Crocus tommasinianus

Crocus tommasinianus, the woodland crocus,[1] early crocus,[2] or Tommasini's crocus, was named after the botanist Muzio G. Spirito de Tommasini (1794-1879). It is native to Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, and the former Yugoslavia.[3] 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. Groups of C. tommasinianus are also known affectionately as tommies.[4]

Crocus tommasinianus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Monocots
Order:
Asparagales
Family:
Iridaceae
Subfamily:
Crocoideae
Genus:
Crocus
Species:
C. tommasinianus
Binomial name
Crocus tommasinianus

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)

It naturalises easily earning an official recognition as a weed. It is often planted in large drifts in gardens and parks.

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[5]

Cultivars
Colony of "tommies" (Elfenkrokus) in Planten und Blumen, Hamburg

Examples:

  • 'Barr's Purple' (amethyst violet)
  • 'Lilac Beauty' (purple)
  • 'Roseus' (Pink Snow)
  • 'Ruby Giant' (purple)
  • 'Whitewell Purple' (silvery reddish purple flowers, pale mauve on the inside)

References
  1. "Crocus tommasinianus". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  2. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-01-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  3. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. "About Two Crocuses, Dutch and Tommie". Dave's Garden. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  5. "Crocus tommasinianus". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 2020-04-17.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.