Description
This is one of the most beautiful of all Crocus. The fact that its wild distribution spans Iran and Russia may account for the rarity in cultivation but it now seems established after years when it was absent or reduced to just a few corms.
White or pale lilac-blue flowers often with a central zone of intense blue-indigo. There is no yellow in the throat, which adds tremendous visual impact, combined with the white styles.
The species is far more variable than was once thought from the formerly limited amount of material available for examination. Our photograph shows the degree of variation in our stock, which is only slight, with beautiful, purple feathered and speckled exteriors to the outer segments. Internally the throat is stained with blue purple, below bright chrome yellow anthers and a tiny, white style.
Some forms of this can., naturally, make quite big corms (for a species Crocus that is) however in this strain they are usually small, even at flowering size. They have a characteristic shape and silky woven tunic. Good drainage is essential in a sunny, loam soil in sun though this does appear to like a lot of water (combined with good drainage) in Spring.
The “Iran” stock offered is raised from material traceable to stations in the Kopet Dagh range, just inside Iran but close to the border with Turkmenistan, along the Quchan – Bajgiran road at 1,900m.
