran.

<i>Crocus kotschyanus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus kotschyanus, Kotschy's crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae, found from Turkey to Caucasus and Lebanon.

<i>Crocus laevigatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus laevigatus, the smooth crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae, endemic to Crete, Greece.

<i>Crocus longiflorus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus longiflorus, the long-flowered crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae, found in Southwest Italy, Sicilia, and Malta.

<i>Crocus nudiflorus</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus nudiflorus is a species of flowering plant in the genus Crocus of the family Iridaceae. It is an autumn-flowering, dwarf, deciduous perennial found in western Europe from southwestern France to Spain. It has been cultivated since Tudor times in Great Britain, where it is now naturalized.

<i>Crocus tournefortii</i> Species of flowering plant

Crocus tournefortii, the Tournefort crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the iris family Iridaceae. It is from South Greece and Northern Crete.

References

  1. NRCS. "Crocus tommasinianus". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  2. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. "Crocus tommasinianus Herb". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  4. "Crocus tommasinianus Herb". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  5. "Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families".
  6. "Tommie Crocus". The Gardener's Apprentice. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
  7. Phillips, Roger (1989). The Random House book of bulbs. Martyn Rix, Brian Mathew. New York: Random House. p. 19. ISBN   0-679-72756-6. OCLC   19922564.
  8. Serviss, Brett E.; Peck, James H.; Benjamin, Kristen R. (2016). "Crocus Flavus: A New Genus and Species of Non-Native Iridaceae for the Arkansas (U.s.a.) Flora". Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. 10 (2): 513–516. ISSN   1934-5259. JSTOR   44858594.
  9. "Crocus tommasinianus". RHS Gardening. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2020-04-17.