Crocus mathewii
Jane McGary (Mon, 25 Oct 2004 10:23:43 PDT)
Paige wrote,
Jane McGary has posted an image of a pot of heart-stoppingly beautiful
Crocus mathewii grown from seed.
I have no reason to suppose they are not C. mathewii, but they do differ
from my plants, which descend as clones from the original Kerndorff & Pasche
collection in Turkey. Jane's Crocus looks excitingly different. The petals
are somewhat broader,
the color
at the heart is deeper and its rays are more jagged.
Jane, do you know where and when Michael Kammerlander's parent seeds were
collected? How long ago
did you sow them, and how did you treat them?
I was under the impression that Kammerlander's plants originated from the
Kerndorff & Pasche collection as well. However, Dr. Kammerlander is known
for selecting especially attractive forms of the many genera he grows, so
this may be the top of the heap for C. mathewii. The differences Paige
mentions reflect typical individual variation within wild Crocus populations.
I sowed the seeds in winter 2001 and grew them on just as I do any other
crocus, potting them up after one year and keeping them plunged in an
heated bulb frame, almost but not quite dry in summer, fertilized several
times in the growing season, and repotted once since their initial potting up.
If, in addition, anyone has anything to suggest about the synonymy of
mathewii with another Crocus, I am interested to hear the concise
allegations. :-)
John Lonsdale mentioned that this species may eventually be submerged in C.
pallasii. Brian Mathew told me last year that C. mathewii might disappear
as a taxon, but I didn't remember what species he had mentioned as a candidate.
The striking coloration with a deep violet central zone is not unique to
this crocus. I have some plants of C. cancellatus ssp. mazziaricus with
similar coloration, though it isn't as striking because the violet is more
veined than solid.
Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA