Description
(Crocus speciosus subsp. archibaldiorum )
From the outside, the 40mm-long flowers appear to be pale purple, but they in fact have an almost white ground colour, overlaid with fine purple hair-streaks and stripes. There are fairly wide lilac stripes running from the base of each petal more or less to the tips. A very distinctive feature is the blue or violet stripes that run on the outside of the petals. This is not found in any of the other species related to, and centred on, C. speciosus.
The centre of the flower has yellow-orange anthers and an orange style with quite short branches that barely overtop the anthers. |The throat is yellow and noticeably hairy,
Flowering usually begins in September and runs into October, the leaves start to appear after flowering.
The species is newly recognised and occurs only in North West Iran in the north of Zanjan province where it grows in open spaces on steep mountain slopes at altitudes from 1,800m to 2,000m. It may also occur in S. Azerbaijan (if an invalid synonym C. polyanthus turns out to be the same plant). It is not recorded for Turkey. In cultivation this is not difficult, in a well-drained, loam-based compost but as it still rare, it is perhaps best maintained in alpine house conditions, away from excess winter wet or summer water as early indications are that it likes a dry (but not desiccating) summer rest.
Named in 2012 but known in cultivation before this. Introduced to our lists September 2018, raised from plants originating from Jim Archibald (seed) and Janis Ruksans (corms and seed).
