Description
A new species described by Kerndorff and Pasche in 2012, but known in cultivation considerably before that when it was thought to be simply a white form of another species, C. punctatus, (which grows not that far away) and it was grown as that.
It has now been determined as a new species differing in many key features but for the gardener there are some obvious differences that will distinguish plants immediately. The anthers of C. babadaghensis never have the black bases to thee anthers found in all C. punctatus forms and equally C. babadaghensis do have greyish tips which are never found in punctatus. The leaves of the two species are noticeably different in structure also.
C. babadaghensis flowers with us in January, each small corm making 2-3 flowers. These are white with a gorgeous golden throat which shows through to the outside of the flower. The outside of the outer three petals is speckled and dotted with a warm grey around lined up rows of the same dotting. The centre of these petals tends towards a buff colour that sets the patterns of dots off beautifully. Inside the flower the anthers are broad and bright yellow, with tiny greyish tips (you can just see these in our pictures) . These are set around a small, orange-yellow style which is considerably shorter.
Readily grown in well-drained, loam based composts with summer dryness, in pots under alpine glass but too rare still for us to have experimented with it outside.
From Baba Dag in Mugla province in south western Turkey where it grows at around 1,200m over limestone.
Stock originally from Janis Ruksans.
